2 Ndị Eze 25
1 Nʼafọ nke itoolu nke ọchịchị ya, nʼọnwa nke iri, nʼụbọchị nke iri, Nebukadneza, eze Babilọn duuru ndị agha ya niile bịa ibuso Jerusalem agha. Ọ mara ụlọ ikwu nʼazụ obodo ahụ, wukwaa mgbidi nnọchibido gburugburu obodo ahụ.
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 Anọchibidoro obodo a nʼagha ruo nʼafọ nke iri na otu nke ọchịchị eze Zedekaya.
They did that for two years.
3 Nʼụbọchị nke itoolu nke ọnwa anọ nʼafọ ahụ, oke ụnwụ siri ike dị nʼobodo ahụ ruo na ọ dịkwaghị nri dị nke ndị mmadụ ga-eri.
After Zedekiah had been ruling for eleven years, the (famine/shortage of food) had become very bad. All their food was gone.
4 Mgbe ahụ, e tipuru oghere nʼaja mgbidi obodo ahụ, ndị agha niile ji abalị gbapụ site nʼọnụ ụzọ ama nke dị nʼetiti mgbidi abụọ nʼakụkụ ubi eze a gbara ogige, nʼagbanyeghị na ndị Kaldịa nọ obodo ahụ gburugburu. Ha gbapụrụ chee ihu nʼụzọ Araba.
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 Ma ndị agha Kaldịa chụsoro eze nʼazụ, chụkwute ya na mbara ala Jeriko. Ndị agha ya niile sitere nʼebe ọ nọ gbasasịa, hapụ ya,
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 e jide ya. Ha kpụgara ya eze Babilọn, nʼobodo Ribla, ebe a nọ maa ya ikpe.
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 Ha gburu ụmụ ndị ikom Zedekaya nʼihu ya. Ha ghụpụrụ anya ya abụọ, jiri ụdọ bronz kee ya agbụ, kpọrọ ya gaa Babilọn.
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 Nʼụbọchị nke asaa, nʼọnwa nke ise nke afọ iri na itoolu nke ọchịchị eze Nebukadneza na Babilọn, Nebuzaradan, ọchịagha ndị nche, onyeisi nʼọrụ eze Babilọn, bịarutere Jerusalem.
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 O sunyere ụlọnsọ Onyenwe anyị ọkụ, ụlọeze na ụlọ niile dị na Jerusalem, ụlọ ọbụla bụ nke dị mkpa ka o surere ọkụ
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 Ndị agha Kaldịa niile bụ ndị nọ nʼokpuru onyeisi ndị nche eze kwaturu mgbidi niile gbara Jerusalem gburugburu.
Then Nebuzaradan supervised all the soldiers of the Babylonian army as they tore down the walls of Jerusalem.
11 Nebuzaradan, ọchịagha ndị nche eze, buuru ụfọdụ mmadụ ndị fọdụrụ nʼobodo, na ndị niile fọdụkwara, ha na ndị ọzọ ahụ ji aka ha gbakwuru eze bulaa ha Babilọn, ka ha ga biri nʼala ọzọ.
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 Ma ọchịagha ahụ, hapụrụ ụfọdụ na ndị ahụ bụ nnọọ ndị ogbenye ọnụ ntụ, ka ha na-elekọta ubi vaịnị niile a gbara ogige na ala ubi niile.
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 Ma ndị Babilọn tipịara ogidi bronz niile, ha na ihe ndọkwasị niile na oke osimiri bronz ndị ahụ dị nʼụlọnsọ Onyenwe anyị, buru bronz ndị ahụ bulaa Babilọn.
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 Ha chịkọọrọ ite niile, na shọvel niile, na ihe ịkpakepụ ọkụ, na ngaji ukwu niile na ngwa bronz niile nke e ji eje ozi nʼime ụlọnsọ ahụ.
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 Ọchịagha ndị nche eze, chịrị ihe ịgụnye ọkụ niile, efere ịkwọsa mmiri niile, ya bụ ihe ndị ahụ niile e ji ọlaedo a nụchara anụcha maọbụ ọlaọcha kpụọ.
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 O bukwara bronz sitere nʼogidi abụọ ahụ, oke Osimiri ahụ na ihe ndọkwasị ya niile, nke eze bụ Solomọn mere nʼihi ụlọnsọ Onyenwe anyị. Ha karịrị ihe a ga-eji ihe ọtụtụ tụọ.
