2 Kings 25
1 In the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, attacked Jerusalem with his entire army. He set up camp around the city and built siege ramps against the walls.
And it came to pass, in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came—he and all his force, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it, —and they built against it a siege wall, round about.
2 The city remained under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
And the city came into the siege, —until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
3 By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine in the city was so bad that the people had nothing left to eat.
On the ninth of the month, when the famine had become severe in the city, —and there had come to be no bread for the people of the land,
4 Then the city wall was broken through, and all the soldiers escaped at night through the gate between the two walls by the king's garden, even though the Babylonians had the city surrounded. They ran away in the direction of the Arabah,
then was the city broken up, and all the men of war [fled] by night by way of the gate between the two walls, which is by the garden of the king, the Chaldeans being near the city round about, —and he went the way of the Waste Plain;
5 but the Babylonian army chased after the king and caught up with him on the plains of Jericho. His whole army had scattered and left him.
and the force of the Chaldeans, pursued, the king, and overtook him in the Waste Plains of Jericho, —and, all his force, was scattered from him.
6 They captured the king and took him to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where he was sentenced.
So they seized the king, and brought him up unto the king of Babylon, at Riblah, —and they pronounced upon him sentence of judgment.
7 They slaughtered Zedekiah's sons while he watched, and then gouged out his eyes, bound him in bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.
And, the sons of Zedekiah, they slew before his eyes, —and, the eyes of Zedekiah, put they out, and then bound him with fetters of bronze, and brought him into Babylon.
8 On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guard, an officer of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem.
And, in the fifth month, on the seventh of the month, the same, was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, chief of the royal executioners, servant of the king of Babylon, to Jerusalem;
9 He burned down the Lord's Temple, the royal palace, and all the large buildings of Jerusalem.
and burned the house of Yahweh, and the house of the king, —yea, all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great man’s house, burned he with fire.
10 The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the guard knocked down the walls around Jerusalem.
And, the walls of Jerusalem round about, did all the force of the Chaldeans who were with the chief of the royal executioners, break down.
11 Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guard, deported those who were left in the city, even those who had gone over to the side of the king of Babylon, as well as the rest of the population.
And, the residue of the people who were left in the city, and the disheartened who fell away unto the king of Babylon, and the residue of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan, chief of the royal executioners, carry away captive.
12 But the commander of the guard allowed the poor people who were left in the country to stay and take care of the vineyards and the fields.
But, of the poorest of the land, did the chief of the royal executioners, leave, for vine-dressers and for husbandmen.
13 The Babylonians broke into pieces the bronze pillars, the movable carts, and the bronze Sea that belonged to the Lord's Temple, and they took all the bronze to Babylon.
And, the pillars of bronze that were in the house of Yahweh, and the stands, and the sea of bronze which was in the house of Yahweh, the Chaldeans brake in pieces, and they carried away the bronze of them to Babylon;
14 They also took all the pots, shovels, lamp snuffers, dishes, and all the other bronze items used in the Temple service.
and, the caldrons, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, even all the utensils of bronze wherewith ministration used to be made, did they take away;
15 The commander of the guard removed the censers and bowls, anything that was made of pure gold or silver.
and, the sprinkling pans and the dashing bowls which were of gold, in gold, and which were of silver, in silver, did, the chief of the royal executions, take away.
16 The amount of bronze that came from the two columns, the Sea and the movable carts, which Solomon had made for the Lord's Temple, all of this weighed more than could be measured.
As for the two pillars the one sea and the stands which Solomon made for the house of Yahweh, without weight, was the bronze of all these things.
17 Each column was eighteen cubits tall. The bronze capital on top of one column was three cubits high, with a network of bronze pomegranates around it. The second column was the same, and also had a decorative network.
Eighteen cubits, was the height of each pillar, and, the capital thereupon was of bronze, and, the height of the capital, was three cubits, and, the lattice-work and pomegranates upon the capital round about, the whole, was of bronze; and, like these, had the second pillar, upon the lattice-work.
18 The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah, the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest, second in rank, and the three Temple doorkeepers.
And the chief of the royal executioners took Seraiah the head priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, —and the three keepers of the entrance hall;
19 From those left in the city he took the officer in charge of the soldiers, and five of the king's advisors. He also took the secretary to the army commander who was in charge of calling up the people for military service, and sixty other men who were present in the city.
and, out of the city, took he one courtier who himself was set over the men of war, and five men of them who were wont to see the face of the king, who were found in the city, and the scribe—general of the army, who used to muster the people of the land, —and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the city;
20 Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guard, took them and brought them before the king of Babylon at Riblah.
and Nebuzaradan, chief of the royal executioners, took them, —and brought them unto the king of Babylon, at Riblah;
21 The king of Babylon had them executed at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So the people of Judah had to leave their land.
and the king of Babylon smote them and slew them in Riblah, in the land of Hamath, —and thus Judah disappeared from off their own soil.
22 Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, appointed Gedaliah, son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, as governor over the people he had left in the land of Judah.
But, as for the people who were left in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon left remaining, he set over them Gedaliah, son of Ahikam son of Shaphan.
23 When all the army officers of Judah and their men learned that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they and their men met with Gedaliah at Mizpah. They included: Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan, son of Kareah, Seraiah, son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, Jaazaniah, son of the Maakathite.
And, when all the generals of the forces, they and the men, heard that the king of Babylon had given oversight unto Gedaliah, then came they in unto Gedaliah, at Mizpah, —even Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and Johanan son of Kareah, and Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of a Maacathite, they and their men.
24 Gedaliah swore an oath to them and their men, telling them, “Don't be afraid of the Babylonian officials. Stay here in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and you'll be fine.”
And Gedaliah sware unto them, and to their men, and said to them, Do not fear because of the servants of the Chaldeans, —dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.
25 But in the seventh month, Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of royal blood, came with ten men. They attacked and killed Gedaliah, along with the men of Judea and Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah.
And it came to pass, in the seventh month, that Ishmael son of Nethaniah a son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, —and the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.
26 As a result, all the people, from the least to the greatest, along with the army commanders, ran away to Egypt, terrified of what the Babylonians would do.
Then arose all the people, both small and great, and the generals of the forces, and came into Egypt, —for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.
27 In the year Evil-merodach became king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin, king of Judah, from prison. This happened on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin, king of Judah.
And it came to pass, in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, —that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, out of prison;
28 The king of Babylon treated him well him and gave him a position of honor higher than the other kings there with him in Babylon.
and he spake with him kind words, —and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon;
29 So Jehoiachin was able to remove his prison clothes, and he ate frequently at the king's table for the rest of his life.
and changed his prison garments, —and he did eat bread continually before him, all the days of his life.
30 The king provided Jehoiachin with a daily allowance for the rest of his life.
And, as his allowance, a continual portion, was given him, from the king, the provision of a day upon its own day, —all the days of his life.
