1 Era Zedequias da idade de vinte e um anos quando começou a reinar e reinou onze anos em Jerusalém; e o nome de sua mãe era Hamutal, filha de Jeremias, de Libna. 2 E fez o que era mau aos olhos do Senhor, conforme tudo o que fizera Jeoaquim. 3 Por esta razão, sucedeu que, por causa da ira do Senhor contra Jerusalém e Judá, ele os lançou fora da sua presença; e Zedequias se rebelou contra o rei da Babilônia. 4 E aconteceu, no ano nono do seu reinado, no mês décimo, no décimo dia do mês, que veio Nabucodonosor, rei da Babilônia, contra Jerusalém, ele e todo o seu exército, e se acamparam contra ela e levantaram contra ela tranqueiras ao redor. 5 Assim esteve cercada a cidade, até ao ano undécimo do rei Zedequias. 6 No mês quarto, aos nove do mês, quando a fome prevalecia na cidade, e o povo da terra não tinha pão, 7 foi aberta uma brecha na cidade, e todos os homens de guerra fugiram, e saíram de noite, pelo caminho da porta, entre os dois muros que estavam junto ao jardim do rei (porque os caldeus estavam contra a cidade ao redor), e foram pelo caminho da campina. 8 Mas o exército dos caldeus seguiu o rei, e alcançaram Zedequias nas campinas de Jericó, e todo o seu exército se espalhou, abandonando-o. 9 E prenderam o rei e o fizeram subir ao rei da Babilônia, a Ribla, na terra de Hamate, o qual lhe lavrou ali a sentença. 10 E o rei da Babilônia degolou os filhos de Zedequias à sua vista e também degolou a todos os príncipes de Judá, em Ribla. 11 E arrancou os olhos a Zedequias e o atou com duas cadeias de bronze; e o rei da Babilônia o levou para a Babilônia e o conservou na prisão até o dia da sua morte.

12 E, no quinto mês, no décimo dia do mês (este era o décimo nono ano do rei Nabucodonosor, rei da Babilônia), veio Nebuzaradã, capitão da guarda, que assistia na presença do rei da Babilônia, a Jerusalém. 13 E queimou a Casa do Senhor, e a casa do rei, e também a todas as casas de Jerusalém, e incendiou todas as casas dos grandes. 14 E todo o exército dos caldeus que estavam com o capitão da guarda derribou todos os muros que rodeavam Jerusalém. 15 E os mais pobres do povo, e a parte do povo que tinha ficado na cidade, e os rebeldes que se haviam passado para o rei da Babilônia, e o resto da multidão, Nebuzaradã, capitão da guarda, levou presos. 16 Mas dos mais pobres da terra deixou Nebuzaradã, capitão da guarda, ficar alguns, para serem vinhateiros e lavradores.

17 Quebraram mais os caldeus as colunas de bronze que estavam na Casa do Senhor, e as bases, e o mar de bronze que estavam na Casa do Senhor e levaram todo o bronze para a Babilônia. 18 Também tomaram os caldeirões, e as pás, e os garfos, e as bacias, e os perfumadores, e todos os utensílios de bronze, com que se ministrava. 19 E tomou o capitão da guarda os copos, e os incensários, e as bacias, e os caldeirões, e os castiçais, e os perfumadores, e as galhetas, tanto o que era de puro ouro como o que era de prata maciça. 20 As duas colunas, e o único mar, e os doze bois de bronze que estavam no lugar das bases e que fizera o rei Salomão para a Casa do Senhor, o bronze de todos estes utensílios era sem medida. 21 Quanto às colunas, a altura de uma coluna era de dezoito côvados, e um fio de doze côvados a cercava; e era a sua espessura de quatro dedos, e era oca. 22 E havia sobre ela um capitel de bronze, e altura do capitel era de cinco côvados, e a rede e as romãs em roda do capitel; e tudo era de bronze; e semelhante a esta era a outra coluna, com as romãs. 23 E havia noventa e seis romãs em cada banda; as romãs todas eram um cento, em roda da rede. 24 Levou também o capitão da guarda a Seraías, o sumo sacerdote, e a Sofonias, o segundo sacerdote, e aos três guardas do umbral da porta. 25 E da cidade levou um eunuco que tinha a seu cargo a gente de guerra, e a sete homens dos que viam a face do rei que se acharam na cidade, como também o escrivão-mor do exército, que registrava o povo da terra para a guerra, e mais sessenta homens do povo da terra que se acharam no meio da cidade. 26 Tomando-os, pois, Nebuzaradã, capitão da guarda, os trouxe ao rei da Babilônia, a Ribla. 27 E o rei da Babilônia os feriu e os matou em Ribla, na terra de Hamate; assim Judá foi levado da sua terra para o cativeiro. 28 Este é o povo que Nabucodonosor levou cativo no sétimo ano: três mil e vinte e três judeus. 29 No ano décimo oitavo de Nabucodonosor, ele levou cativas de Jerusalém oitocentas e trinta e duas almas. 30 No ano vigésimo terceiro de Nabucodonosor, Nebuzaradã, capitão da guarda, levou cativos, dentre os judeus, setecentas e quarenta e cinco almas; todas as almas são quatro mil e seiscentas.

