1
And it came to pass in the ninthyear of his reign, in the tenthmonth, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzarking of Babyloncame, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they builtforts against it round about.
2
And the city was besieged unto the eleventhyear of kingZedekiah.
3
And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famineprevailed 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 Chaldeespursuedafter 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 gavejudgment 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 fifthmonth, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenthyear of kingNebuchadnezzarking of Babylon, cameNebuzaradan, 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 houseburnt 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 guardleft 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 brasensea 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 twopillars, onesea, and the bases which Solomon had made for the house of the LORD; the brass of all these vessels was withoutweight.
17
The height of the onepillar was eighteencubits, and the chapiter upon it was brass: and the height of the chapiterthreecubits; and the wreathen work, and pomegranates upon the chapiter round about, all of brass: and like unto these had the secondpillar with wreathen work.
18
And the captain of the guardtookSeraiah the chiefpriest, and Zephaniah the secondpriest, and the threekeepers of the door:
19
And out of the city he tookanofficer that was set over the men of war, and fivemen of them that were in the king's presence, which werefound in the city, and the principalscribe of the host, which mustered the people of the land, and threescoremen of the people of the land that werefound in the city:
20
And Nebuzaradancaptain of the guardtook these, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah:
21
And the king of Babylonsmote 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 Nebuchadnezzarking 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 Gedaliahgovernor, 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 Gedaliahsware 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 seventhmonth, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seedroyal, came, and tenmen with him, and smoteGedaliah, 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 captainsof the armies, arose, and came to Egypt: for they were afraidof the Chaldees.
27
And it came to pass in the seven and thirtiethyear of the captivity of Jehoiachinking of Judah, in the twelfthmonth, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodachking of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachinking of Judah out of prison;
28
And he spakekindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon;
29
And changed his prisongarments: and he did eatbreadcontinuallybefore him all the days of his life.
30
And his allowance was a continualallowancegiven him of the king, a dailyrate for every day, all the days of his life.