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 Ị dị elu nke otu nʼime ogidi abụọ ndị a bụ mita asatọ na ụma nʼọtụtụ. Isi bronz nke e kpukwasịrị nʼotu ogidi dị otu mita na ọkara nʼịdị elu. Ọ bụkwa ihe yiri mkpụrụ pomegranet e ji bronz kpaa, ka e ji chọọ ya mma gburugburu ya niile. Ogidi nke abụọ nwekwara pomegranet, yiri ibe ya.
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 Ọchịagha ndị nche eze ahụ, kpụụrụ Seraya, onyeisi nchụaja, na Zefanaya, bụ onye nchụaja na-esote ya nʼọkwa, na ndị nche atọ na-eche ọnụ ụzọ mbata.
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 O sitere nʼetiti ndị ahụ fọdụrụ nʼobodo kpụụrụ otu onyeisi na-ahụ maka ndị agha, na ndị ikom ise na-enye eze ndụmọdụ. O kpukwaara ode akwụkwọ, onye isi ọrụ na-ahụ maka ịmanye ndị ga-aga agha, jidekwa iri ndị ikom isii ndị ọrụ mmanye, ndị a hụrụ nʼime obodo ahụ.
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 Nebuzaradan, bụ ọchịagha kpụụrụ ha niile dute ha nʼihu eze Babilọn na Ribla.
Nebuzaradan took them all to the king of Babylon at Riblah [city].
21 Nʼebe ahụ, na Ribla dị nʼobodo Hamat, ka eze nọ nye iwu ka e gbuo ha niile. Ya mere, a dọọrọ Juda nʼagha, mee ka ọ ga biri nʼala ọzọ.
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 Emesịa, Nebukadneza eze Babilọn họpụtara Gedaliya nwa Ahikam, nwa nwa Shefan, ka ọ bụrụ onye na-elekọta ndị fọdụrụ na Juda,
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 Mgbe ndịisi agha na ndị ikom ha nụrụ na eze Babilọn emeela Gedaliya onye na-achị ala ahụ, ha bịakwutere Gedaliya na Mizpa. Ndị bịakwutere ya bụ, Ishmel nwa Netanaya, Johanan nwa Kariya, Seraya nwa Tanhumet, onye Netofa, na Jaazanaya nwa onye Maaka, na ndị ikom ha.
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 Gedaliya ṅụọrọ ha iyi, ṅụkwaara ndị ikom ha, sị, “Unu atụla egwu nʼihi ndịisi ọrụ Babilọn. Birinụ nʼala a, feekwa eze Babilọn, ihe ga-agara unu nke ọma.”
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 Ma nʼọnwa nke asaa, Ishmel nwa Netanaya, nwa Elishama, onye ya onwe ya si nʼagbụrụ eze, duuru mmadụ iri bịa Mizpa, tigbuo Gedaliya, na ndị ikom Juda na ndị Kaldịa niile, bụ ndị ya na ha nọ.
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 Nke a mere ka ndị Juda niile, site nʼonye nta ruo nʼonye ukwu, ha na ndịisi agha ndị ahụ biliri gaa Ijipt, nʼihi na ha tụrụ ndị Kaldịa egwu.
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 Nʼafọ nke iri atọ na asaa, site na mgbe e mere ka Jehoiakin eze Juda gaa biri nʼala ọzọ, nʼafọ Awel-Maduk ghọrọ eze Babilọn, o mere ka Jehoiakin si nʼụlọ mkpọrọ pụta nwere onwe ya. Ọ bụ nʼụbọchị nke iri abụọ na asaa nke ọnwa iri na abụọ ka o mere nke a.
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 Ọ gwara ya okwu ọma, nye ya oche ọnọdụ ya dị elu karịa nke ndị eze ndị ọzọ ya na ha nọ na Babilọn.
He always spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and honored him more than the other kings who had been taken/exiled to Babylon.
29 Nʼihi nke a, Jehoiakin gbanwere uwe mkpọrọ ya, wezuga ya. Sitekwa nʼoge ahụ, tutu ruo mgbe ọ nwụrụ, ya na eze na-erikọ nri.
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 Site nʼụbọchị ruo nʼụbọchị, eze Babilọn na-enye Jehoiakin oke ihe ruru ya kwa ụbọchị niile nke ọ dị ndụ.
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.
