2 Kings 25

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 In the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar kingof Babylon advanced on Jerusalem with his entire army; he pitched camp in front of the city and threw upearthworks round it.	1 Then it happened that, in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, he and his entire army, arrived against Jerusalem. And they encircled it, and they constructed fortifications all around it.
2 The city lay under siege til the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.	2 And the city was enclosed and besieged, even until the eleventh year of king Zedekiah,
3 In the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, when famine was raging in the city and there wasno food for the populace,	3 on the ninth day of the month. And a famine prevailed in the city; neither was there bread for the people of the land.
4 a breach was made in the city wal . The king then made his escape under cover of dark, with all thefighting men, by way of the gate between the two wal s, which is near the king's garden -- the Chaldaeans hadsurrounded the city -- and made his way towards the Arabah.	4 And the city was breached. And all the men of war fled in the night along the way of the gate which is between the double wall at the garden of the king. Now the Chaldeans were besieging the city on all sides. And so Zedekiah fled along the way which leads to the plains of the wilderness.
5 The Chaldaean troops pursued the king and caught up with him in the Plains of Jericho, where al histroops deserted.	5 And the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Jericho. And all the warriors who were with him were dispersed, and they abandoned him.
6 The Chaldaeans captured the king and took him to the king of Babylon at Riblah, who passed sentenceon him.	6 Therefore, having apprehended him, they led the king to the king of Babylon at Riblah. And he was speaking with him in judgment.
7 He had Zedekiah's sons slaughtered before his eyes, then put out Zedekiah's eyes and, loading himwith chains, carried him off to Babylon.	7 Then he killed the sons of Zedekiah before him, and he dug out his eyes, and he bound him with chains, and he led him away to Babylon.
8 In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month -- it was in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzarking of Babylon -- Nebuzaradan commander of the guard, a member of the king of Babylon's staff, enteredJerusalem.	8 In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, the same is the nineteenth year of the king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the leader of the army, a servant of the king of Babylon, went into Jerusalem.
9 He burned down the Temple of Yahweh, the royal palace and al the houses in Jerusalem.	9 And he set fire to the house of the Lord, and to the house of the king. And the houses of Jerusalem, and every great house, he burned with fire.
10 The Chaldaean troops who accompanied the commander of the guard demolished the wal ssurrounding Jerusalem.	10 And the entire army of the Chaldeans, which was with the leader of the military, tore down the walls of Jerusalem all around.
11 Nebuzaradan commander of the guard deported the remainder of the population left in the city, thedeserters who had gone over to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the common people.	11 Then Nebuzaradan, the leader of the military, carried away the rest of the people, who had remained in the city, and the fugitives, who had fled over to the king of Babylon, and the remnant of the common people.
12 But the commander of the guard left some of the poor country people behind as vineyard workers andploughmen.	12 But he left behind some vinedressers and farmers from the poor of the land.
13 The Chaldaeans broke up the bronze pil ars from the Temple of Yahweh, the wheeled stands and thebronze Sea, which were in the Temple of Yahweh, and took the bronze away to Babylon.	13 Now the pillars of brass which were in the temple of the Lord, and the bases, and the sea of brass, which was in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke apart. And they took all the brass to Babylon.
14 They also took the ash containers, the scoops, the knives, the incense boats, and al the bronzefurnishings used in worship.	14 Also, they took away the cooking pots of brass, and the scoops, and the forks, and the cups, and the little mortars, and all the articles of brass with which they were ministering.
15 The commander of the guard also took the censers and the sprinkling bowls, everything made of goldand everything made of silver.	15 And the leader of the military even took away the censers and the bowls, whatever was of gold for the gold, and whatever was of silver for the silver,
16 As regards the two pil ars, the one Sea and the wheeled stands, which Solomon of bronze in al theseobjects.	16 and also the two pillars, the one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made for the temple of the Lord. The brass of all these items was beyond measure.
17 The height of one pil ar was eighteen cubits, and on it stood a capital of bronze, the height of thecapital being five cubits; round the capital were filigree and pomegranates, al in bronze. So also for the secondpil ar.	17 One pillar had eighteen cubits in height. And the head of brass upon it was three cubits in height. And the network and pomegranates upon the head of the pillar were all of brass. And the second pillar had a similar adornment.
18 The commander of the guard took prisoner Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank,and the three guardians of the threshold.	18 Also, the leader of the military took away Seraiah, the chief priest, and Zephaniah, the second priest, and three doorkeepers,
19 In the city he took prisoner an official who was in command of the fighting men, five of the king'spersonal friends who were discovered in the city, the secretary to the army commander, responsible for militaryconscription, and sixty men of distinction discovered in the city.	19 and from the city, one eunuch, who was in charge of the men of war, and five men out of those who had stood before the king, whom he found in the city, and Sopher, the leader of the army who trained the young soldiers from the people of the land, and sixty men from the common people, who had been found in the city.
20 Nebuzaradan commander of the guard took these men and brought them to the king of Babylon atRiblah,	20 Taking them, Nebuzaradan, the leader of the military, led them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.
21 and at Riblah in the territory of Hamath the king of Babylon had them put to death. Thus Judah wasdeported from its country.	21 And the king of Babylon struck them and killed them at Riblah, in the land of Hamath. And Judah was taken away from his land.
22 For the people remaining in the country of Judah whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had leftbehind, he appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan as governor.	22 But over the people who had remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had permitted, he appointed as ruler Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan.
23 When the military leaders and their men all heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah asgovernor, they went to him at Mizpah: Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son ofTanhumeth the Netophathite, Jaazaniah the Maacathite, they and their men.	23 And when all the commanders of the military had heard this, they and the men who were with them, specifically, that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah, they went to Gedaliah at Mizpah: Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan, the son of Kareah, and Seraiah, the son of Tanhumeth, the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah, the son of a Maacathite, they and their companions.
24 To them and to their men Gedaliah swore an oath. 'Do not be afraid of the Chaldaeans,' he said, 'stayin the country, serve the king of Babylon, and al wil go wel with you.'	24 And Gedaliah swore to them and to their companions, saying: “Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Remain in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.”
25 But in the seventh month, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, who was of royal descent, andten men with him, came and murdered Gedaliah, as wel as the Judaeans and Chaldaeans who were with him atMizpah.	25 But it happened that, in the seventh month, Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of royal offspring, and ten men with him, went and struck Gedaliah, who then died, along with the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.
26 Then all the people, high and low, with the military leaders, set off and went to Egypt, being afraid ofthe Chaldaeans.	26 And all the people, from small to great, and the leaders of the military, rising up, went away to Egypt, fearing the Chaldeans.
27 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the year he came to the throne, pardonedJehoiachin king of Judah and released him from prison.	27 Truly, it happened that, in the thirty-seventh year of the transmigration of Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, Evilmerodach, the king of Babylon, in the year when he had begun to reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, from prison.
28 He treated him with kindness and al otted him a seat above those of the other kings who were withhim in Babylon.	28 And he spoke kindly to him. And he set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him at Babylon.
29 So Jehoiachin laid aside his prisoner's garb, and for the rest of his life always ate at the king's table.	29 And he changed his garments that he had worn in prison. And he ate bread before him always, during all the days of his life.
30 And his upkeep was permanently ensured by the king, day after day, for the rest of his life.	30 Also, he appointed to him an allowance without ceasing, which also was given to him by the king, for each day, during all the days of his life.