1 And it came to pass 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 host, against Jerusalem, and pitched
against it; and they built forts against it round about.
2 And
the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.
3 And
on the ninth day of
the fourth month
the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the
land.
4 And
the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by
night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the
king's garden: (now the Chaldees were against the city round about:) and the king went
the way toward the plain.
5 And
the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains
of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him.
6 So
they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and
they gave judgment upon him.
7 And
they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of
Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.
8 And
in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the
nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan,
captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem:
9 And
he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king's house, and all the houses of
Jerusalem, and every great man's house burnt he with fire.
10 And
all the army of the Chaldees, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down
the walls of Jerusalem round about.
11 Now
the rest of the people that were left in the city, and the fugitives
that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did
Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away.
12 But
the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be vinedressers
and husbandmen.
13 And
the pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD, and the
bases, and the brasen sea that was in the house of the LORD, did the
Chaldees break in pieces, and carried the brass of them to Babylon.
14 And
the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the
vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away.
15 And
the firepans, and the bowls, and such things as were of
gold, in gold,
and of silver, in silver, the captain of the guard took
away.
16 The
two pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made for the house of the
LORD; the brass of all these vessels was without weight.
17 The
height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the chapiter upon
it was brass:
and the height of the chapiter three cubits; and the wreathen work, and
pomegranates upon the chapiter round about, all of brass: and like unto these
had the second pillar with wreathen work.
18 And
the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the
second priest, and the three keepers of the door:
19 And
out of the city he took an officer that was set over the men of war, and five
men of them that were in the king's presence, which were found in the city, and
the principal scribe of the host, which mustered the people of the land, and
threescore men of the people of the land that were found in the city:
20 And
Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took these, and brought them to the king of
Babylon to Riblah:
21 And
the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Riblah in the land of Hamath.
So Judah was carried away out of their land.
22 And as for the
people that remained 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, ruler.
23 And
when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of
Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, there came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even
Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Careah, and Seraiah the
son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they
and their men.
24 And
Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said unto them, Fear not to be
the servants of the Chaldees: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon;
and it shall be well with you.
25 But
it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the
son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote
Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at
Mizpah.
26 And
all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose,
and came to Egypt: for they were afraid of the Chaldees.
27 And
it came to pass 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 did lift up the head of
Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;
28 And
he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with
him in Babylon;
29 And
changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all
the days of his life.
30 And
his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the
king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.
