Jeremias 52

Zedekias var enogtyve år gammel da han blev konge, og han herskede elleve År i Jerusalem. Hans Moder hed Hamital og var en Datter af Jirmeja fra Libna.

Han gjorde, hvad der var ondt i HERRENs Øjne, ganske som Jojakim.

Thi for HERRENs Vredes Skyld kom dette over Jerusalem og Juda, og til sidst stødte han dem bort fra sit Åsyn. Og Zedekias faldt fra Babels konge.

I hans niende Regeringsår på den tiende Dag i den tiende Måned drog Kong Nebukadrezar af Babel da med hele sin Hær mod Jerusalem, og de belejrede det og byggede Belejringstårne imod det rundt omkring;

og Belejringen varede til Kong Zedekiass ellevte Regeringsår.

På den niende Dag i den fjerde Måned blev Hungersnøden hård i Byen, og Folket fra Landet havde ikke Brød. Da blev Byens Mur gennembrudt.

Alle krigsfolkene flygtede om Natten ud af Byen gennem Porten mellem de to Mure ved Kongens Have, medens Kaldæerne holdt Byen omringet, og de tog Vejen ad Arabalavningen til.

Men Kaldæernes Hær satte efter Kongen og indhentede ham på Jerikosletten, efter at hele hans Hær var blevet splittet til alle Sider.

Så greb de Kongen og bragte ham op til Ribla i Hamats Land til Babels Konge, der fældede Dommen over ham.

Hans Sønner lod han henrette i hans Påsyn, ligeledes lod han alle Judas Øverster henrette i Ribla;

og på Zedekias selv lod Babels Konge Øjnene stikke ud; derpå lod han ham lægge i Kobberlænker, og således førte han ham til Babel; og han lod ham kaste i Fængsel, hvor han blev til sin Dødedag.

På den tiende Dag i den femte Måned, det var Babels Konge Nebukadrezars nittende Regeringsår, kom Nebuzaradan, Øversten for Livvagten, Babels konges Tjener, til Jerusalem.

Han satte Ild på HERRENs Hus og Kongens Palads og alle Husene i Jerusalem; på alle Stormændenes Huse satte han Ild;

og Murene om Jerusalem nedbrød hele kaldæernes Hær, som Øversten for Livvagten havde med sig.

De sidste Folk, som var tilbage i Byen, og Overløberne, der var gået over til Babels Konge, og de sidste Håndværkere førte Nebuzaradan, Øversten for Livvagten, bort.

Men nogle af de fattigste af Folket fra Landet lod Nebuzaradan, Øversten for Livvagten, blive tilbage som Vingårdsmænd og Agerdyrkere,

Kobbersøjlerne i HERRENs Hus, Stellene og Kobberhavet i HERRENs Hus slog Kaldæerne i Stykker og førte Kobberet til Babel.

Karrene, Skovlene, knivene og Kanderne og alle Kobbersagerne, som brugtes ved Tjenesten, røvede de;

også Fadene, Panderne, Skålene, Karrene, Lysestagerne, Kanderne og Offerskålene, der helt var af Guld eller Sølv, røvede Øversten for Livvagten.

De to Søjler, Havet med de tolv Kobberokser under og Stellene, som Salomo havde ladet lave til HERRENs Hus Kobberet i alle disse Ting var ikke til at veje.

Atten Alen høj var hver Søjle, og en Snor på tolv Alen kunde nå om den, og den var hul, og Kobberet var fire Fingre tykt.

Og der var et Søjlehoved af Kobber oven på den, fem Alen højt, og rundt om Søjlehovedet var der Fletværk og Granatæbler, alt af Kobber; og på samme Måde var det med den anden Søjle.

Og der var seks og halvfemsindstyve Granatæbler, som hang frit; der var i alt hundrede Granatæbler rundt om Fletværket.

Øversten for Livvagten tog Ypperstepræsten Seraja, Anden præsten Zefanja og de tre Dørvogtere;

og fra Byen tog han en Hofmand, der havde Opsyn med krigsfolket, og syv Mænd, der hørte til Kongens nærmeste Omgivelser, og som endnu fandtes i Byen, desuden Hærførerens Skriver, der udskrev Folket fra Landet til Krigstjeneste, og dertil tresindstyve Mænd at Folket fra Landet, der fandtes i Byen

dem tog Øversten for Livvagten Nebuzaradan og førte til Babels Konge i Ribla

og Babels Konge lod dem dræbe i Ribla i Hamats Land. Så førtes Juda i Landflygtighed fra sit Land.

