1 Então, no nono ano do reinado de Zedequias, no décimo dia do décimo mês, Nabucodonosor, rei da Babilônia, marchou contra Jerusalém com todo o seu exército. Ele acampou em frente da cidade e construiu rampas de ataque ao redor dela.
2 A cidade foi mantida sob cerco até o décimo primeiro ano do reinado de Zedequias.
3 No nono dia do quarto mês, a fome na cidade havia se tornado tão severa que não havia nada para o povo comer.
4 Então o muro da cidade foi rompido, e todos os soldados fugiram de noite pela porta entre os dois muros próximos ao jardim do rei, embora os babilônios estivessem em torno da cidade. Fugiram na direção da Arabá,
5 mas o exército babilônio perseguiu o rei e o alcançou nas planícies de Jericó. Todos os seus soldados o abandonaram,
6 e ele foi capturado. Foi levado até o rei da Babilônia, em Ribla, onde pronunciaram a sentença contra ele.
7 Executaram os filhos de Zedequias na sua frente; depois furaram seus olhos, prenderam-no com algemas de bronze e o levaram para a Babilônia.
8 No sétimo dia do quinto mês do décimo nono ano do reinado de Nabucodonosor, rei da Babilônia, Nebuzaradã, comandante da guarda imperial, conselheiro do rei da Babilônia, foi a Jerusalém.
9 Incendiou o templo do Senhor, o palácio real, todas as casas de Jerusalém e todos os edifícios importantes.
10 Todo o exército babilônio, que acompanhava Nebuzaradã derrubou os muros de Jerusalém.
11 E ele levou para o exílio o povo que sobrou na cidade, os que passaram para o lado do rei da Babilônia e o restante da população.
12 Mas alguns dos mais pobres do país o comandante deixou para trás, para trabalharem nas vinhas e nos campos.
13 Os babilônios destruíram as colunas de bronze, os suportes e o tanque de bronze que estavam no templo do Senhor, e levaram o bronze para a Babilônia.
14 Também levaram as panelas, as pás, os cortadores de pavio, as vasilhas e todos os utensílios de bronze utilizados no serviço do templo.
15 O comandante da guarda imperial levou os incensários e as bacias de aspersão, tudo o que era feito de ouro puro ou prata.
16 As duas colunas, o tanque e os suportes, que Salomão fizera para o templo do Senhor, eram mais do que podia ser pesado.
17 Cada coluna tinha oito metros e dez centímetros de altura. O capitel de bronze no alto de cada coluna tinha um metro e trinta e cinco centímetros de altura e era decorado com uma fileira de romãs de bronze ao redor.
18 O comandante da guarda levou como prisioneiros o sumo sacerdote, Seraías, Sofonias, o segundo sacerdote, e os três guardas da porta.
19 Dos que ainda estavam na cidade, ele levou o oficial responsável pelos homens de combate e cinco conselheiros reais. Também levou o secretário, principal líder responsável pelo alistamento militar no país e sessenta homens do povo.
20 O comandante Nebuzaradã levou a todos ao rei da Babilônia, em Ribla.
21 Lá, em Ribla, na terra de Hamate, o rei mandou executá-los. Assim Judá foi para o exílio, para longe de sua terra.
22 Nabucodonosor, rei da Babilônia, nomeou Gedalias, filho de Aicam e neto de Safã, como governador do povo que havia sido deixado em Judá.
23 Quando Ismael, filho de Netanias, Joanã, filho de Careá, Seraías, filho do netofatita Tanumete, e Jazanias, filho de um maacatita, todos os líderes do exército, souberam que o rei da Babilônia havia nomeado Gedalias como governador, eles e seus soldados foram falar com Gedalias em Mispá.
24 Gedalias fez um juramento a esses líderes e a seus soldados, dizendo: "Não tenham medo dos oficiais babilônios. Estabeleçam-se nesta terra e sirvam o rei da Babilônia, e tudo lhes irá bem".
25 Mas no sétimo mês, Ismael, filho de Netanias e neto de Elisama, que tinha sangue real, foi com dez homens e assassinou Gedalias e os judeus e os babilônios que estavam com ele em Mispá.
26 Então todo o povo, desde as crianças até os velhos, juntamente com os líderes do exército, fugiram para o Egito, com medo dos babilônios.
