II Kings 25

¹Then it happened that, in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, he and his entire army, arrived against Jerusalem. And they encircled it, and they constructed fortifications all around it.

²And the city was enclosed and besieged, even until the eleventh year of king Zedekiah,

³on the ninth day of the month. And a famine prevailed in the city; neither was there bread for the people of the land.

⁴And the city was breached. And all the men of war fled in the night along the way of the gate which is between the double wall at the garden of the king. Now the Chaldeans were besieging the city on all sides. And so Zedekiah fled along the way which leads to the plains of the wilderness.

⁵And the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Jericho. And all the warriors who were with him were dispersed, and they abandoned him.

⁶Therefore, having apprehended him, they led the king to the king of Babylon at Riblah. And he was speaking with him in judgment.

⁷Then he killed the sons of Zedekiah before him, and he dug out his eyes, and he bound him with chains, and he led him away to Babylon.

⁸In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, the same is the nineteenth year of the king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the leader of the army, a servant of the king of Babylon, went into Jerusalem.

⁹And he set fire to the house of the Lord, and to the house of the king. And the houses of Jerusalem, and every great house, he burned with fire.

¹⁰And the entire army of the Chaldeans, which was with the leader of the military, tore down the walls of Jerusalem all around.

¹¹Then Nebuzaradan, the leader of the military, carried away the rest of the people, who had remained in the city, and the fugitives, who had fled over to the king of Babylon, and the remnant of the common people.

¹²But he left behind some vinedressers and farmers from the poor of the land.

¹³Now the pillars of brass which were in the temple of the Lord, and the bases, and the sea of brass, which was in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke apart. And they took all the brass to Babylon.

¹⁴Also, they took away the cooking pots of brass, and the scoops, and the forks, and the cups, and the little mortars, and all the articles of brass with which they were ministering.

¹⁵And the leader of the military even took away the censers and the bowls, whatever was of gold for the gold, and whatever was of silver for the silver,

¹⁶and also the two pillars, the one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made for the temple of the Lord. The brass of all these items was beyond measure.

¹⁷One pillar had eighteen cubits in height. And the head of brass upon it was three cubits in height. And the network and pomegranates upon the head of the pillar were all of brass. And the second pillar had a similar adornment.

¹⁸Also, the leader of the military took away Seraiah, the chief priest, and Zephaniah, the second priest, and three doorkeepers,

¹⁹and from the city, one eunuch, who was in charge of the men of war, and five men out of those who had stood before the king, whom he found in the city, and Sopher, the leader of the army who trained the young soldiers from the people of the land, and sixty men from the common people, who had been found in the city.

²⁰Taking them, Nebuzaradan, the leader of the military, led them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

²¹And the king of Babylon struck them and killed them at Riblah, in the land of Hamath. And Judah was taken away from his land.

²²But over the people who had remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had permitted, he appointed as ruler Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan.

²³And when all the commanders of the military had heard this, they and the men who were with them, specifically, that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah, they went 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 a Maacathite, they and their companions.

²⁴And Gedaliah swore to them and to their companions, saying: “Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Remain in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.”

²⁵But it happened that, in the seventh month, Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of royal offspring, and ten men with him, went and struck Gedaliah, who then died, along with the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.

²⁶And all the people, from small to great, and the leaders of the military, rising up, went away to Egypt, fearing the Chaldeans.

²⁷Truly, it happened that, in the thirty-seventh year of the transmigration of Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, Evilmerodach, the king of Babylon, in the year when he had begun to reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, from prison.

²⁸And he spoke kindly to him. And he set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him at Babylon.

²⁹And he changed his garments that he had worn in prison. And he ate bread before him always, during all the days of his life.

³⁰Also, he appointed to him an allowance without ceasing, which also was given to him by the king, for each day, during all the days of his life.

II Kings 25

¹And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, the tenth day of the month, that Nabuchodonosor, king of Babylon, came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem: and they surrounded it: and raised works round about it.

