M'lakhim Bet (2 Ki) 25
25
1so in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, N’vukhadnetzar king of Bavel marched against Yerushalayim with his entire army. He set up camp against it and built siege towers against it on every side. 2The city remained under siege into the eleventh year of King Tzidkiyahu.
3On the ninth day of the [fourth] month, when the famine in the city was so severe that there was no food for the people of the land, 4they broke through into the city. All the soldiers [fled] by night through the gate between the two walls, near the king’s garden. Because the Kasdim were surrounding the city, the king took the route through the ‘Aravah. 5But the army of the Kasdim went in pursuit of the king and overtook him on the plains near Yericho; all his troops deserted him. 6Then they took the king and brought him up to the king of Bavel in Rivlah, where they passed judgment on him. 7They slaughtered his sons before his eyes. Then they put out Tzidkiyahu’s eyes, bound him in chains and carried him off to Bavel.
8In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which was also the nineteenth year of King N’vukhadnetzar, king of Bavel, N’vuzar’adan, the commander of the guard and an officer of the king of Bavel, entered Yerushalayim. 9He burned down the house of Adonai, the royal palace and all the houses in Yerushalayim — every notable person’s house he burned to the ground. 10The whole army of the Kasdim, who were with the commander of the guard, broke down the walls of Yerushalayim on every side. 11N’vuzar’adan the commander of the guard then deported the remaining population of the city, the deserters who had defected to the king of Bavel and the rest of the common people. 12But the commander of the guard left behind some of the poor people of the land to be vineyard-workers and farmers.
13The Kasdim smashed the bronze columns in the house of Adonai, also the trolleys and bronze Sea that were in the house of Adonai, and carried their bronze to Bavel. 14They also took away the pots, shovels, snuffers, pans, and all the bronze articles that had been used for worship. 15The commander of the guard took the censers, the sprinkling bowls, everything made of gold and everything made of silver. 16The bronze in the two columns, the one Sea and the bases, all of which Shlomo had made for the house of Adonai, was more than could be weighed. 17The height of one column was thirty-one-and-a-half feet; on it was a capital of bronze five-and-a-quarter feet high, with netting and pomegranates all around the capital, all of bronze; the second column was similar, also with netting.
18The commander of the guard took [prisoner] S’rayah the chief cohen, Z’kharyah the second-ranking cohen and three doorkeepers. 19From the city he took an official in charge of the soldiers, five close associates of the king who had been found in the city, the army commander’s secretary in charge of military conscription, and sixty of the common people found in the city. 20N’vuzar’adan the commander of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Bavel in Rivlah. 21There in Rivlah, in the land of Hamat, the king of Bavel had them put to death. Thus Y’hudah was carried away captive out of his land.
22N’vukhadnetzar king of Babylon appointed G’dalyahu the son of Achikam, the son of Shafan, governor over the people remaining behind in the land of Y’hudah after he left. 23When all the army officers and their men heard that the king of Bavel had made G’dalyahu governor, they came to G’dalyahu in Mitzpah — Yishma‘el the son of N’tanyah, Yochanan the son of Kareach, S’rayah the son of Tanchumet the N’tofati and Ya’azanyahu the son of the Ma‘akhati — they and their men. 24Taking an oath, G’dalyahu said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the servants of the Kasdim. Just live in the land and serve the king of Bavel, and things will go well for you.” 25But in the seventh month Yishma‘el the son of N’tanyah, the son of Elishama, of royal blood, came with ten men and assassinated G’dalyah and the Judeans and Kasdim who were with him in Mitzpah. 26In the wake of this, all kinds of people, great and small, as well as the army officers, set out and went to Egypt; because they were afraid of the Kasdim.
27In the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Y’hoyakhin king of Y’hudah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, Eveel-M’rodakh began his reign as king of Bavel; and in his first year he commuted the sentence of Y’hoyakhin king of Y’hudah and released him from prison. 28He treated him with kindness and gave him a throne higher than those of the other kings there with him in Bavel. 29So Y’hoyakhin no longer had to wear prison clothes; moreover, he was provided with food as long as he lived; 30and he was granted a daily allowance by the king to spend on his other needs for as long as he lived.