27 No trigésimo sétimo ano do exílio de Joaquim, rei de Judá, no ano em que Evil-Merodaque se tornou rei da Babilônia, ele tirou Joaquim da prisão, no dia vinte e sete do décimo segundo mês.
28 Ele lhe tratou com bondade e deu-lhe o lugar mais honrado entre os outros reis que estavam com ele na Babilônia.
29 Assim, Joaquim deixou suas vestes de prisão e pelo resto de sua vida comeu à mesa do rei.
30 E diariamente, enquanto viveu, Joaquim recebeu uma pensão do rei.
1 And it came to pass, in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon camehe and all his force, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it,and they built against it a siege wall, round about.
2 And the city came into the siege,until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
3 On the ninth of the month, when the famine had become severe in the city,and there had come to be no bread for the people of the land,
4 then was the city broken up, and all the men of war by night by way of the gate between the two walls, which is by the garden of the king, the Chaldeans being near the city round about,and he went the way of the Waste Plain;
5 and the force of the Chaldeans, pursued, the king, and overtook him in the Waste Plains of Jericho,and, all his force, was scattered from him.
6 So they seized the king, and brought him up unto the king of Babylon, at Riblah,and they pronounced upon him sentence of judgment.
7 And, the sons of Zedekiah, they slew before his eyes,and, the eyes of Zedekiah, put they out, and then bound him with fetters of bronze, and brought him into Babylon.
8 And, in the fifth month, on the seventh of the month, the same, was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, chief of the royal executioners, servant of the king of Babylon, to Jerusalem;
9 and burned the house of Yahweh, and the house of the king,yea, all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great mans house, burned he with fire.
10 And, the walls of Jerusalem round about, did all the force of the Chaldeans who were with the chief of the royal executioners, break down.
11 And, the residue of the people who were left in the city, and the disheartened who fell away unto the king of Babylon, and the residue of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan, chief of the royal executioners, carry away captive.
12 But, of the poorest of the land, did the chief of the royal executioners, leave, for vine-dressers and for husbandmen.
13 And, the pillars of bronze that were in the house of Yahweh, and the stands, and the sea of bronze which was in the house of Yahweh, the Chaldeans brake in pieces, and they carried away the bronze of them to Babylon;
14 and, the caldrons, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, even all the utensils of bronze wherewith ministration used to be made, did they take away;
15 and, the sprinkling pans and the dashing bowls which were of gold, in gold, and which were of silver, in silver, did, the chief of the royal executions, take away.
16 As for the two pillars the one sea and the stands which Solomon made for the house of Yahweh, without weight, was the bronze of all these things.
17 Eighteen cubits, was the height of each pillar, and, the capital thereupon was of bronze, and, the height of the capital, was three cubits, and, the lattice-work and pomegranates upon the capital round about, the whole, was of bronze; and, like these, had the second pillar, upon the lattice-work.
18 And the chief of the royal executioners took Seraiah the head priest, and Zephaniah the second priest,and the three keepers of the entrance hall;
19 and, out of the city, took he one courtier who himself was set over the men of war, and five men of them who were wont to see the face of the king, who were found in the city, and the scribegeneral of the army, who used to muster the people of the land,and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the city;
20 and Nebuzaradan, chief of the royal executioners, took them,and brought them unto the king of Babylon, at Riblah;
21 and the king of Babylon smote them and slew them in Riblah, in the land of Hamath,and thus Judah disappeared from off their own soil.
22 But, as for the people who were left in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon left remaining, he set over them Gedaliah, son of Ahikam son of Shaphan.
23 And, when all the generals of the forces, they and the men, heard that the king of Babylon had given oversight unto Gedaliah, then came they in unto Gedaliah, at Mizpah,even Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and Johanan son of Kareah, and Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of a Maacathite, they and their men.
24 And Gedaliah sware unto them, and to their men, and said to them, Do not fear because of the servants of the Chaldeans,dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.
25 And it came to pass, in the seventh month, that Ishmael son of Nethaniah a son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died,and the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.
26 Then arose all the people, both small and great, and the generals of the forces, and came into Egypt,for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.
27 And it came to pass, in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month,that Evil-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 with him kind words,and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon;
29 and changed his prison garments,and he did eat bread continually before him, all the days of his life.
30 And, as his allowance, a continual portion, was given him, from the king, the provision of a day upon its own day,all the days of his life.