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.
Now 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.
2 And the city was besieged until the eleventh year of king Sedekias on the ninth day of the month.
And the town was shut in by their forces till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
3 And the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.
Now 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.
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.
So 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.
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 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.
6 And they took the king, and brought him to the king of Babylon to Reblatha; and he gave judgement upon him.
And they made the king a prisoner and took him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah to be judged.
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 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.
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.
Now 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;
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.
And 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;
10 And the force of the Chaldeans pulled down the wall of Jerusalem round about.
And the walls round Jerusalem were broken down by the Chaldaean army which was with the captain.
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.
And 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;
12 But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be vine-dressers and husbandmen.
But he let the poorest of the land go on living there, to take care of the vines and the 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.
And 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.
14 And the cauldrons, and the shovels, and the bowls, and the censers, and all the brazen vessels with which they minister, he took.
And 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.
15 And the captain of the guard took the fire-pans, and the gold and silver bowls.
And 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.
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.
The 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.
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.
One 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.
18 And the captain of the guard took Saraias the high-priest, and Sophonias the second in order, and the three doorkeepers.
And the captain of the armed men took Seraiah, the chief priest, and Zephaniah, the second priest, and the three door-keepers;
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.
And 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.
20 And Nabuzardan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Reblatha.
These Nebuzaradan, the captain of the armed men, took with him 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.
And the king of Babylon put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was taken away prisoner from his 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.
As 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.
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.
Now 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.
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.
Then 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.
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.
But 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.
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, and the captains of the forces, got up and went away to Egypt, for fear of the Chaldaeans.
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.
And 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;
28 And he spoke kindly to him, and set his throne above the thrones of the kings that were with him in Babylon;
And said kind words to him, and put his seat higher than the seats 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.
And his prison clothing was changed, and he was a guest at the king's table every day 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 for his food, the king gave him a regular amount every day for the rest of his life.
