25 Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, marched with all his army to attack Jerusalem. He arrived on the 10th day of the 10th month, in the 9th year when Zedekiah had ruled Judah. His soldiers made their camp all around the city. They built heaps of earth all around Jerusalem's walls. [ a ] 2 Babylon's army stayed around the city until the 11th year that Zedekiah had been king. 3 By the 9th day of the 4th month, there was a very bad famine in the city. There was no food for the people to eat. 4 Then Babylon's army broke down Jerusalem's wall so that they could go into the city. Their soldiers were all around the city. So the king of Judah and all his army tried to escape in the night. They went through the gate that was near the king's garden. The path went between the two walls of the city. They ran towards the Jordan Valley. 5 But the soldiers of Babylon's army chased after the king. They caught him on the flat land near Jericho. All King Zedekiah's soldiers ran away from him in many directions.
6 Babylon's soldiers took hold of King Zedekiah. They took him to King Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah. Nebuchadnezzar decided how to punish Zedekiah. 7 They killed all Zedekiah's sons as their punishment, while Zedekiah watched. Then they cut out Zedekiah's eyes to make him blind. They tied him with chains and they took him to Babylon.
8 King Nebuchadnezzar had an officer whose name was Nebuzaradan. He was the captain of the king's royal guards. Nebuzaradan came to Jerusalem when Nebuchadnezzar had ruled Babylon for 19 years. It was on the 7th day of the 5th month. 9 Nebuzaradan destroyed the Lord 's temple, the king's palace and all the other houses in Jerusalem. He burned them all with fire, so that he destroyed every important building in the city. 10 Then Nebuzaradan commanded his whole army to knock down the walls around Jerusalem. 11 Captain Nebuzaradan sent away as prisoners all the people who remained in Jerusalem. He also sent away those people who had agreed to serve the king of Babylon and the workers who were still there. 12 But Nebuzaradan let some of the poorest people stay there. He gave them vineyards and fields to work in.
13 The soldiers from Babylon broke the two bronze pillars that were in the Lord 's temple. They also broke the carts which carried the buckets for water and the large bath called ‘the Sea’. They carried all the bronze pieces away to Babylon. 14 They also took away the pots, the spades, the small tools for the lamps, and the dishes. They took all the bronze tools that the priests used in the temple. 15 Nebuzaradan also took away the baskets that carried hot coals and the bowls for water. He took away everything that was made from gold or silver. 16 The bronze from the things that King Solomon had made for the Lord 's temple was very heavy. They included the two bronze pillars, the large bath called ‘the Sea’ and the carts which carried the buckets for water. [ b ] The bronze from all these things was more than they could weigh. 17 Each pillar was 8 metres high. The bronze piece on the top of one pillar was more than 1 metre high. It had rows of chains with images of pomegranates made from bronze all around it. The other pillar, with its rows of chains and pomegranates, was the same.
18 Captain Nebuzaradan took hold of these people:
Seraiah, the leader of the priests,
Zephaniah, the next most important priest,
and the three temple guards.
19 He also took hold of these people who remained in Jerusalem:
The palace officer with authority over the soldiers,
five of the king's advisors,
the army secretary who took men to join the army,
and 60 other people of Judah who were in the city.
20 Nebuzaradan took hold of all those people. He brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah, in the Hamath region. 21 There, at Riblah, the king of Babylon commanded his soldiers to punish them all with death.
That was how Judah's people went into exile, away from their own land.
22 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon chose Gedaliah, to have authority to rule the people who were still in Judah. Gedaliah was the son of Ahikam and the grandson of Shaphan.
23 The officers of Judah's army and their men heard news that the king of Babylon had chosen Gedaliah to be the ruler of Judah. So they went to meet Gedaliah at Mizpah. The army officers were:
Nethaniah's son Ishmael,
Kareah's son Johanan,
Seraiah, the son of Tanhumeth, who came from Netophah,
and Jaazaniah, whose father came from Maakah.
24 Gedaliah promised that he would not hurt these officers or the men who were with them. He said to them, ‘Do not be afraid to serve the soldiers from Babylon. Make your homes here in our land, but agree to serve the king of Babylon. If you do that, you will be successful.’
