| English Standard Version | New International Version |
| 1And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks all around it. | 1So in the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. He encamped outside the city and built siege works all around it. |
| 2So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. | 2The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. |
| 3On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. | 3By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat. |
| 4Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, by the king’s garden, and the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the Arabah. | 4Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled at night through the gate between the two walls near the king's garden, though the Babylonians were surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah, |
| 5But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. | 5but the Babylonian army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, |
| 6Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they passed sentence on him. | 6and he was captured. He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where sentence was pronounced on him. |
| 7They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains and took him to Babylon. | 7They killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. |
| 8In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. | 8On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, an official of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. |
| 9And he burned the house of the LORD and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. | 9He set fire to the temple of the LORD, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. |
| 10And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem. | 10The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the imperial guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem. |
| 11And the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the multitude, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile. | 11Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the rest of the populace and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon. |
| 12But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen. | 12But the commander left behind some of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields. |
| 13And the pillars of bronze that were in the house of the LORD, and the stands and the bronze sea that were in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried the bronze to Babylon. | 13The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars, the movable stands and the bronze Sea that were at the temple of the LORD and they carried the bronze to Babylon. |
| 14And they took away the pots and the shovels and the snuffers and the dishes for incense and all the vessels of bronze used in the temple service, | 14They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes and all the bronze articles used in the temple service. |
| 15the fire pans also and the bowls. What was of gold the captain of the guard took away as gold, and what was of silver, as silver. | 15The commander of the imperial guard took away the censers and sprinkling bowls--all that were made of pure gold or silver. |
| 16As for the two pillars, the one sea, and the stands that Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the bronze of all these vessels was beyond weight. | 16The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the movable stands, which Solomon had made for the temple of the LORD, was more than could be weighed. |
| 17The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and on it was a capital of bronze. The height of the capital was three cubits. A latticework and pomegranates, all of bronze, were all around the capital. And the second pillar had the same, with the latticework. | 17Each pillar was eighteen cubits high. The bronze capital on top of one pillar was three cubits high and was decorated with a network and pomegranates of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its network, was similar. |
| 18And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah the second priest and the three keepers of the threshold; | 18The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers. |
| 19and from the city he took an officer who had been in command of the men of war, and five men of the king’s council who were found in the city; and the secretary of the commander of the army, who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the city. | 19Of those still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the fighting men, and five royal advisers. He also took the secretary who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land and sixty of the conscripts who were found in the city. |
| 20And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. | 20Nebuzaradan the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. |
| 21And the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was taken into exile out of its land. | 21There at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed. So Judah went into captivity, away from her land. |
| 22And over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, governor. | 22Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to be over the people he had left behind in Judah. |
| 23Now when all the captains and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah governor, they came with their men to Gedaliah at Mizpah, namely, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite. | 23When all the army officers and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah--Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, Jaazaniah the son of the Maakathite, and their men. |
| 24And Gedaliah swore to them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid because of the Chaldean officials. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.” | 24Gedaliah took an oath to reassure them and their men. "Do not be afraid of the Babylonian officials," he said. "Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you." |
| 25But in the seventh month, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down Gedaliah and put him to death along with the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. | 25In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood, came with ten men and assassinated Gedaliah and also the men of Judah and the Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah. |
| 26Then all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces arose and went to Egypt, for they were afraid of the Chaldeans. | 26At this, all the people from the least to the greatest, together with the army officers, fled to Egypt for fear of the Babylonians. |
| 27And 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 that he began to reign, graciously freed Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. | 27In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. He did this on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month. |
| 28And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. | 28He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. |
| 29So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king’s table, | 29So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king's table. |
| 30and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, as long as he lived. | 30Day by day the king gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance as long as he lived. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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