2 Kings 25

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.

In the ninth year of his rule, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar, the mighty king of Babylon, arrived with his vast army. They surrounded Jerusalem, their presence looming like a dark cloud. They built fortifications, encircling the city with an intimidating wall of strength.

And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.

The city remained under siege until the 11th year of King Zedekiah's reign.

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.

On the ninth day of the fourth month, the city was gripped by a severe famine. The people were starving, with not a single loaf of bread to feed them.

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.

The city crumbled, and the soldiers, gripped by fear, escaped under the cover of darkness through a gate nestled between two walls, near the king's garden. The enemy, the Chaldees, had surrounded the city. Meanwhile, the king, filled with dread, fled towards the open fields.

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.

The Chaldean forces relentlessly chased the king, finally cornering him in the open fields of Jericho. His once mighty army, now dispersed, left him all alone.

So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him.

And so, they seized the king, presenting him before the Babylonian ruler at Riblah. There, they passed a harsh judgment on him.

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.

In a heart-wrenching scene, Zedekiah's sons were mercilessly killed right before his eyes. Then, they cruelly blinded him, shackled him in cold, hard brass chains, and dragged him away to Babylon.

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:

In the fifth month, on its seventh day, during the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar's reign in Babylon, his loyal servant, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, arrived in Jerusalem.

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.

In a fit of rage, he set ablaze God's sacred home, the king's palace, and every home in Jerusalem. Every house of importance was consumed by the flames.

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

The entire Chaldean army, led by their captain, ruthlessly tore down the protective walls of Jerusalem, leaving it vulnerable and exposed.

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.

Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, led away the remaining city dwellers, those who had surrendered to the Babylonian king, and the few survivors. Their hearts were heavy with defeat and loss, their spirits crushed by the harsh reality of their situation.

But the captain of the guard left of the door of the poor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen.

But the guard's leader left some of the poorest people of the land behind, giving them the humble yet vital work of tending the vineyards and farms.

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.

The sacred bronze pillars, bases, and sea within God's house were shattered by the Chaldees. They took the fragments back to Babylon, leaving God's house in ruins.

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

They took away all the brass tools and utensils used for their sacred duties, including the pots, shovels, snuffers, and spoons.

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.

The captain of the guard seized all the golden and silver items - the firepans, the bowls, and other precious artifacts.

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.

Solomon crafted two towering pillars, a vast sea, and sturdy bases for God's temple. The sheer amount of brass used was immeasurable.

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.

One pillar stood tall at eighteen cubits, crowned with a brass cap. This cap was three cubits high, adorned with intricate designs and brass pomegranates encircling it. The second pillar was just as magnificent, similarly decorated.

And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door:

The head guard, with a stern face, seized Seraiah, the high priest, and Zephaniah, his deputy, along with the three solemn doorkeepers.

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:

From the city, he took a military officer and five men who served the king, all found within the city. He also took the chief scribe, responsible for counting the people, and sixty other men from the city.

And Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took these, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah:

Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, seized them all. Filled with a sense of duty, he presented them before the king of Babylon in Riblah.

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.

The Babylonian king ruthlessly attacked and killed them in Riblah, within Hamath's territory. Consequently, Judah was forcefully uprooted from their homeland.

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.

The few people left in Judah, spared by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, were placed under the rule of Gedaliah, son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan.

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.

When the military leaders and their troops heard that the Babylonian king had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they all came to meet him in Mizpah. Among them were Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, Johanan, son of Careah, Seraiah, son of Tanhumeth from Netophah, and Jaazaniah, a Maachathite's son, along with their men.

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.

Gedaliah promised them sincerely, saying, "Don't be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Live peacefully in this land, serve the King of Babylon, and everything will be alright."

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.

In the seventh month, Ishmael, a royal descendant, arrived with ten men. They killed Gedaliah, along with the Jews and Chaldees accompanying him in Mizpah.

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.

Everyone, from the humblest to the mightiest, including the military leaders, fled to Egypt. They were terrified of the Chaldeans.

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

In the 37th year of King Jehoiachin's imprisonment, on the 27th day of the last month, Evilmerodach, the new King of Babylon, showed mercy. He freed Jehoiachin, the captive King of Judah, from his chains.

And he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon;

With a gentle voice, he honored him, placing his throne higher than the other kings in Babylon.

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

He traded his prison clothes for freedom, and was blessed with daily meals for the rest of his life.

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

The king provided for him generously, giving him a daily stipend for the rest of his life.