THE SECOND BOOK OF
THE KINGS,
2 Kings 25 ©
Jerusalem is besieged, v. 1, etc. Zedekiah taken prisoner, his eyes put out, and carried away to Babel, 5. Nebuzaradan burns Jerusalem, and the temple, and breaks down the wall of the city, 8. He carries away much people, 11. Also much treasure, 14. Carries some of the most important ones to Riblah, where they are put to death, 18. Gedaliah is made governor of Judah, 22. Is slain, 25. The Jews flee into Egypt, 26. King Jehoiachin is delivered, and advanced by Evil-merodach, 27.
AND ita came to pass in the ninth year of 1his 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 2forts against it round about.
And the city 3was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.
And on the ninth day of the 4fourth month theb famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.
¶And the city was 5broken up, and all the men of war 6fled by night by the way of the 7gate between two walls, which 8is by the king's garden: (now the Chaldees were against the city round about:) and the king went the way toward the plain.
And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of 9Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him.
So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to 10Riblah; and they gave 11judgment upon him.
And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and 12put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.
¶And in the 13fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzar-adan, 14captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem:
And he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man’s 15house burnt he with fire.
And all the army of the Chaldees, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about.
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 Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carry away.
But the captain of the guard left of the 16poor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen.
And the 17pillarsc of brass that were in the house of the LORD, and the 18bases, and the 19brasen sea that was in the house of the LORD, did the Chaldees break in pieces, and carried the brass of them to Babylon.
And 20the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away.
And the 21firepans, and the bowls, and such things as were 22of gold, in gold, and of silver, in silver, the captain of the guard took away.
The two pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made for the house of the LORD; the brass of all these vessels 23was without weight.
Thed height of the one 24pillar 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.
¶And the captain of the guard took 25Seraiah the 26chief priest, and 27Zephaniah the 28second priest, and the three keepers of the door:
And out of the city he took an officer that was set over the men of war, and 29five men of them 30that were in the king's presence, which were found in the city, and the principal scribe of the host, which 31mustered the people of the land, and threescore men of the people of the land that were found in the city:
And Nebuzar-adan captain of the guard took these, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah:
And the king of Babylon smote 32them, and slew them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. 33So Judah was carried away out of their land.
¶Andeas for the people that remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, even over them he made 34Gedaliah the son of 35Ahikam, the son of 36Shaphan, ruler.
Andf 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 37Mizpah, even 38Ishmael 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.
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.
But it came to pass in the 39seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, 40of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and 41smoteg Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at Mizpah.
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.
¶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 42Evil-merodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah 43out of prison;
And he spake 44kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon;
And changed his 45prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life.
And 46his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, 47a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.