Βασιλειῶν Δʹ 25
1 καὶ ἐγενήθη ἐν τῷ ἔτει τῷ ἐνάτῳ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ μηνὶ τῷ δεκάτῳ ἦλθεν Ναβουχοδονοσορ βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος καὶ πᾶσα ἡ δύναμις αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ Ιερουσαλημ καὶ παρενέβαλεν ἐπ’ αὐτὴν καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν ἐπ’ αὐτὴν περίτειχος κύκλῳ
On January 15 of the ninth year that Zedekiah had been ruling, King Nebuchadnezzar arrived with his whole army, and they surrounded Jerusalem. They built ramps [made of dirt against the walls of the city], so that they could climb up the ramps and attack the city.
2 καὶ ἦλθεν ἡ πόλις ἐν περιοχῇ ἕως τοῦ ἑνδεκάτου ἔτους τοῦ βασιλέως Σεδεκιου
They did that for two years.
3 ἐνάτῃ τοῦ μηνὸς καὶ ἐνίσχυσεν ὁ λιμὸς ἐν τῇ πόλει καὶ οὐκ ἦσαν ἄρτοι τῷ λαῷ τῆς γῆς
After Zedekiah had been ruling for eleven years, the (famine/shortage of food) had become very bad. All their food was gone.
4 καὶ ἐρράγη ἡ πόλις καὶ πάντες οἱ ἄνδρες τοῦ πολέμου ἐξῆλθον νυκτὸς ὁδὸν πύλης τῆς ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν τειχέων αὕτη ἥ ἐστιν τοῦ κήπου τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ οἱ Χαλδαῖοι ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν κύκλῳ καὶ ἐπορεύθη ὁδὸν τὴν Αραβα
On July 18 of that year, the Babylonian soldiers broke through part of the city wall, [and that enabled them to enter the city]. All the soldiers of Judah [wanted to escape]. But the Babylonian soldiers surrounded the city, so the [king and] the soldiers of Judah waited until it was nighttime. Then they fled through the gate that was between the two walls near the king’s park. They ran across the fields and started to go down to the Jordan [River] Valley.
5 καὶ ἐδίωξεν ἡ δύναμις τῶν Χαλδαίων ὀπίσω τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ κατέλαβον αὐτὸν ἐν Αραβωθ Ιεριχω καὶ πᾶσα ἡ δύναμις αὐτοῦ διεσπάρη ἐπάνωθεν αὐτοῦ
But the Babylonian soldiers chased/ran after them. They caught the king when he was by himself in the valley near the Jordan River. He was by himself because all his soldiers had abandoned him.
6 καὶ συνέλαβον τὸν βασιλέα καὶ ἤγαγον αὐτὸν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Βαβυλῶνος εἰς Δεβλαθα καὶ ἐλάλησεν μετ’ αὐτοῦ κρίσιν
The Babylonian soldiers took King Zedekiah to Riblah [city] in Babylon. There the king of Babylon decided what they would do to punish him.
7 καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς Σεδεκιου ἔσφαξεν κατ’ ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς Σεδεκιου ἐξετύφλωσεν καὶ ἔδησεν αὐτὸν ἐν πέδαις καὶ ἤγαγεν αὐτὸν εἰς Βαβυλῶνα
There the king of Babylon forced Zedekiah to watch as the Babylonian soldiers killed all of Zedekiah’s sons. Then they gouged out Zedekiah’s eyes. They put bronze chains on [his hands and feet] and then they took him to Babylon.
8 καὶ ἐν τῷ μηνὶ τῷ πέμπτῳ ἑβδόμῃ τοῦ μηνός αὐτὸς ἐνιαυτὸς ἐννεακαιδέκατος τῷ Ναβουχοδονοσορ βασιλεῖ Βαβυλῶνος ἦλθεν Ναβουζαρδαν ὁ ἀρχιμάγειρος ἑστὼς ἐνώπιον βασιλέως Βαβυλῶνος εἰς Ιερουσαλημ
On August 14 of that year, after Nebuchadnezzar had been ruling for 19 years, Nebuzaradan arrived in Jerusalem. He was one of king Nebuchadnezzar’s officials and captain of the men that guarded the king.
9 καὶ ἐνέπρησεν τὸν οἶκον κυρίου καὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ πάντας τοὺς οἴκους Ιερουσαλημ καὶ πᾶν οἶκον ἐνέπρησεν
He [commanded his soldiers to] burn down the temple of Yahweh, the king’s palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem. So they burned down all the important buildings in the city.
10 ὁ ἀρχιμάγειρος
Then Nebuzaradan supervised all the soldiers of the Babylonian army as they tore down the walls of Jerusalem.
11 καὶ τὸ περισσὸν τοῦ λαοῦ τὸ καταλειφθὲν ἐν τῇ πόλει καὶ τοὺς ἐμπεπτωκότας οἳ ἐνέπεσον πρὸς βασιλέα Βαβυλῶνος καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν τοῦ στηρίγματος μετῆρεν Ναβουζαρδαν ὁ ἀρχιμάγειρος
Then he and his soldiers took to Babylon the people who were still living in the city, the other people [who lived in that area], and the soldiers who had previously surrendered to the Babylonian army.
