2 Kings

2 Kings 25 ©

1 Jerusalem is again besieged, 4 and taken by storm: Zedekiah fleeth, is taken, his sons slain, and his own eyes put out. 8 Nebuzar-adan having burned the temple and all the palaces of Jerusalem, and broken down the walls, carrieth the remnant of the people, except a few labourers, to Babylon. 13 He spoileth and carrieth away the valuable things of the temple. 18 The nobles of Judah are slain at Riblah. 22 Gedaliah, who was set over the people that were left, being treacherously murdered, the rest flee into Egypt. 27 Evil-merodach sheweth kindness to Jehoiachin in his captivity.

1

AND it came to pass ain the ninth year of his 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 forts against it round about.

2

And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.

3

And on the ninth day of bthe fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was cno bread for the people of the land.

4

¶And the city dwas broken up, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by ethe king's garden: (now the Chaldees were against the city round about:) and the king went the way toward fthe plain.

5

And the army of the Chaldees gpursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him.

6

So hthey took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to iRiblah; and they 1gave judgment upon him.

7

And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and 2put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with *fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.

8

¶And jin the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzar-adan, 3captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem:

9

And khe burnt the house of the LORD, and the king's house, and lall the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man 's house burnt he with fire.

10

And all the army of the Chaldees, that were with the captain of the guard, mbrake down the walls of Jerusalem round about.

11

Now the nrest of the people that were left in the city, and the fugitives 4that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carry away.

12

But the captain of the guard left of othe poor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen.

13

And pthe pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD, and the bases, and the brasen sea that was in the house of the LORD, did the Chaldees break in pieces, and carried the brass of them to Babylon.

14

And qthe pots, and the shovels, and rthe snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away.

15

And the sfirepans, 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 ttwo pillars, 5one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made for the house of the LORD; uthe brass of all these vessels was without weight.

t v.13.
17

The vheight of the one pillar 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.

18

¶And the captain of the guard took wSeraiah the chief priest, and xZephaniah the ysecond priest, and the three keepers of the 6door:

19

And out of the city he took an 7officer that was set over the men of war, and five men of them that 8were in the king's presence, which were found in the city, and the principal 9scribe of the host, which mustered the people of the land, and threescore men of the people of the land that were found in the city:

20

And Nebuzar-adan captain of the guard took these, and brought them to the king of Babylon to zRiblah:

21

And the king of Babylon asmote them, and slew them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So bJudah was carried away out of their land.

22

¶And cas for the people that remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, even over them he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ruler.

23

And when all the dcaptains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, 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 Gedaliah esware to them, and to their men, and said unto them, fFear 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 gseventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, 10of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at hMizpah.

26

And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose, and icame to Egypt: for they were afraid of the Chaldees.

27

¶And jit came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of kthe captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that lEvil-merodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;

28

And he spake 11kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon;

29

And mchanged his prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life.

30

And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.