2 Kings 25

And it happened in the ninth year of his reigning, in the tenth month, on ten of the month, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, came, he and all of his army, against Jerusalem. And he encamped against it, and they built a siege mound against it all around.

And the city entered into siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

On nine of the month, then famine seized the city, and {there} was no bread for the people of the land. \*

And the city was breached, and all of the men of war at night the way of the gate between the two walls that {were} near the garden of the king (now the Chaldeans {were} against the city all around), and he went the way of the Arabah.

But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Jericho. And all of his army were scattered away from him. \*

And they captured the king, and they brought him up to the king of Babylon, to Riblah. And they pronounced judgment on him.

And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah to his eyes. And he blinded the eyes of Zedikiah, and he bound him with two bronze chains, and he brought him {to} Babylon. \*

And in the fifth month, on seven of the month, it {was} the year of 19, the year to King Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the chief of the guards, the servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.

And he burned the house of God and the house of the king. And all of the houses of Jerusalem and every house of the great, he burned with fire.

And all of the army of the Chaldeans who {were with} the chief of the guards tore down the walls of Jerusalem all around. \*

But the rest of the people left in the city and the ones having fallen, who had fallen to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude, Nebuzaradan, the chief of the guards, exiled.

But the chief of the guards let some of the poor of the land remain as vinedressers and as farmers. \*

And the Chaldeans broke up the pillars of bronze that {were in} the house of God and the stands and the sea of bronze that {were} in the house of God, and they carried their bronze to Babylon.

And they took the pots and the shovels and the trimmers and the palms and all of the articles of bronze with which they served.

And the chief of the guards took the firepans and the bowls that {were} gold gold and that {were} silver silver. \*

The two pillars, the one sea, and the stands that Solomon had made for the house of God, a weight was not for the bronze of all of these vessels.

The height of one pillar {was} 18 cubits, and the capital on it {was} bronze. And the height of the capital {was} three cubits, and a network and pomegranates {were} on the capital all around. The whole {was} bronze. And like these {were} to the second pillar, with a network. \*

And the chief of the guards took Seraiah, the high priest, and Zephaniah, the priest of the second rank, and the three guards of the threshold.

And from the city he took a eunuch because he {was} the overseer over the men of war and five men from the seers of the face of the king who were found in the city and the scribe, the commander of the army, the one mustering the people of the land and 60 men from the people of the land found in the city. \*

And Nebuzaradan, the chief of the guards, took them and made them go to the king of Babylon, to Riblah.

And the king of Babylon struck them and killed them in Riblah in the land of Hamath. And Judah went into exile away from its land. \*

Now {as for} the people having been left in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, left, he appointed Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, over them.

And all of the captains of the armies, they and the men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah, and they came to Gedaliah {at} Mizpah, and 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.

And Gedaliah swore to them and to their men and said to them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will be well with you.” \*

But it happened in the seventh month, Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, from the seed of the kingdom, came, and ten men with him, and he struck Gedaliah, and he died, and the Judeans and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.

Then all of the people from small and to great and the captains of the armies arose and went {to} Egypt, for they were afraid from the face of the Chaldeans. \*

And it happened in year 37 of the exile of Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, in month 12, on 27 of the month, Evil Merodach, the king of Babylon, in the year of his reigning, lifted the head of Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, from the house of imprisonment. \*

And he spoke good {things} to him, and he put his seat above the seat of the kings who {were} with him in Babylon.

And he changed the clothes of his imprisonment, and he ate bread regularly to his face all of the days of his life.

And his allowance, a continual allowance, was given to him from the king, a matter of a day in its day, all of the days of his life.