12 καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν πτωχῶν τῆς γῆς ὑπέλιπεν ὁ ἀρχιμάγειρος εἰς ἀμπελουργοὺς καὶ εἰς γαβιν
But Nebuzaradan allowed some of the very poor people to stay in Judah to take care of the vineyards and [to plant crops in] the fields.
13 καὶ τοὺς στύλους τοὺς χαλκοῦς τοὺς ἐν οἴκῳ κυρίου καὶ τὰς μεχωνωθ καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν τὴν χαλκῆν τὴν ἐν οἴκῳ κυρίου συνέτριψαν οἱ Χαλδαῖοι καὶ ἦραν τὸν χαλκὸν αὐτῶν εἰς Βαβυλῶνα
The Babylonian soldiers broke into pieces the bronze pillars, the bronze carts with wheels, and the huge bronze basin, all of which were in the temple courtyard, and they took all the bronze to Babylon.
14 καὶ τοὺς λέβητας καὶ τὰ ιαμιν καὶ τὰς φιάλας καὶ τὰς θυίσκας καὶ πάντα τὰ σκεύη τὰ χαλκᾶ ἐν οἷς λειτουργοῦσιν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἔλαβεν
They also took the pots, the shovels, the instruments for (snuffing out/extinguishing) [the wicks of] the lamps, the dishes, and all the other bronze items that the Israeli priests had used for offering sacrifices at the temple.
15 καὶ τὰ πυρεῖα καὶ τὰς φιάλας τὰς χρυσᾶς καὶ τὰς ἀργυρᾶς ἔλαβεν ὁ ἀρχιμάγειρος
The soldiers also took away the (firepans/trays for carrying burning coals), the basins, and [all the other] items made of pure gold or pure silver.
16 στύλους δύο ἡ θάλασσα ἡ μία καὶ τὰ μεχωνωθ ἃ ἐποίησεν Σαλωμων τῷ οἴκῳ κυρίου οὐκ ἦν σταθμὸς τοῦ χαλκοῦ πάντων τῶν σκευῶν
The bronze from the two pillars, the carts with wheels, and the huge basin were very heavy; they could not be weighed. (Those things had been made/A man named Hiram had made these things) for the temple when Solomon [was the king of Israel].
17 ὀκτωκαίδεκα πήχεων ὕψος τοῦ στύλου τοῦ ἑνός καὶ τὸ χωθαρ ἐπ’ αὐτοῦ τὸ χαλκοῦν καὶ τὸ ὕψος τοῦ χωθαρ τριῶν πήχεων σαβαχα καὶ ῥοαὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ χωθαρ κύκλῳ τὰ πάντα χαλκᾶ καὶ κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ τῷ στύλῳ τῷ δευτέρῳ ἐπὶ τῷ σαβαχα
Each of the pillars was (27 feet/8 meters) tall. The bronze capital/top of each pillar was (7-1/2 feet/2.3 meters) high. They were each decorated all around with something that looked like a net made of bronze chains connecting bronze pomegranates.
18 καὶ ἔλαβεν ὁ ἀρχιμάγειρος τὸν Σαραιαν ἱερέα τὸν πρῶτον καὶ τὸν Σοφονιαν υἱὸν τῆς δευτερώσεως καὶ τοὺς τρεῖς τοὺς φυλάσσοντας τὸν σταθμὸν
Nebuzaradan took with him to Babylon Seraiah the Supreme Priest, Zephaniah his assistant, and the three men who guarded the entrance [to the temple].
19 καὶ ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἔλαβεν εὐνοῦχον ἕνα ὃς ἦν ἐπιστάτης ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνδρῶν τῶν πολεμιστῶν καὶ πέντε ἄνδρας τῶν ὁρώντων τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ βασιλέως τοὺς εὑρεθέντας ἐν τῇ πόλει καὶ τὸν γραμματέα τοῦ ἄρχοντος τῆς δυνάμεως τὸν ἐκτάσσοντα τὸν λαὸν τῆς γῆς καὶ ἑξήκοντα ἄνδρας τοῦ λαοῦ τῆς γῆς τοὺς εὑρεθέντας ἐν τῇ πόλει
And they found people who were still hiding in Jerusalem. From those people he took one officer from the Judean army, five of the king’s advisors, the chief secretary of the army commander who was in charge of recruiting men to join the army, and 60 other important Judean men.
20 καὶ ἔλαβεν αὐτοὺς Ναβουζαρδαν ὁ ἀρχιμάγειρος καὶ ἀπήγαγεν αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Βαβυλῶνος εἰς Δεβλαθα
Nebuzaradan took them all to the king of Babylon at Riblah [city].
21 καὶ ἔπαισεν αὐτοὺς βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος καὶ ἐθανάτωσεν αὐτοὺς ἐν Δεβλαθα ἐν γῇ Αιμαθ καὶ ἀπῳκίσθη Ιουδας ἐπάνωθεν τῆς γῆς αὐτοῦ
There at Riblah, in Hamath province, the king of Babylon commanded that they all be executed. That is what happened when the people of Judah were (taken forcefully/exiled) from their land [to Babylon].