Følgende er Tallet på de Folk, Nebukadrezar bortførte i Fangenskab: I hans syvende År 3023 Judæere,

i Nebukadrezars attende År 832 fra Jerusalem;

i Nebukadrezars tre og tyvende År bortførte Nebuzaradan, Øversten for Livvagten, 745 af Judæerne; tilsammen 4600.

I det syv og tredivte År efter Kong Jojakin af Judas Bortførelse på den fem og tyvende Dag i den tolvte Måned tog Babels Konge Evil-Merodak, der i det År kom på Tronen, Kong Jojakin af Juda til Nåde og førte ham ud af Fængselet.

Han talte ham venligt til og gav ham Sæde oven for de Konger, som var hos ham i Babel.

Jojakin aflagde sin Fangedragt og spiste daglig hos ham, så længe han levede.

Han fik sit daglige Underhold af Babels Konge, hver Dag hvad han behøvede for den Dag, indtil sin Dødedag, så længe han levede.

Zedekiah {was} one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name {was} Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. {began...: Heb. reigned}

And he did {that which was} evil in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, till he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth {day} of the month, {that} Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it, and built forts against it round about.

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

And in the fourth month, in the ninth {day} of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.

Then the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled, and went forth out of the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which {was} by the king's garden; (now the Chaldeans {were} by the city round about:) and they went by the way of the plain.

But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.

Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; where he gave judgment upon him.

And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he slew also all the princes of Judah in Riblah.

Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death. {put out: Heb. blinded} {chains: or, fetters} {prison: Heb. house of the wards}

Now in the fifth month, in the tenth {day} of the month, which {was} the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, {which} served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem, {captain...: or, chief marshal: Heb. chief of the executioners, or, slaughtermen} {served: Heb. stood before}

And burned the house of the LORD, and the king's house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great {men}, burned he with fire:

And all the army of the Chaldeans, that {were} with the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of Jerusalem round about.

Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive {certain} of the poor of the people, and the residue of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude.

But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left {certain} of the poor of the land for vinedressers and for husbandmen.

Also the 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, the Chaldeans brake, and carried all the brass of them to Babylon.

The caldrons also, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the bowls, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away. {shovels: or, instruments to remove the ashes} {bowls: or, basons}

And the basons, and the firepans, and the bowls, and the caldrons, and the candlesticks, and the spoons, and the cups; {that} which {was} of gold {in} gold, and {that} which {was} of silver {in} silver, took the captain of the guard away. {firepans: or, censers}

The two pillars, one sea, and twelve brasen bulls that {were} under the bases, which king Solomon had made in the house of the LORD: the brass of all these vessels was without weight. {the brass: Heb. their brass}

And {concerning} the pillars, the height of one pillar {was} eighteen cubits; and a fillet of twelve cubits did compass it; and the thickness thereof {was} four fingers: {it was} hollow. {fillet: Heb. thread}

And a chapiter of brass {was} upon it; and the height of one chapiter {was} five cubits, with network and pomegranates upon the chapiters round about, all {of} brass. The second pillar also and the pomegranates {were} like unto these.

And there were ninety and six pomegranates on a side; {and} all the pomegranates upon the network {were} an hundred round about.

And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door: {door: Heb. threshold}

He took also out of the city an eunuch, which had the charge of the men of war; and seven men of them that were near the king's person, which were found in the city; and the principal scribe of the host, who mustered the people of the land; and threescore men of the people of the land, that were found in the midst of the city. {were near...: Heb. saw the face of the king} {principal...: or, scribe of the captain of the host}

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

And the king of Babylon smote them, and put them to death in Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive out of his own land.

This {is} the people whom Nebuchadrezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year three thousand Jews and three and twenty:

In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty and two persons: {persons: Heb. souls}

In the three and twentieth year of Nebuchadrezzar Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred forty and five persons: all the persons {were} four thousand and six hundred.

And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth {day} of the month, {that} Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the {first} year of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison,

And spake kindly unto him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that {were} with him in Babylon, {kindly...: Heb. good things with him}

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

And {for} his diet, there was a continual diet given him of the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life. {every...: Heb. the matter of the day in his day}