Chapter 25

And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign,² in the tenth month, in the tenth [day] of the month, [that] Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came,¹ he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched⁴ against it; and they built⁴ forts against it round about.

And the city was besieged^{4 4692} unto the eleventh ⁶²⁴⁰ year of king Zedekiah.

And on the ninth [day] of the [fourth] month the famine prevailed⁴ in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.

And the city was broken up,¹¹ and all the men of war [fled] by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which [is] by the king's garden: (now the Chaldees [were] against the city round about:) and [the king] went⁴ the way toward the plain.

And the army of the Chaldees pursued⁴ after the king, and overtook⁵⁵ him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered⁸ from him.

So they took⁴ the king, and brought him up⁵⁵ to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave¹⁷ judgment upon him.

And they slew¹ the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out¹⁴ the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound⁴ him with fetters of brass, and carried⁵⁵ him to Babylon.

And in the fifth month, on the seventh [day] of the month, which [is] the nineteenth ⁶²⁴⁰ year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came¹ Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem:

And he burnt⁴ the house of the LORD, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great [man's] house burnt¹ he with fire.

And all the army of the Chaldees, that [were with] the captain of the guard, brake down¹ the walls of Jerusalem round about.

Now the rest of the people [that were] left¹² in the city, and the fugitives⁶ that fell away¹ to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away.⁵²

But the captain of the guard left⁵² of the poor of the land [to be] vinedressers and husbandmen.^{6 1461 5}

And the pillars of brass that [were] in the house of the LORD, and the bases, and the brasen sea that [was] in the house of the LORD, did the Chaldees break in pieces,¹⁴ and carried⁴ the brass of them to Babylon.

And the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered,¹⁷ took they away.¹

And the firepans, and the bowls, [and] such things as [were] of gold, [in] gold, and of silver, [in] silver, the captain of the guard took away.¹

The two pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made¹ for the house of the LORD; the brass of all these vessels was without weight.

The height of the one pillar [was] eighteen ⁶²⁴⁰ cubits, and the chapiter upon it [was] brass: and the height of the chapiter three cubits; and the wreathen work, and pomegranates upon the chapiter round about, all of brass: and like unto these had the second pillar with wreathen work.

And the captain of the guard took⁴ Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers⁶ of the door:

And out of the city he took¹ an officer that was set over the men of war, and five men of them that were in⁶ the king's presence, which were found⁸ in the city, and the principal scribe⁶ of the host, which mustered⁵⁶ the people of the land, and threescore men of the people of the land [that were] found¹² in the city:

And Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took⁴ these, and brought⁵⁵ them to the king of Babylon to Riblah:

And the king of Babylon smote⁵⁵ them, and slew⁵⁵ them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away⁴ out of their land.

And [as for] the people that remained¹² in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left,⁵² even over them he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ruler.⁵⁵

And when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard⁴ that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor,⁵² there came⁴ to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Careah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.

And Gedaliah sware¹¹ to them, and to their men, and said⁴ unto them, Fear⁴ not to be the servants of the Chaldees: dwell³ in the land, and serve³ the king of Babylon; and it shall be well⁴ with you.

But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came,¹ and ten men with him, and smote⁵⁵ Gedaliah, that he died,⁴ and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at Mizpah.

And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose,⁴ and came⁴ to Egypt: for they were afraid¹ of the Chaldees.

And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth ⁶²⁴⁰ month, on the seven and twentieth [day] of the month, [that] Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign² did lift up¹ the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison; ³⁶⁰⁸

And he spake¹⁷ kindly to him, and set⁴ his throne above the throne of the kings that [were] with him in Babylon;

And changed¹⁴ his prison garments: and he did eat¹ bread continually before him all the days of his life.

And his allowance [was] a continual allowance given⁸ him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.