25 But in the seventh month of that year, Ishmael went to Mizpah with ten of his men. Ishmael was the son of Nethaniah and the grandson of Elishama, who belonged to the king's family. They murdered Gedaliah, and the other men who were with him in Mizpah. Some of those men were from Judah and some of them were from Babylon. 26 When that happened, all the people of Judah ran away to Egypt. They included the army officers, as well as ordinary people and important people. They were all afraid that the people of Babylon would come to punish them.
27 37 years after King Jehoiachin of Judah had gone as a prisoner to Babylon, Evil-Merodach became the king of Babylon. On the 27th day of the 12th month, he took Jehoiachin out from his prison so that he became free. 28 King Evil-Merodach spoke in a kind way to Jehoiachin. He gave him more honour than the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 Jehoiachin no longer had to wear the clothes of a prisoner. Every day until he died, he ate a meal at the king's table in Babylon. 30 The king of Babylon gave Jehoiachin everything that he needed each day for the rest of his life.
25 So King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and all his army came to fight against Jerusalem. This happened on the 10th day of the tenth month of Zedekiah’s ninth year as king. Nebuchadnezzar put his army around Jerusalem to stop people from going in and out of the city. Then he built a wall of dirt around the city. 2 His army stayed around Jerusalem until Zedekiah’s eleventh year as king of Judah. 3 The famine was getting worse and worse in the city. By the 9th day of the fourth month, there was no more food for the common people in the city.
4 Nebuchadnezzar’s army finally broke through the city wall. That night King Zedekiah and all his soldiers ran away. They used the secret gate that went through the double walls. It was by the king’s garden. The enemy soldiers were all around the city, but Zedekiah and his men escaped on the road to the desert. 5 The Babylonian army chased King Zedekiah and caught him near Jericho. All of Zedekiah’s soldiers left him and ran away.
6 The Babylonians took King Zedekiah to the king of Babylon at Riblah. The Babylonians decided to punish Zedekiah. 7 They killed Zedekiah’s sons in front of him. Then they put out Zedekiah’s eyes. They put chains on him and took him to Babylon.
8 Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem on the 7th day of the fifth month of his nineteenth year as king of Babylon. The captain of Nebuchadnezzar’s best soldiers was Nebuzaradan. 9 Nebuzaradan burned the Lord ’s Temple, the king’s palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem. He destroyed even the largest houses.
10 Then the Babylonian army that was with Nebuzaradan pulled down the walls around Jerusalem. 11 Nebuzaradan captured all the people who were still left in the city. He took all the people as prisoners, even those who had tried to surrender. 12 He let only the poorest of the common people stay there. He let them stay so that they could take care of the grapes and other crops.
13 The Babylonian soldiers broke into pieces all the bronze things in the Lord ’s Temple. They broke the bronze columns, the bronze carts, and the large bronze tank [ a ] that were in the Lord ’s Temple. Then they took all of that bronze to Babylon. 14 The Babylonians also took the pots, the shovels, the tools for trimming the lamps, the spoons, and all the bronze dishes that were used in the Temple. 15 Nebuzaradan took all the firepans and bowls. He took all the things made of gold for the gold. And he took everything made of silver for the silver. 16-17 So Nebuzaradan took the large bronze tank and the 2 bronze columns. (Each column was about 31 feet [ b ] tall. The capitals on the columns were over 5 feet [ c ] tall. They were made from bronze and had a design like a net and pomegranates. Both columns had the same kind of design.) He also took the carts that Solomon made for the Lord ’s Temple. The bronze from these things was too heavy to be weighed.
18 From the Temple, Nebuzaradan took Seraiah the high priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and the three men who guarded the entrance.
19 From the city Nebuzaradan took one official who was in charge of the army and five of the king’s advisors [ d ] who were still in the city. He took one secretary of the commander of the army who was in charge of counting the common people and choosing some of them to be soldiers and 60 people who just happened to be in the city.
20-21 Then Nebuzaradan took all these people to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the area of Hamath. The king of Babylon killed them there at Riblah. And the people of Judah were led away as prisoners from their land.
22 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon left some people in the land of Judah. There was a man named Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan. Nebuchadnezzar made Gedaliah governor over the people in Judah.
