1
And it came to pass in the ninth year of
his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem,
and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about. 2 And the
city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. 3 And on the ninth
day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread
for the people of the land. 4 And the city was broken up, 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 went
the way toward the plain. 5 And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king,
and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from
him. 6 So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to
Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him. 7 And they slew the sons of Zedekiah
before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of
brass, and carried him to Babylon.
8 And in the
fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of
king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a
servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem: 9 And he burnt the house of the
LORD, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great
man's house burnt he with fire. 10 And all the army of the Chaldees, that were
with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about. 11
Now the rest of the people that were left in the city, and the fugitives that
fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did
Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away. 12 But the captain of the guard
left of the poor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen.
13 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,
and carried the brass of them to Babylon. 14 And the pots, and the shovels, and
the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they
ministered, took they away. 15 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.
16 The two
pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made for the house of the
LORD; the brass of all these vessels was without weight. 17 The height of the
one pillar was eighteen 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.
18 And the
captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second
priest, and the three keepers of the door: 19 And out of the city he took an
officer that was set over the men of war, and five men of them that were in the
king's presence, which were found in the city, and the principal scribe of the
host, which mustered the people of the land, and threescore men of the people of
the land that were found in the city: 20 And Nebuzaradan captain of the guard
took these, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah: 21 And the king
of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah
was carried away out of their land.
22 And as for
the people that remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon had left, even over them he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of
Shaphan, ruler. 23 And when all the captains of the armies, they and their men,
heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, there came 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. 24 And Gedaliah sware to them, and to
their men, and said unto them, Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees:
dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon; and it shall be well with you.
25 But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah,
the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote
Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at
Mizpah. 26 And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the
armies, arose, and came to Egypt: for they were afraid of the Chaldees.