1 Zedequias tinha vinte e um anos quando se tornou rei, e reinou onze anos em Jerusalém. O nome de sua mãe era Hamutal (filha de Jeremias de Libna). Mas foi um mau rei, tal como tinha sido também Joaquim.

3 As coisas tornaram-se muito más em Jerusalém e em Judá, por causa da ira do Senhor, e ele os baniu da sua presença edequias revoltou-se contra o rei de Babilónia.

4 No dia quinze de Janeiro do nono ano do reinado de Zedequias, Nabucodonozor apareceu com todo o seu exército contra Jerusalém, e construiu fortificações para ataque, em toda a volta, estabelecendo um cerco à cidade, durante dois anos

6 Finalmente, em meados de Julho , quando a fome na cidade era já gravíssima, com as reservas de alimento inteiramente esgotadas, os soldados da cidade abriram um buraco na muralha e fugiram, de noite; essa passagem foi feita entre as duas muralhas, perto dos jardins do rei. Eles fizeram isso porque a cidade estava toda cercada pelos caldeus. E assim procuraram fugir através dos campos, em direcção a Arabá.

8 Mas os caldeus perseguiram-nos e apanharam o rei Zedequias nuns campos perto de Jericó; aliás, todos os seus soldados se tinham dispersado, abandonando-o

9 Trouxeram-no então à presença do rei de Babilónia, que se tinha instalado na cidade de Ribla, no reino de Hamate, e foi submetido a um julgamento

10 Obrigou-o depois a ver os seus própios filhos e os nobres de Judá serem mortos, ali à sua vista; seguidamente arrancou-lhe os olhos, levando-o depois, em cadeias, para Babilónia, pondo-o numa prisão para o resto da vida.

12 No dia dezassete de Agosto do décimo nono ano do reinado de Nabucodonozor, rei de Babilónia, Nabuzaradão, comandante da guarda, chegou a Jerusalém. Pôs fogo ao templo e ao palácio real, assim como às casas maiores, e mandou os soldados deitar abaixo as muralhas da cidade.

15 Depois levou para Babilónia como cativos alguns dos mais pobres de entre o povo, com aqueles que tinham sobrevivido à destruição da cidade e os que tinham fugido a Zedequias e se tinham juntado ao exército de Babilónia e ainda os comerciantes

16 Mas deixou alguns outros, dos mais miseráveis do povo, para colherem os frutos dos campos, e como vinhateiros e lavradores.

17 Os babilónios derrubaram os dois grandes pilares de bronze que estavam à entrada do templo assim como as bases sobre as quais se apoiavam, mais o mar de bronze, e carregou tudo para Babilónia. Levaram igualmente todos os recipientes, talheres e utensílios usados no serviço do altar, assim como as bacias, perfumadoras e tudo o que era do serviço do templo. Foram também retirados de lá os incensários, os castiçais de ouro maciço e de prata, mais bacias e taças, tudo de ouro puro e de prata maciça.

20 O peso dos dois enormes pilares e do mar, assim como dos doze touros de base, era qualquer coisa de incalculável. Tinham sido feitos nos tempos do rei Salomão. Esses pilares eram, cada um, de nove metros de altura e seis de envergadura, ocos por dentro, sendo a espessura do metal oito centímetros.

22 No alto de cada uma das colunas havia capitéis de dois metros e meio de altura, com figuras gravadas - uma composição de romãs, também em bronze. Havia como que uma rede formada por 96 romãs, aos lados; e à volta havia mais cem.

24 O comandante da guarda levou também consigo, como prisioneiros, Seraías, o líder dos sacerdotes, Sofonias, seu assistente, os três chefes da guarda do templo, um dos oficiais do exército, sete conselheiros especiais do rei descobertos ainda na cidade, o secretário do comandante do exército judaico (que tinha a seu cargo o recrutamento militar) e ainda sessenta outras individualidades de relevo na vida judaica, que tinham sido encontrados escondidos. Levou-os ao rei de Babilónia, em Ribla, que os matou a todos. Foi assim que o exílio de Judá se completou

28 O número dos cativos levados para Babilónia no sétimo ano do reinado de Nabucodonozor foi de 3.023. Depois, onze anos mais tarde, levou mais 832; passados ainda mais cinco anos, enviou Nebuzaradão, seu comandante da guarda, e levou mais 745 - no total foram 4.600 os cativos.

