Kings IV 25
1 And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, [that] Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon came, and all his host, against Jerusalem; and he encamped against it, and built a mound against it.
So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it.
2 And the city was besieged until the eleventh year of king Sedekias on the ninth day of the month.
And the city was kept under siege until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year.
3 And the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.
By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine in the city was so severe that the people of the land had no food.
4 And the city was broken up, and all the men of war went forth by night, by the way of the gate between the walls, this is [the gate] of the king's garden: and the Chaldeans [were set] against the city round about: and [the king] went by the way of the plain.
Then the city was breached; and though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city, all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden. They headed toward the Arabah,
5 And the force of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army was dispersed from about him.
but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was separated from him.
6 And they took the king, and brought him to the king of Babylon to Reblatha; and he gave judgement upon him.
The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they pronounced judgment on him.
7 And he killed the sons of Sedekias before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Sedekias, and bound him in fetters, and brought him to Babylon.
And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.
8 And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month (this [is] the nineteenth year of Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon), came Nabuzardan, captain of the guard, who stood before the king of Babylon, to Jerusalem.
On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign over Babylon, Nebuzaradan captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem.
9 And he burnt the house of the Lord, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every house did the captain of the guard burn.
He burned down the house of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every significant building.
10 And the force of the Chaldeans pulled down the wall of Jerusalem round about.
And the whole army of the Chaldeans under the captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem.
11 And Nabuzardan the captain of the guard removed the rest of the people that were left in the city, and the men who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude.
Then Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon and the rest of the population.
12 But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be vine-dressers and husbandmen.
But the captain of the guard left behind some of the poorest of the land to tend the vineyards and fields.
13 And the Chaldeans broke to pieces the brazen pillars that were in the house of the Lord, and the bases, and the brazen sea that was in the house of the Lord, and carried their brass to Babylon.
Moreover, the Chaldeans broke up the bronze pillars and stands and the bronze Sea in the house of the LORD, and they carried the bronze to Babylon.
14 And the cauldrons, and the shovels, and the bowls, and the censers, and all the brazen vessels with which they minister, he took.
They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes, and all the articles of bronze used in the temple service.
15 And the captain of the guard took the fire-pans, and the gold and silver bowls.
The captain of the guard also took away the censers and sprinkling bowls—anything made of pure gold or fine silver.
16 Two pillars, and one sea, and the bases which Solomon made for the house of the Lord: there was no weight of the brass of all the vessels.
As for the two pillars, the Sea, and the movable stands that Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the weight of the bronze from all these articles was beyond measure.
17 The height of one pillar [was] eighteen cubits, and the chapiter upon it was of brass: and the height of the chapiter was three cubits: the border, and the pomegranates on the chapiter round about were all of brass: and so it was with the second pillar with its border.
Each pillar was eighteen cubits tall. The bronze capital atop one pillar was three cubits high, with a network of bronze pomegranates all around. The second pillar, with its network, was similar.
18 And the captain of the guard took Saraias the high-priest, and Sophonias the second in order, and the three doorkeepers.
The captain of the guard also took away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of second rank, and the three doorkeepers.
19 And they took out of the city one eunuch who was commander of the men of war, and five men that saw the face of the king, that were found in the city, and the secretary of the commander-in-chief, who took account of the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land that were found in the city.
Of those still in the city, he took a court official who had been appointed over the men of war, as well as five royal advisors. He also took the scribe of the captain of the army, who had enlisted the people of the land, and sixty men who were found in the city.
20 And Nabuzardan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Reblatha.
Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.
21 And the king of Babylon struck them and killed them at Reblatha in the land of Aemath. So Juda was carried away from his land.
There at Riblah in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death. So Judah was taken into exile, away from its own land.
22 And [as for] the people that were left in the land of Juda, whom Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon left, even over them he set Godolias son of Achicam son of Saphan.
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, over the people he had left behind in the land of Judah.
23 And all the captains of the host, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had [thus] appointed Godolias, and they came to Godolias to Massephath, both Ismael the son of Nathanias, and Jona son of Careth, and Saraias, son of Thanamath the Netophathite, and Jezonias son of a Machathite, they and their men.
When all the commanders of the armies 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, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite, as well as their men.
24 And Godolias swore to them and their men, and said to them, Fear not the incursion of the Chaldeans; dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.
And Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, assuring them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will be well with you.”
25 And it came to pass in the seventh month [that] Ismael son of Nathanias son of Helisama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and he struck Godolias, that he died, [him] and the Jews and the Chaldeans that were with him in Massepha.
In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down and killed Gedaliah, along with the Judeans and Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.
26 And all the people, great and small rose up, [they] and the captains of the forces, and went into Egypt; because they were afraid of the Chaldeans.
Then all the people small and great, together with the commanders of the army, arose and fled to Egypt for fear of the Chaldeans.
27 And it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the carrying away of Joachim king of Juda, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, [that] Evialmarodec king of Babylon in the [first] year of his reign lifted up the head of Joachim king of Juda, and brought him out of his prison-house.
On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Judah’s King Jehoiachin, in the year Evil-merodach became king of Babylon, he released King Jehoiachin of Judah from prison.
28 And he spoke kindly to him, and set his throne above the thrones of the kings that were with him in Babylon;
And he spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and set his throne above the thrones of the other kings who were with him in Babylon.
29 And changed his prison garments: and he ate bread continually before him all the days of his life.
So Jehoiachin changed out of his prison clothes, and he dined regularly at the king’s table for the rest of his life.
30 And his portion, a continual portion, was given him out of the house of the king, a daily rate for every day all the days of his life.
And the king provided Jehoiachin a daily portion for the rest of his life.
