New King James Version

New Living Translation

The Fall and Captivity of Judah

Now it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around.

1

So on January 15,a during the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon led his entire army against Jerusalem. They surrounded the city and built siege ramps against its walls.

2

So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

2

Jerusalem was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah’s reign.

3

By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.

3

By July 18 in the eleventh year of Zedekiah’s reign,b the famine in the city had become very severe, and the last of the food was entirely gone.

4

Then the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled at night by way of the gate between two walls, which was by the king’s garden, even though the Chaldeans were still encamped all around against the city. And the king[a] went by way of the [b]plain.

4

Then a section of the city wall was broken down. Since the city was surrounded by the Babylonians,c the soldiers waited for nightfall and escapedd through the gate between the two walls behind the king’s garden. Then they headed toward the Jordan Valley.e

5

But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his army was scattered from him.

5

But the Babylonianf troops chased the king and overtook him on the plains of Jericho, for his men had all deserted him and scattered.

6

So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they pronounced judgment on him.

6

They captured the king and took him to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they pronounced judgment upon Zedekiah.

7

Then they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, put[c] out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with bronze fetters, and took him to Babylon.

7

They made Zedekiah watch as they slaughtered his sons. Then they gouged out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon.

8

And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month (which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.

8

The Temple Destroyed

On August 14 of that year,g which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard and an official of the Babylonian king, arrived in Jerusalem.

9

He burned the house of the Lord and the king’s house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, he burned with fire.

9

He burned down the Temple of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem. He destroyed all the important buildingsh in the city.

10

And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down the walls of Jerusalem all around.

10

Then he supervised the entire Babylonian army as they tore down the walls of Jerusalem on every side.

11

Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive the rest of the people who remained in the city and the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, with the rest of the multitude.

11

Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took as exiles the rest of the people who remained in the city, the defectors who had declared their allegiance to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the population.

12

But the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers.

12

But the captain of the guard allowed some of the poorest people to stay behind to care for the vineyards and fields.

13

The bronze pillars that were in the house of the Lord, and the carts and the bronze Sea that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried their bronze to Babylon.

13

The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars in front of the LORD’s Temple, the bronze water carts, and the great bronze basin called the Sea, and they carried all the bronze away to Babylon.

14

They also took away the pots, the shovels, the trimmers, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils with which the priests ministered.

14

They also took all the ash buckets, shovels, lamp snuffers, ladles, and all the other bronze articles used for making sacrifices at the Temple.

15

The firepans and the basins, the things of solid gold and solid silver, the captain of the guard took away.

15

The captain of the guard also took the incense burners and basins, and all the other articles made of pure gold or silver.

16

The two pillars, one Sea, and the carts, which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord, the bronze of all these articles was beyond measure.

16

The weight of the bronze from the two pillars, the Sea, and the water carts was too great to be measured. These things had been made for the LORD’s Temple in the days of Solomon.

17

The height of one pillar was [d]eighteen cubits, and the capital on it was of bronze. The height of the capital was three cubits, and the network and pomegranates all around the capital were all of bronze. The second pillar was the same, with a network.

17

Each of the pillars was 27 feeti tall. The bronze capital on top of each pillar was 7 1/2 feetj high and was decorated with a network of bronze pomegranates all the way around.

18

And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers.

18

Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took with him as prisoners Seraiah the high priest, Zephaniah the priest of the second rank, and the three chief gatekeepers.

19

He also took out of the city an officer who had charge of the men of war, five men of [e]the king’s close associates who were found in the city, the chief recruiting officer of the army, who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the city.

19

And from among the people still hiding in the city, he took an officer who had been in charge of the Judean army; five of the king’s personal advisers; the army commander’s chief secretary, who was in charge of recruitment; and sixty other citizens.

20

So Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, took these and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

20

Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took them all to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

21

Then the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive from its own land.

21

And there at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon had them all put to death. So the people of Judah were sent into exile from their land.

22

Gedaliah Made Governor of Judah

Then he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, governor over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left.

22

Gedaliah Governs in Judah

Then King Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan as governor over the people he had left in Judah.

23

Now when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah — Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Careah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and [f]Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.

23

When all the army commanders and their men learned that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they went to see him at Mizpah. These included Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, Jezaniahk son of the Maacathite, and all their men.

24

And Gedaliah took an oath before them and 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 shall be well with you.”

24

Gedaliah vowed to them that the Babylonian officials meant them no harm. “Don’t be afraid of them. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and all will go well for you,” he promised.

25

But it happened in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck and killed Gedaliah, the Jews, as well as the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.

25

But in midautumn of that year,l Ishmael son of Nethaniah and grandson of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family, went to Mizpah with ten men and killed Gedaliah. He also killed all the Judeans and Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah.

26

And all the people, small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose and went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

26

Then all the people of Judah, from the least to the greatest, as well as the army commanders, fled in panic to Egypt, for they were afraid of what the Babylonians would do to them.

27

Jehoiachin Released from Prison

Now it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that [g]Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison.

27

Hope for Israel’s Royal Line

In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah, Evil-merodach ascended to the Babylonian throne. He was kind tom Jehoiachin and released himn from prison on April 2 of that year.o

28

He spoke kindly to him, and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon.

28

He spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and gave him a higher place than all the other exiled kings in Babylon.

29

So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, and he ate [h]bread regularly before the king all the days of his life.

29

He supplied Jehoiachin with new clothes to replace his prison garb and allowed him to dine in the king’s presence for the rest of his life.

30

And as for his [i]provisions, there was a [j]regular ration given him by the king, a portion for each day, all the days of his life.

30

So the king gave him a regular food allowance as long as he lived.

Parallel

New King James Version

New Living Translation

2 Kings 25

2 Kings 25