23 The army captains were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth from Netophah, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite. These army captains and their men heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, so they went to Mizpah to meet with him. 24 Gedaliah made promises to these officers and their men. He said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the Babylonian officers. Stay here and serve the king of Babylon. Then everything will be all right with you.”
25 Ishmael son of Nethaniah son of Elishama was from the king’s family. In the seventh month, Ishmael and ten of his men attacked Gedaliah and killed all the men of Judah and Babylonians who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah. 26 Then the army officers and all the people ran away to Egypt. Everyone, from the least important to the most important, ran away because they were afraid of the Babylonians.
27 Later, Evil Merodach became the king of Babylon. He let King Jehoiachin of Judah out of prison. This happened in the 37th year after Jehoiachin was captured. This was on the 27th day of the twelfth month from the time that Evil Merodach began to rule. 28 Evil Merodach was kind to Jehoiachin. He gave him a more important place to sit than the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 Evil Merodach let Jehoiachin stop wearing prison clothes. And every day for the rest of his life, he ate at the same table with the king. 30 And each day, for as long as Jehoiachin lived, the king gave him enough money to pay for whatever he needed.
25 And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about.
2 And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.
3 And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.
4 And the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the king's garden: (now the Chaldees were against the city round about:) and the king went the way toward the plain.
5 And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him.
6 So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him.
7 And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.
8 And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem:
9 And he burnt the house of the Lord , and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man's house burnt he with fire.
10 And all the army of the Chaldees, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about.
11 Now the rest of the people that were left in the city, and the fugitives that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away.
12 But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen.
13 And the pillars of brass that were in the house of the Lord , and the bases, and the brasen sea that was in the house of the Lord , did the Chaldees break in pieces, and carried the brass of them to Babylon.
14 And the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away.
15 And the firepans, and the bowls, and such things as were of gold, in gold, and of silver, in silver, the captain of the guard took away.
16 The two pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord ; the brass of all these vessels was without weight.
17 The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the chapiter upon it was brass: and the height of the chapiter three cubits; and the wreathen work, and pomegranates upon the chapiter round about, all of brass: and like unto these had the second pillar with wreathen work.
18 And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door:
19 And out of the city he took an officer that was set over the men of war, and five men of them that were in the king's presence, which were found in the city, and the principal scribe of the host, which mustered the people of the land, and threescore men of the people of the land that were found in the city:
20 And Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took these, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah:
21 And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away out of their land.
22 And as for the people that remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, even over them he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ruler.
23 And when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, there came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Careah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.
24 And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said unto them, Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon; and it shall be well with you.
25 But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at Mizpah.
26 And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose, and came to Egypt: for they were afraid of the Chaldees.
27 And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach 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 And he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon;
29 And changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life.
30 And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.
25 ( A ) Now in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, ( B ) Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, camped against it, and ( C ) built a siege wall all around [ a ] it. 2 So the city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 3 On the ninth day of the fourth month ( D ) the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 4 ( E ) Then the city was broken into, and all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls that were beside ( F ) the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. And [ b ] they went by way of the Arabah. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 6 Then ( G ) they captured the king and ( H ) brought him up to the king of Babylon at ( I ) Riblah, and he [ c ] passed sentence on him. 7 And ( J ) they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, then ( K ) put out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him with bronze shackles, and brought him to Babylon.
8 ( L ) Now on the seventh day of the ( M ) fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguards, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 And ( N ) he burned the house of the Lord , ( O ) the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every great house he burned with fire. 10 So all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the bodyguards ( P ) tore down the walls around Jerusalem. 11 Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguards, led into exile ( Q ) the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the [ d ] people. 12 But the captain of the bodyguards left some of ( R ) the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.
13 ( S ) Now the Chaldeans smashed to pieces the bronze pillars which were in the house of the Lord , and the stands and ( T ) the bronze [ e ] Sea which were in the house of the Lord , and carried the [ f ] bronze to Babylon. 14 ( U ) And they took away the pots, the shovels, the [ g ] shears, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils [ h ] which were used in temple service. 15 The captain of the bodyguards also took away the firepans and the basins, what was fine gold and what was fine silver. 16 The two pillars, the one Sea, and the stands which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord — [ i ] ( V ) the bronze of all these articles was too heavy to weigh. 17 ( W ) The height of the one pillar was [ j ] eighteen cubits, and a bronze capital was on it; the height of the capital was [ k ] three cubits, with latticework and pomegranates on the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these, same features with latticework.