²And the city was shut up and besieged till the eleventh year of king Sedecias,

³The ninth day of the month: and a famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.

⁴And a breach was made into the city: and all the men of war fled in the night between the two walls by the king's garden (now the Chaldees besieged the city round about), and Sedecias fled by the way that leadeth to the plains of the wilderness.

⁵And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all the warriors that were with him were scattered, and left him:

⁶So they took the king, and brought him to the king of Babylon, to Reblatha, and he gave judgment upon him.

⁷And he slew the sons of Sedecias before his face, and he put out his eyes, and bound him with chains, and brought him to Babylon.

⁸In the fifth month, the seventh day of the month, the same is the nineteenth year of the king of Babylon, came Nabuzardan, commander of the army, a servant of the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem.

⁹And he burnt the house of the Lord, and the king's house, and the houses of Jerusalem, and every great house he burnt with fire.

¹⁰And all the army of the Chaldees, which was with the commander of the troops, broke down the walls of Jerusalem round about.

¹¹And Nabuzardan, the commander of the army, carried away the rest of the people, that remained in the city, and the fugitives, that had gone over to the king of Babylon, and the remnant of the common people.

¹²But of the poor of the land he left some dressers of vines and husbandmen.

¹³And the pillars of brass that were in the temple of the Lord, and the bases, and the sea of brass, which was in the house of the Lord, the Chaldees broke in pieces, and carried all the brass of them to Babylon.

¹⁴They took away also the pots of brass, and the mazers, and the forks, and the cups, and the mortars, and all the vessels of brass, with which they ministered.

¹⁵Moreover also the censers, and the bowls, such as were of gold in gold: and such as were of silver in silver, the general of the army took away.

¹⁶That is, two pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made in the temple of the Lord: the brass of all these vessels was without weight.

¹⁷One pillar was eighteen cubits high: and the chapiter of brass, which was upon it, was three cubits high: and the network, and the pomegranates that were upon the chapiter of the pillar, were all of brass: and the second pillar had the like adorning.

¹⁸And the general of the army took Seraias, the chief priest, and Sophonias, the second priest, and three doorkeepers:

¹⁹And out of the city one eunuch, who was captain over the men of war: and five men of them who had stood before the king, whom he found in the city, and Sopher, the captain of the army, who exercised the young soldiers of the people of the land: and threescore men of the common people, who were found in the city:

²⁰These Nabuzardan, the general of the army, took away, and carried them to the king of Babylon, to Reblatha.

²¹And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Reblatha, in the land of Emath: so Juda was carried away out of their land.

²²But over the people that remained in the land of Juda, which Nabuchodonosor, king of Babylon, had left, he gave the government to Godolias, the son of Ahicam, the son of Saphan.

²³And when all the captains of the soldiers had heard this, they and the men that were with them, to wit, that the king of Babylon had made Godolias governor they came to Godolias to Maspha, Ismael, the son of Nathanias, and Johanan, the son of Caree, and Saraia, the son of Thanehumeth, the Netophathite, and Jezonias, the son of Maachathi, they and their men.

²⁴And Godolias swore to them and to their men, saying: Be not afraid to serve the Chaldees: stay in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.

²⁵But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ismael, the son of Nathanias, the son of Elisama, of the seed royal came, and ten men with him, and smote Godolias; so that he died: and also the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him in Maspha.

²⁶And all the people, both little and great, and the captains of the soldiers, rising up, went to Egypt, fearing the Chaldees.

²⁷And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Joachin, king of Juda, in the twelfth month, the seven and twentieth day of the month: Evilmerodach, king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, lifted up the head of Joachin, king of Juda, out of prison.

²⁸And he spoke kindly to him: and he set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon.

²⁹And he changed his garments which he had in prison, and he ate bread always before him, all the days of his life.

³⁰And he appointed him a continual allowance, which was also given him by the king, day by day, all the days of his life.