31 Em trinta e um de Março , 37 anos após a prisão em Babilónia de Jeconias, rei de Judá, Evil-Merodaque, que se tornou rei de Babilónia nesse ano, mostrou-se generoso para com o rei Jeconias, tirou-o da prisão, falou-lhe gentilmente, e deu-lhe até a preferência sobre todos os outros reis que estavam em Babilónia, dando-lhes roupa nova, e alimentando-o da própria comida que era feita na cozinha do rei; e isso, todo o resto do tempo da sua vida.

34 Deu-lhe mais ainda um subsídio regular, para que pudesse atender às necessidades quotidianas, até ao dia da sua morte.

1 Twenty-one years old, was Zedekiah when he began to reign, and eleven years, reigned he, in Jerusalem,and, his mothers name, was Hamutal, daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

2 And he did that which was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh,according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

3 For it was, because the anger of Yahweh, had come against Jerusalem and Judah until he had cast them out from 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 of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his force, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it,and he built against it a siege-wall round about.

5 And the city came into the siege,until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

6 In the fourth month 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,

7 then was the city broken up, and all the men of war, beginning to flee went forth out of the city by night, by way of the gate between the two walls which was by the garden of the king the Chaldeans being near the city round about,and they went the way towards the Waste Plain.

8 And the force of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and overtook Zedekiah, in the Waste Plains of Jericho,and, all his force, was scattered from him.

9 So they seized the king, and brought him up, unto the king of Babylon at Riblah, in the land of Hamath,and he pronounced upon him sentences of judgment.

10 And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes,moreover also all the princes of Judah, slew he in Riblah;

11 and the eyes of Zedekiah, put he out,and bound him with fetters of bronze and the king of Babylon took him to Babylon, and put him in prisonuntil the day of his death.

12 And in the fifth month on the tenth of the month, the same, was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, chief of the royal executioners,who stood before the king of Babylon into, Jerusalem;

13 and he 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;

14 and all the walls of Jerusalem round about, did all the force of the Chaldeans who were with the chief of the royal executioners, break down.

15 And seine of the poor of the people and the residue of the people who were left in the city, and the disheartened who had fallen away unto the king of Babylon and the residue of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan chief of the royal executioners carry away captive.

16 But, others of the poor of the land, did Nebuzaradan chief of the royal executioners leave, for vinedressers and for husbandmen.

17 And the pillars of bronze that pertained to the house of Yahweh and the stands and the sea of bronze which was in the house of Yahweh, did the Chaldeans, break in pieces,and they carried away all the bronze of them to Babylon;

18 and the caldrons and the shovels and the snuffers and the dashing bowls, and the spoons even all the utensils of bronze wherewith ministration used to he made did they take away;

19 and the basins and the censers and the dashing bowls and the caldrons and the lamps and the spoons and the cups, which were of gold in gold, and which were of silver in silver, did the chief of the royal executioners, take away.

20 As for the two pillars the one sea, and the twelve oxen of bronze which were under the stands which King Solomon had made for the house of Yahweh, without weight was the bronze of all these things.

21 Now as for the pillars, eighteen cubits, was the height of each pillar, and, a line of twelve cubits, compassed it about,and the thickness thereof was four fingers breadthhollow;

22 and there was, a capital, upon it, of bronze, and the height of each capital, was five cubits, with lattice-work and pomegranates upon the capital round aboutthe whole was of bronze,and like these, were the second pillar and the pomegranates.

23 And the pomegranates were ninety-six on a side,all the pomegranates were a hundred upon the lattice-work round about.

24 And the chief of the royal executioners, took away, Seraiah the first priest, and Zephaniah, the second priest,and the three keepers of the entrance-hall;

25 and out of the city, took he one eunuch who was in charge over the men f war and seven men of them who used to watch the face of the king, who were found in the city, and the scribe of the prince of the host, who used to muster the people of the land,and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the midst of the city.

26 And when Nebuzaradan chief the royal executioners, bad taken them, and brought them unto the king of Babylon at Riblah,

27 then did the king of Babylon smite them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath,thus carried he Judah captive away from off their own soil.

28 This, is the people, whom Nebuchadrezzar carried away captive,In the seventh yearof them of Judah, three thousand and twenty-three;

29 In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzarout of Jerusalem, eight hundred and thirty-two souls;

30 In the three-and-twentieth year of Nebuchadrezzar, Nebuzaradan, chief of the royal executioners took away captive, of them of Judah, seven hundred and forty-five souls: All, the souls, were four thousand and six hundred.

31 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-fifth of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year he began to reign, lifted up, the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison;

32 and spake with him comfortable words,and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon;

33 so he changed his prison garments,and used to eat bread before his face continually, all the days of his life.

34 And his allowance, was a continual allowance given him from the king of Babylon the portion of the day upon its own day, until the day of his death,all the days of his life.