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M'lakhim Bet (2 Ki) 25: CJB
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Learn More About Complete Jewish Bible2 Kings 25
25
The Fall of Jerusalem
(2 Chr 36.13–21; Jer 52.3b–11)
1 #
Jer 21.1–10; 34.1–5; Ezek 24.2 Zedekiah rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, so Nebuchadnezzar came with all his army and attacked Jerusalem on the tenth day of the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign. They set up camp outside the city, built siege walls round it, 2and kept it under siege until Zedekiah's eleventh year. 3On the ninth day of the fourth month#25.3 Probable text (see Jer 52.6) the fourth month; Hebrew the month. of that same year, when the famine was so bad that the people had nothing left to eat, 4#Ezek 33.21the city walls were broken through. Although the Babylonians were surrounding the city, all the soldiers escaped during the night. They left by way of the royal garden, went through the gateway connecting the two walls, and fled in the direction of the Jordan Valley. 5But the Babylonian army pursued King Zedekiah, captured him in the plains near Jericho, and all his soldiers deserted him. 6Zedekiah was taken to King Nebuchadnezzar, who was in the city of Riblah, and there Nebuchadnezzar passed sentence on him. 7#Ezek 12.13While Zedekiah was looking on, his sons were put to death; then Nebuchadnezzar had Zedekiah's eyes put out, placed him in chains, and took him to Babylon.
The Destruction of the Temple
(Jer 52.12–23)
8On the seventh day of the fifth month of the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, Nebuzaradan, adviser to the king and commander of his army, entered Jerusalem. 9He burnt down the Temple, the palace, and the houses of all the important people in Jerusalem, 10and his soldiers tore down the city walls. 11Then Nebuzaradan took away to Babylonia the people who were left in the city, the remaining skilled workmen,#25.11 Probable text (see Jer 52.15) skilled workmen; Hebrew crowd. and those who had deserted to the Babylonians. 12But he left in Judah some of the poorest people, who owned no property, and put them to work in the vineyards and fields.
13 #
1 Kgs 7.15–26; 2 Chr 3.15–17 The Babylonians broke in pieces the bronze columns and the carts that were in the Temple, together with the large bronze tank, and they took all the bronze to Babylon. 14#1 Kgs 7.45; 2 Chr 4.16They also took away the shovels and the ash containers used in cleaning the altar, the tools used in tending the lamps, the bowls used for catching the blood from the sacrifices, the bowls used for burning incense, and all the other bronze articles used in the temple service. 15They took away everything that was made of gold or silver, including the small bowls and the pans used for carrying live coals. 16The bronze objects that King Solomon had made for the Temple — the two columns, the carts, and the large tank — were too heavy to weigh. 17The two columns were identical: each one was eight metres high, with a bronze capital on top, 1.3 metres high. All round each capital was a bronze grating decorated with pomegranates made of bronze.
The People of Judah are Taken to Babylonia
(Jer 52.24–27)
18In addition, Nebuzaradan, the commanding officer, took away as prisoners Seraiah the High Priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank, and the three other important temple officials. 19From the city he took the officer who had been in command of the troops, five of the king's personal advisers who were still in the city, the commander's assistant, who was in charge of military records, and sixty other important men. 20Nebuzaradan took them to the king of Babylonia, who was in the city of Riblah 21in the territory of Hamath. There the king had them beaten and put to death.
So the people of Judah were carried away from their land into exile.
Gedaliah, Governor of Judah
(Jer 40.7–9; 41.1–3)
22King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia made Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, governor of Judah, and placed him in charge of all those who had not been taken away to Babylonia. 23When the Judean officers and soldiers who had not surrendered heard about this, they joined Gedaliah at Mizpah. These officers were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, from the town of Netophah, and Jezaniah from Maacah. 24Gedaliah said to them, “I give you my word that there is no need for you to be afraid of the Babylonian officials. Settle in this land, serve the king of Babylonia, and all will go well with you.”
25But in the seventh month of that year, Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah and grandson of Elishama, a member of the royal family, went to Mizpah with ten men, attacked Gedaliah and killed him. He also killed the Israelites and Babylonians who were there with him. 26#Jer 43.5–7Then all the Israelites, rich and poor alike, together with the army officers, left and went to Egypt, because they were afraid of the Babylonians.
Jehoiachin is Released from Prison
(Jer 52.31–34)
27In the year that Evilmerodach became king of Babylonia, he showed kindness to King Jehoiachin of Judah by releasing him from prison. This happened on the 27th day of the twelfth month of the 37th year after Jehoiachin had been taken away as prisoner. 28Evilmerodach treated him kindly, and gave him a position of greater honour than he gave the other kings who were exiles with him in Babylonia. 29So Jehoiachin was permitted to change from his prison clothes and to dine at the king's table for the rest of his life. 30Each day, for as long as he lived, he was given a regular allowance for his needs.
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.