22 καὶ ὁ λαὸς ὁ καταλειφθεὶς ἐν γῇ Ιουδα οὓς κατέλιπεν Ναβουχοδονοσορ βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος καὶ κατέστησεν ἐπ’ αὐτῶν τὸν Γοδολιαν υἱὸν Αχικαμ υἱοῦ Σαφαν
Then King Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah, who was the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, to be the governor of the people who were still living in Judah.
23 καὶ ἤκουσαν πάντες οἱ ἄρχοντες τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοὶ καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες αὐτῶν ὅτι κατέστησεν βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος τὸν Γοδολιαν καὶ ἦλθον πρὸς Γοδολιαν εἰς Μασσηφαθ καὶ Ισμαηλ υἱὸς Ναθανιου καὶ Ιωαναν υἱὸς Καρηε καὶ Σαραιας υἱὸς Θανεμαθ ὁ Νετωφαθίτης καὶ Ιεζονιας υἱὸς τοῦ Μαχαθι αὐτοὶ καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες αὐτῶν
When all the army captains of Judah and their soldiers who had not surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar found out that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah to be the governor, they met with him at Mizpah [town]. These army captains were Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth from Netophah [town], and Jaazaniah from the Maacah region.
24 καὶ ὤμοσεν Γοδολιας αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῖς ἀνδράσιν αὐτῶν καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς μὴ φοβεῖσθε πάροδον τῶν Χαλδαίων καθίσατε ἐν τῇ γῇ καὶ δουλεύσατε τῷ βασιλεῖ Βαβυλῶνος καὶ καλῶς ἔσται ὑμῖν
Gedaliah solemnly promised them [that the officials from Babylon were not planning to harm them]. He said, “You may live in this land [without being afraid] and serve the king of Babylon, and [if you do], everything will go well for you.”
25 καὶ ἐγενήθη ἐν τῷ ἑβδόμῳ μηνὶ ἦλθεν Ισμαηλ υἱὸς Ναθανιου υἱοῦ Ελισαμα ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος τῶν βασιλέων καὶ δέκα ἄνδρες μετ’ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπάταξεν τὸν Γοδολιαν καὶ ἀπέθανεν καὶ τοὺς Ιουδαίους καὶ τοὺς Χαλδαίους οἳ ἦσαν μετ’ αὐτοῦ εἰς Μασσηφαθ
But in October of that year, Ishmael, whose grandfather Elishama was one of the relatives of the descendants of King David, went to Mizpah along with ten other men and assassinated/killed Gedaliah and all the men who were with him. There were also men from Judah and men from Babylon whom they assassinated.
26 καὶ ἀνέστη πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἀπὸ μικροῦ καὶ ἕως μεγάλου καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν δυνάμεων καὶ εἰσῆλθον εἰς Αἴγυπτον ὅτι ἐφοβήθησαν ἀπὸ προσώπου τῶν Χαλδαίων
Then many [HYP] of the people from Judah, important people and unimportant ones, and the army captains, were very afraid of [what] the Babylonians [would do to them], so they fled to Egypt.
27 καὶ ἐγενήθη ἐν τῷ τριακοστῷ καὶ ἑβδόμῳ ἔτει τῆς ἀποικεσίας τοῦ Ιωακιμ βασιλέως Ιουδα ἐν τῷ δωδεκάτῳ μηνὶ ἑβδόμῃ καὶ εἰκάδι τοῦ μηνὸς ὕψωσεν Ευιλμαρωδαχ βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος ἐν τῷ ἐνιαυτῷ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν Ιωακιμ βασιλέως Ιουδα καὶ ἐξήγαγεν αὐτὸν ἐξ οἴκου φυλακῆς αὐτοῦ
Thirty-seven years after King Jehoiachin of Judah was taken to Babylon, [Nebuchadnezzar’s son] Evil-Merodach became the king of Babylon. He was kind to Jehoiachin, and on April 2 of that year, he released/freed Jehoiachin from prison.
28 καὶ ἐλάλησεν μετ’ αὐτοῦ ἀγαθὰ καὶ ἔδωκεν τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ ἐπάνωθεν τῶν θρόνων τῶν βασιλέων τῶν μετ’ αὐτοῦ ἐν Βαβυλῶνι
He always spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and honored him more than the other kings who had been taken/exiled to Babylon.
29 καὶ ἠλλοίωσεν τὰ ἱμάτια τῆς φυλακῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἤσθιεν ἄρτον διὰ παντὸς ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ
He gave Jehoiachin new clothes to replace the clothes that he had been wearing in prison, and he allowed Jehoiachin to eat at the king’s table every day for the rest of his life.
30 καὶ ἡ ἑστιατορία αὐτοῦ ἑστιατορία διὰ παντὸς ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἐξ οἴκου τοῦ βασιλέως λόγον ἡμέρας ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ αὐτοῦ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ
The king of Babylon also gave him money every day, so that he could buy the things that he needed. The king continued to do that until Jehoiachin died.
