| International Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1so on the tenth day of the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and his entire army approached Jerusalem, attacked it, encamped against it, and built a siege wall that surrounded the city. | 1So King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came against Jerusalem with his whole army and set up camp outside it. They built siege ramps all around it. He arrived on the tenth day of the tenth month in the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign. |
| 2The city remained under siege until the eleventh year of the reign of King Zedekiah. | 2The city remained under siege until King Zedekiah's eleventh year. |
| 3By the ninth day of the fourth month, the resulting famine had become so severe in the city that no food remained for the people who lived in the land. | 3By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city was so severe the residents had no food. |
| 4The city was breached, and the entire army left during the night through the gate that stood between the two walls beside the royal garden, even though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city. They escaped through the Arabah, | 4The enemy broke through the city walls, and all the soldiers tried to escape. They left the city during the night. They went through the gate between the two walls that is near the king's garden. (The Babylonians were all around the city.) Then they headed for the Jordan Valley. |
| 5but the Chaldean army pursued the king and overtook him in the Jericho plains, where his entire army was scattered. | 5But the Babylonian army chased after the king. They caught up with him in the plains of Jericho, and his entire army deserted him. |
| 6The Chaldeans captured the king and brought him to Riblah, where the king of Babylon determined his sentence. | 6They captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where he passed sentence on him. |
| 7They executed Zedekiah's sons in his presence, blinded Zedekiah, bound him with bronze chains, and transported him to Babylon. | 7Zedekiah's sons were executed while Zedekiah was forced to watch. The king of Babylon then had Zedekiah's eyes put out, bound him in bronze chains, and carried him off to Babylon. |
| 8On the seventh day of the fifth month, which was during the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar's reign as king of Babylon, captain of the guard Nebuzaradan, a servant of the king of Babylon, arrived in Jerusalem | 8On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard who served the king of Babylon, arrived in Jerusalem. |
| 9and set fire to the LORD's Temple, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem. He even incinerated the lavish homes. | 9He burned down the LORD's temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem, including every large house. |
| 10The Chaldean army that accompanied the captain of the guard demolished the walls that surrounded Jerusalem. | 10The whole Babylonian army that came with the captain of the royal guard tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem. |
| 11Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, carried the survivors of the people who remained in the city, those who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude into exile. | 11Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, deported the rest of the people who were left in the city, those who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen. |
| 12However, the captain of the guard left some of the poor people of the land to work as vinedressers and farmers. | 12But he left behind some of the poor of the land and gave them fields and vineyards. |
| 13The Chaldeans also broke into pieces and carried back to Babylon the bronze pillars that stood in the LORD's Temple, along with the stands and the bronze sea that used to be in the LORD's Temple. | 13The Babylonians broke the two bronze pillars in the LORD's temple, as well as the movable stands and the big bronze basin called the "The Sea." They took the bronze to Babylon. |
| 14They also confiscated the pots, shovels, snuffers, spoons, and the rest of the bronze vessels that were used in ministry. | 14They also took the pots, shovels, trimming shears, pans, and all the bronze utensils used by the priests. |
| 15The captain of the guard also confiscated the fire pans, basins, and whatever had been crafted of pure gold and pure silver. | 15The captain of the royal guard took the golden and silver censers and basins. |
| 16The bronze contained in the two pillars, the one sea, and the stands that Solomon had crafted for the LORD's Temple could not be inventoried for weight. | 16The bronze of the items that King Solomon made for the LORD's temple--including the two pillars, the big bronze basin called "The Sea," the twelve bronze bulls under "The Sea," and the movable stands--was too heavy to be weighed. |
| 17The height of one of the pillars was eighteen cubits, and the capital on top of it was three cubits high. A latticework carved in the form of pomegranates encircled the capital, crafted completely out of brass. The second pillar was identical to the first. | 17Each of the pillars was about twenty-seven feet high. The bronze top of one pillar was about four and a half feet high and had bronze latticework and pomegranate shaped ornaments all around it. The second pillar with its latticework was like it. |
| 18The captain of the guard arrested Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, three temple officials, | 18The captain of the royal guard took Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah, the priest who was second in rank, and the three doorkeepers. |
| 19one overseer from the city who supervised the soldiers, five of the king's advisors who had been discovered in the city, the scribe who served the army captain who mustered the army of the land, and 60 men of the land who were discovered in the city. | 19From the city he took a eunuch who was in charge of the soldiers, five of the king's advisers who were discovered in the city, an official army secretary who drafted citizens for military service, and sixty citizens from the people of the land who were discovered in the city. |
| 20Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took them to the king of Babylon at Riblah, | 20Nebuzaradan, captain of the royal guard, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. |
| 21where the king of Babylon executed them in the land of Hamath. And so Judah was transported into exile from the land. | 21The king of Babylon ordered them to be executed at Riblah in the territory of Hamath. So Judah was deported from its land. |
| 22Now as for the people who remained in the land of Judah whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had left behind, he appointed Ahikam's son Gedaliah, the grandson of Shaphan, to rule. | 22Now King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, as governor over the people whom he allowed to remain in the land of Judah. |
| 23When all the captains of the armies, along with their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah, these men visited Gedaliah at Mizpah: Nethaniah's son Ishmael, Kareah's son Johanan, Tanhumeth the Netophathite's son Seraiah, and Jaazaniah, who was descended from the Maacathites. | 23All of the officers of the Judahite army and their troops heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah to govern. So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. The officers who came were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite. |
| 24Gedaliah made this promise to them and to their men: "Don't be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and things will go well with you." | 24Gedaliah took an oath so as to give them and their troops some assurance of safety. He said, "You don't need to be afraid to submit to the Babylonian officials. Settle down in the land and submit to the king of Babylon. Then things will go well for you." |
| 25Nevertheless, seven months later, Nethaniah's son Ishmael, the grandson of Elishama from the royal family, came with ten men and attacked Gedaliah. As a result, he died along with the Jews and Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. | 25But in the seventh month Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family, came with ten of his men and murdered Gedaliah, as well as the Judeans and Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah. |
| 26Then all the people, including those who were insignificant and those who were important, fled with the captains of the armed forces to Egypt, because they were afraid of the Chaldeans. | 26Then all the people, from the youngest to the oldest, as well as the army officers, left for Egypt, because they were afraid of what the Babylonians might do. |
| 27Later on, after King Jehoiachin of Judah had been in exile for 37 years, on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month, during the first year of his reign, King Evil-merodach of Babylon released King Jehoiachin of Judah from prison. | 27In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah, on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month, King Evil-Merodach of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, pardoned King Jehoiachin of Judah and released him from prison. |
| 28He spoke kindly to him and elevated his position above the thrones of the kings with him in Babylon. | 28He spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prestigious position than the other kings who were with him in Babylon. |
| 29Jehoiachin changed out of his prison clothes and had regular meals in the king's presence every day for the rest of his life, | 29Jehoiachin took off his prison clothes and ate daily in the king's presence for the rest of his life. |
| 30and a regular stipend was provided to him by the king in accordance with his needs for as long as he lived. | 30He was given daily provisions by the king for the rest of his life until the day he died. |
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