1 Tinha Sedecias vinte e um anos ao começar seu reinado. Seu reino durou onze anos em Jerusalém. Chamava-se sua mãe Amital, filha de Jeremias, e era natural de Lobna.2 Como Joaquim, ele também praticou o mal aos olhos do Senhor.3 Assim aconteceu em Jerusalém e Judá, por querer o Senhor, em sua cólera, repeli-los para longe de sua presença.4 No nono ano de seu reinado, no décimo dia do décimo mês, foi Nabucodonosor, com todo o seu exército, contra Jerusalém, armando e construindo fortificações em torno dela.5 Até o décimo primeiro ano do reinado de Sedecias perdurou o sítio da cidade.6 No nono dia do quarto mês, como a fome invadisse a cidade e não tivesse a população o que comer,7 uma brecha foi feita na muralha da cidade e, à noite, fugiram os guerreiros pelo caminho da porta entre os dois muros, perto do jardim do rei, enquanto os caldeus cercavam a cidade. Tomaram esses homens o caminho da planície do Jordão.8 Mas o exército dos caldeus perseguiu o rei e o alcançou nas planícies de Jericó. Então as tropas de Sedecias o abandonaram, dispersando-se em fuga.9 Foi então o rei aprisionado e conduzido a Rebla, na presença do rei de Babilônia que contra ele pronunciou sua sentença.10 E, diante de seus olhos, foram degolados em Rebla seus filhos, assim como todos os chefes de Judá.11 Em seguida, foram-lhe arrancados os olhos e, ligado com cadeias de bronze, levaram-no para Babilônia, onde, até o dia de sua morte, permaneceu encarcerado.12 No sétimo dia do quinto mês, décimo nono ano do reinado de Nabucodonosor, rei de Babilônia, Nabuzardã, chefe da guarda e servidor do rei de Babilônia, penetrou em Jerusalém,13 pôs fogo no templo do Senhor, no palácio real, e em todas as casas da cidade, e entregou às chamas as casas dos maiorais.14 Em seguida, as tropas dos caldeus, que acompanhavam o chefe da guarda, demoliram as muralhas que cercavam Jerusalém.15 E Nabuzardã, chefe da guarda, deportou para Babilônia uma parte dos pobres da terra e o que restara da população da cidade, bem como os que já se haviam rendido ao rei de Babilônia e o restante dos artífices.16 O chefe da guarda deixou ali alguns homens pobres, como vinhateiros e lavradores.17 Quebraram também os caldeus as colunas de bronze do templo do Senhor, juntamente com os pedestais e o mar de bronze que estava no templo, levando todo esse metal para Babilônia.18 Carregaram também cinzeiros, pás, facas, vasos e demais objetos de bronze que serviam ao culto.19 Carregou ainda o chefe dos guardas as bacias, os braseiros, vasos, potes, candelabros, taças, copos e colheres, e o que havia em ouro e prata.20 Quanto às duas colunas, ao mar, aos doze bois de bronze que as sustentavam, e aos pedestais que Salomão mandara fabricar para o templo do Senhor, difícil seria calcular o valor do bronze de todos esses objetos.21 A altura de uma dessas colunas era de dezoito côvados e um cordão de doze côvados cingia-lhe a volta, sendo a espessura de quatro dedos, e oco o seu interior.22 Encimava-as um capitel de bronze de cinco côvados; uma grade de romãs, também em bronze, cercavam o alto do capitel. Era semelhante a esta a segunda coluna, com romãs em torno,23 em número de noventa e seis, e o total das romãs, em volta da grade, era de cem.24 O chefe da guarda aprisionou o primeiro sacerdote, Saraías, e Sofonias, o segundo e os três guardas do vestíbulo.25 Tomou da cidade um eunuco, que era encarregado do comando dos homens de guerra, sete homens do séquito do rei que foram encontrados na cidade, o intendente do exército, encarregado do recrutamento na terra, assim como mais sessenta homens da terra que se encontravam na cidade.26 Nabuzardã, chefe da guarda, aprisionou-os e mandou-os conduzir a Rebla, ante o rei de Babilônia.27 E este mandou executá-los em Rebla, na região de Emat. E assim Judá foi deportado para longe de sua terra.28 Eis o número dos homens que Nabucodonosor levou ao cativeiro: no sétimo ano, 3.032 homens de Judá;29 no décimo oitavo ano de Nabucodonosor, 832 pessoas foram deportadas de Jerusalém;30 no vigésimo terceiro ano de Nabucodonosor, Nabuzardã, chefe dos guardas, deportou de Judá 745 pessoas. Ao todo, 4.600 pessoas.31 No trigésimo sétimo ano do cativeiro de Joaquin, rei de Judá, no vigésimo quinto dia do décimo segundo mês, Evilmerodac, rei de Babilônia, no ano de sua elevação ao trono, perdoou Joaquin, rei de Judá, e mandou libertá-lo da prisão.32 Falando-lhe com benevolência, designou-lhe um trono mais elevado que o dos reis que estavam com ele em Babilônia.33 Mandou que lhe mudassem as vestes de prisioneiro e, até o fim de sua vida, Joaquin comeu à mesa do rei da Babilônia.34 Durante toda a sua vida, até o dia de sua morte, sua manutenção foi garantida pelos cuidados do rei de Babilônia.

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.