18 Then the captain of the bodyguards took ( X ) Seraiah the chief priest and ( Y ) Zephaniah the second priest, with the three [ l ] doorkeepers. 19 And from the city he took one official who was overseer of the men of war, and ( Z ) five [ m ] of the king’s advisers who were found in the city; and the [ n ] scribe of the captain of the army who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the city. 20 Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguards took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at ( AA ) Riblah. 21 Then the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. ( AB ) So Judah went into exile from its land.
22 Now as for the people who were left in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed ( AC ) Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan over them. 23 ( AD ) When all the captains of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah governor , they came to Gedaliah at ( AE ) Mizpah, namely, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men. 24 And Gedaliah swore to them and their men and said to them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans; live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well for you.”
25 ( AF ) But it happened in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal [ o ] family, came [ p ] with ten men and struck Gedaliah down so that he died along with the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. 26 ( AG ) Then all the people, from the small to the great, and the captains of the forces set out and came to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.
27 ( AH ) Now it came about in the thirty-seventh year of ( AI ) the exile 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 became king, [ q ] ( AJ ) released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison; 28 and he ( AK ) spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 So [ r ] Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes, and [ s ] ( AL ) had his meals in [ t ] the king’s presence regularly all the days of his life; 30 and as his ( AM ) allowance, a regular allowance was given to him by the king, a portion for each day, all the days of his life.
25 So in the ninth ( A ) year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar ( B ) king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. He encamped outside the city and built siege works ( C ) all around it. 2 The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
3 By the ninth day of the fourth [ a ] month the famine ( D ) in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat. 4 Then the city wall was broken through, ( E ) and the whole army fled at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians [ b ] were surrounding ( F ) the city. They fled toward the Arabah, [ c ] 5 but the Babylonian [ d ] army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, ( G ) 6 and he was captured. ( H )
He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah, ( I ) where sentence was pronounced on him. 7 They killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. ( J )
8 On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, an official of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 He set fire ( K ) to the temple of the Lord , the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. ( L ) 10 The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the imperial guard broke down the walls ( M ) around Jerusalem. 11 Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile ( N ) the people who remained in the city, along with the rest of the populace and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon. ( O ) 12 But the commander left behind some of the poorest people ( P ) of the land to work the vineyards and fields.
13 The Babylonians broke ( Q ) up the bronze pillars, the movable stands and the bronze Sea that were at the temple of the Lord and they carried the bronze to Babylon. 14 They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes ( R ) and all the bronze articles ( S ) used in the temple service. 15 The commander of the imperial guard took away the censers and sprinkling bowls—all that were made of pure gold or silver. ( T )
16 The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the movable stands, which Solomon had made for the temple of the Lord , was more than could be weighed. 17 Each pillar ( U ) was eighteen cubits [ e ] high. The bronze capital on top of one pillar was three cubits [ f ] high and was decorated with a network and pomegranates of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its network, was similar.
18 The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah ( V ) the chief priest, Zephaniah ( W ) the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers. ( X ) 19 Of those still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the fighting men, and five royal advisers. He also took the secretary who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land and sixty of the conscripts who were found in the city. 20 Nebuzaradan the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 21 There at Riblah, ( Y ) in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed. ( Z )
So Judah went into captivity, ( AA ) away from her land. ( AB )
22 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah ( AC ) son of Ahikam, ( AD ) the son of Shaphan, to be over the people he had left behind in Judah. 23 When all the army officers and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, Jaazaniah the son of the Maakathite, and their men. 24 Gedaliah took an oath to reassure them and their men. “Do not be afraid of the Babylonian officials,” he said. “Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.”
25 In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood, came with ten men and assassinated ( AE ) Gedaliah and also the men of Judah and the Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah. ( AF ) 26 At this, all the people from the least to the greatest, together with the army officers, fled to Egypt ( AG ) for fear of the Babylonians.
27 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin ( AI ) king of Judah from prison. He did this on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month. 28 He spoke kindly ( AJ ) to him and gave him a seat of honor ( AK ) higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king’s table. ( AL ) 30 Day by day the king gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance as long as he lived. ( AM )
