2 Kings 25

1 It 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 aroundit.2 So the city was besieged to the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.3 On 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.4 Then 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 wayof the Arabah.5 But 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.6 Then they took the king, and carried him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment on him.7 They 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.8 Now 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.9 He burnt the house of Yahweh, and the king’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house, burnt he with fire.10 All the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem.11 Nebuzaradan 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.12 But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to work the vineyards and fields.13 The Chaldeans broke up the pillars of brass that were in the house of Yahweh and the bases and the bronze sea that were in the house of Yahweh, and carried the brass pieces to Babylon.14 They took away the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the spoons, and all the vessels of brass with which they ministered.15 The 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.16 The two pillars, the one sea, and the bases, which Solomon had made for the house of Yahweh, the brass of all these vessels was without weight.17 The 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 withnetwork.18 The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold:19 and 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 thepeople of the land, who were found in the city.20 Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.21 The 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.22 As 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.23 Now 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 ofTanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men.

24 Gedaliah swore to them and to their men, and said to them, “Don’t 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.”
25 But it happened in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal seed 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.26 All the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces, arose, and came to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.27 It 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 headof Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;28 and he spoke kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon,29 and changed his prison garments. Jehoiachin ate bread before him continually all the days of his life:

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

2 Kings 25

1 So King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came against Jerusalem with his whole army and set up camp outsidet it. They built siege ramps all around it. He arrived on the tenth day of the tenth month in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign.s2 The city remained under siege until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year.3 By the ninth day of the fourth monthts the famine in the city was so severe the residentst had no food.4 The enemy broke through the city walls,t and all the soldiers tried to escape. They left the city during the night.t They went through the gate between the two walls that is near the king’s garden.s (The Babylonians were all around the city.) Then they headed for the Jordan Valley.s5 But the Babylonian army chased after the king. They caught up with him in the plains of Jericho,s and his entire army deserted him.6 They captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah,s where het passed sentence on him.

7 Zedekiah’s sons were executed while Zedekiah was forced to watch.t The king of Babylont then had Zedekiah’s eyes put out, bound him in bronze chains, and carried him off to Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar Destroys Jerusalem

8 On the seventht day of the fifth month,s in the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guardt who served the king of Babylon, arrived in Jerusalem.s9 He burned down the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem, including every large house.t10 The whole Babylonian army that came with the captain of the royal guard tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem.11 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, deported the rest of the people who were left in the city, those who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen.s

12 But het left behind some of the poor of the land and gave them fields and vineyards.
13 The Babylonians broke the two bronze pillars in the Lord’s temple, as well as the movable stands and the big bronze basin called the “The Sea.”s They took the bronze to Babylon.14 They also took the pots, shovels,s trimming shears,s pans, and all the bronze utensils used by the priests.t15 The captain of the royal guard took the golden and silver censerss and basins.16 The bronze of the items that King Solomon made for the Lord’s temple – including the two pillars, the big bronze basin called “The Sea,” the twelve bronze bulls under “The Sea,”s and the movable stands – was too heavy to be weighed.

17 Each of the pillars was about twenty-seven feett high. The bronze top of one pillar was about four and a half feett high and had bronze latticework and pomegranate shaped ornaments all around it. The second pillar with its latticework was like it.
18 The captain of the royal guard took Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah, the priest who was second in rank, and the three doorkeepers.19 From the city he took a eunuch who was in charge of the soldiers, fivet of the king’s adviserst who were discovered in the city, an official army secretary who drafted citizenst for military service, and sixty citizens from the people of the land who were discovered in the city.20 Nebuzaradan, captain of the royal guard, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

21 The king of Babylon ordered them to be executedt at Riblah in the territoryt of Hamath. So Judah was deported from its land.

Gedaliah Appointed Governor

22 Now King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, as governor over the people whom he allowed to remain in the land of Judah.t23 All of the officers of the Judahite armyt and their troops heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah to govern. So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. The officers who came were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite.24 Gedaliah took an oath so as to give them and their troops some assurance of safety.t He said, “You don’t need to be afraid to submit to the Babylonian officials. Settle down in the land and submit to the king of Babylon. Then things will go well for you.”25 But in the seventh months Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family,t came with ten of his men and murdered Gedaliah,t as well as the Judeans and Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah.

26 Then all the people, from the youngest to the oldest, as well as the army officers, left fort Egypt, because they were afraid of what the Babylonians might do.

Jehoiachin in Babylon

27 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah, on the twenty-sevenths day of the twelfth month,s King Evil-Merodach of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, pardonedt King Jehoiachin of Judah and released himt from prison.28 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prestigious position thant the other kings who were with him in Babylon.29 Jehoiachint took off his prison clothes and ate daily in the king’s presence for the rest of his life.

30 He was given daily provisions by the king for the rest of his life until the day he died.s