31 Sucedeu, pois, no ano trigésimo sétimo do cativeiro de Joaquim, rei de Judá, no mês duodécimo, aos vinte e cinco do mês, que Evil-Merodaque, rei da Babilônia, no ano primeiro do seu reinado, levantou a cabeça de Joaquim, rei de Judá, e o tirou da casa da prisão; 32 e falou com ele benignamente e pôs o seu trono acima dos tronos dos reis que estavam com ele em Babilônia; 33 e lhe mudou as vestes da sua prisão, e Joaquim comeu pão sempre na sua presença, todos os dias da sua vida. 34 E, quanto ao seu tratamento, foi-lhe sempre dado o tratamento comum do rei da Babilônia, a sua porção cotidiana, até o dia da sua morte, todos os dias da sua vida.

1 One and twenty years was Zedekiah old when he became king, and eleven years did he reign in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Chamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

2 And he did what is evil in the eyes of the Lord, in accordance with all that Jehoyakim had done.

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

4 And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and they encamped against it, and built against it works of attack round about.

5 So the city was placed in a state of siege until the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.

6 And in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, when the famine was severe in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land:

7 The city was broken in, 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 near the king’s garden; while the Chaldeans were round about the city;and they went by the way of the plain.

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

9 And they caught the king, and they brought him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Chamath: and he called him to account.

10 And the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: and also all the princes of Judah did he slaughter in Riblah.

11 And the eyes of Zedekiah did he blind; and the king of Babylon bound him with brazen fetters, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in the ward–house till the day of his death.

12 And in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, who served the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem.

13 And he burnt the house of the Lord, and the king’s house: and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, did he burn with fire:

14 And all the walls of Jerusalem round about did all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, pull down.

15 And certain of the poorest of the people, and the residue of the people that had been left in the city, and the deserters, that had run away to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away into exile.

16 But certain of the poorest of the land did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard leave for vine–dressers and for husbandmen.

17 Also the pillars of copper that were in the house of the Lord, and the bases, and the copper sea that was in the house of the Lord, did the Chaldeans break, and they carried off all their copper to Babylon.

18 And the pots, and the shovels, and the knives, and the bowls, and the spoons, and all the vessels of copper wherewith they used to perform the service, did they take away.

19 And the basins, and the censers, and the bowls, and the pots, and the candlesticks, and the spoons, and the purifying–tubes: of what was of gold the gold, and of what was of silver the silver, did the captain of the guard take away.

20 The two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve copper oxen that served instead of the bases, which king Solomon had made for the house of the Lord: the copper of all these vessels could not be weighed.

21 And as regardeth the pillars, eighteen cubits was the height of each one pillar; and a thread of twelve cubits would compass it; and its thickness was four fingers: it was hollow.

22 And a capital was upon it of copper; and the height of the one capital was five cubits, with network and pomegranates upon the capital round about, all of copper. And the like was the case with the second pillar and the pomegranates.

23 And the pomegranates were ninety and six on every side: all the pomegranates upon the network were one hundred round about.

24 And the captain of the guard took Serayah the chief priest, and Zephanyah the priest second in rank, and the three door–keepers;

25 And out of the city he took a certain court–officer, who had the supervision of the men of war: and seven men of those that had free access to the kings presence, who were found in the city; and the scribe of the chief of the army, who ordered to the army the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land, that were found in the midst of the city;

26 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and led them away unto the king of Babylon to Riblah.

27 And the king of Babylon smote them, and put them to death in Riblah in the land of Chamath. Thus Judah was carried away into exile out of his own country.

28 This is the people whom Nebuchadrezzar carried away into exile: in the seventh year, three thousand and twenty and three Jews;

29 In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar from Jerusalem, eight hundred thirty and two persons;

30 In the three and twentieth year of Nebuchadrezzar, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away into exile of the Jews seven hundred forty and five persons; all the persons were four thousand and six hundred.

31 And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the exile of Jehoyachin the king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the five and twentieth day of the month that Evil–merodach the king of Babylon in the first year of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoyachin the king of Judah, and brought him forth out of the prison–house;

32 And he spoke kindly with him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon,

33 And he changed his prison–garments: and he ate bread before him continually all the days of his life.

34 And his allowance was a continual allowance given him by the king, the necessary ration for the day on its day, until the day of his death, all the days of his life.