II Kings 25

¹Now in the ninth year of his rule, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came against Jerusalem with all his army and took up his position before it, building earthworks all round the town.

²And the town was shut in by their forces till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

³Now on the ninth day of the fourth month, the store of food in the town was almost gone, so that there was no food for the people of the land.

⁴So an opening was made in the wall of the town, and all the men of war went in flight by night through the doorway between the two walls which was by the king's garden; (now the Chaldaeans were stationed round the town:) and the king went by the way of the Arabah.

⁵But the Chaldaean army went after the king, and overtook him in the lowlands of Jericho, and all his army went in flight from him in every direction.

⁶And they made the king a prisoner and took him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah to be judged.

⁷And they put the sons of Zedekiah to death before his eyes, and then they put out his eyes, and chaining him with iron bands, took him to Babylon.

⁸Now in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the armed men, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem;

⁹And he had the house of the Lord and the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house, burned with fire;

¹⁰And the walls round Jerusalem were broken down by the Chaldaean army which was with the captain.

¹¹And the rest of the people who were still in the town, and all those who had given themselves up to the king of Babylon, and all the rest of the workmen, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the armed men, took away as prisoners;

¹²But he let the poorest of the land go on living there, to take care of the vines and the fields.

¹³And the brass pillars in the house of the Lord, and the wheeled bases, and the great brass water-vessel in the house of the Lord, were broken up by the Chaldaeans, who took the brass to Babylon.

¹⁴And the pots and the spades and the scissors for the lights and the spoons, and all the brass vessels used in the Lord's house, they took away.

¹⁵And the fire-trays and the basins; the gold of the gold vessels and the silver of the silver vessels, were all taken away by the captain of the armed men.

¹⁶The two pillars, the great water-vessel and the wheeled bases, which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord: the brass of all these vessels was without weight.

¹⁷One of the pillars was eighteen cubits high, with a crown of brass on it; the crown was three cubits high, circled with a network and apples all of brass; and the second pillar had the same.

¹⁸And the captain of the armed men took Seraiah, the chief priest, and Zephaniah, the second priest, and the three door-keepers;

¹⁹And from the town he took the unsexed servant who was over the men of war, and five of the king's near friends who were in the town, and the scribe of the captain of the army, who was responsible for getting the people of the land together in military order, and sixty men of the people of the land who were in the town.

²⁰These Nebuzaradan, the captain of the armed men, took with him to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

²¹And the king of Babylon put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was taken away prisoner from his land.

²²As for the people who were still living in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, did not take away, he made Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ruler over them.

²³Now the captains of the armed forces, hearing that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah ruler, came with their men to Gedaliah at Mizpah; Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan, the son of Kareah, and Seraiah, the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah, the son of the Maacathite, came with all their men.

²⁴Then Gedaliah gave his oath to them and their men, saying, Have no fear because of the servants of the Chaldaeans; go on living in the land under the rule of the king of Babylon, and all will be well.

²⁵But in the seventh month, Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the king's seed, came with ten men and made an attack on Gedaliah, causing his death and the death of the Jews and the Chaldaeans who were with him at Mizpah.

²⁶Then all the people, small and great, and the captains of the forces, got up and went away to Egypt, for fear of the Chaldaeans.

²⁷And in the thirty-seventh year after Jehoiachin, king of Judah, had been taken prisoner, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, Evil-merodach, king of Babylon, in the first year of his rule, took Jehoiachin, king of Judah, out of prison;

²⁸And said kind words to him, and put his seat higher than the seats of the other kings who were with him in Babylon.

²⁹And his prison clothing was changed, and he was a guest at the king's table every day for the rest of his life.

³⁰And for his food, the king gave him a regular amount every day for the rest of his life.

II Kings 25

¹It happened 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 army, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it; and they built forts against it around it.

²So the city was besieged to the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.

³On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was severe in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.

⁴Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king's garden (now the Chaldeans were against the city around it); and the king went by the way of the Arabah.

⁵But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.

⁶Then they took the king, and carried him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment on him.

⁷They killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon.

⁸Now in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, to Jerusalem.

⁹He burnt the house of the Lord, and the king's house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house, burnt he with fire.

¹⁰All the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem.

¹¹Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive the residue of the people who were left in the city, and those who fell away, who fell to the king of Babylon, and the residue of the multitude.

¹²But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to work the vineyards and fields.

¹³The Chaldeans broke up the pillars of brass that were in the house of the Lord and the bases and the bronze sea that were in the house of the Lord, and carried the brass pieces to Babylon.

¹⁴They took away the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the spoons, and all the vessels of brass with which they ministered.

¹⁵The captain of the guard took away the fire pans, the basins, that which was of gold, in gold, and that which was of silver, in silver.

¹⁶The two pillars, the one sea, and the bases, which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord, the brass of all these vessels was without weight.

¹⁷The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and a capital of brass was on it; and the height of the capital was three cubits, with network and pomegranates on the capital around it, all of brass: and like to these had the second pillar with network.

¹⁸The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold:

¹⁹and out of the city he took an officer who was set over the men of war; and five men of those who saw the king's face, who were found in the city; and the scribe, 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.

²⁰Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.

²¹The king of Babylon struck them, and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away captive out of his land.

²²As for the people who were left 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, governor.

²³Now when all the captains of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men.

²⁴Gedaliah swore to them and to their men, and said to them, "Do not be afraid because of the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you."

²⁵But it happened in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family came, and ten men with him, and struck Gedaliah, so that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldeans that were with him at Mizpah.

²⁶All the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces, arose, and came to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

²⁷It happened 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, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;

²⁸and he spoke kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon,

²⁹and changed his prison garments. Jehoiachin ate bread before him continually all the days of his life:

³⁰and for his allowance, there was a continual allowance given him of the king, every day a portion, all the days of his life.