| New International Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 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. | 1In the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon advanced against Jerusalem with his entire army. They laid siege to the city and built a siege wall against it all around. |
| 2The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. | 2The city was under siege until King Zedekiah's eleventh year. |
| 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. | 3By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that the people of the land had no food. |
| 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, | 4Then the city was broken into, and all the warriors fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the king's garden, even though the Chaldeans surrounded the city. As the king made his way along the route to the Arabah, |
| 5but the Babylonian army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, | 5the Chaldean army pursued him and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. Zedekiah's entire army was scattered from him. |
| 6and he was captured. He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where sentence was pronounced on him. | 6The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they passed sentence on him. |
| 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. | 7They slaughtered Zedekiah's sons before his eyes. Finally, the king of Babylon blinded Zedekiah, bound him in bronze chains, and took him to Babylon. |
| 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. | 8On the seventh day of the fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards, a servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem. |
| 9He set fire to the temple of the LORD, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. | 9He burned the LORD's temple, the king's palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem; he burned down all the great houses. |
| 10The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the imperial guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem. | 10The whole Chaldean army with the commander of the guards tore down the walls surrounding Jerusalem. |
| 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. | 11Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards, deported the rest of the people who were left in the city, the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the population. |
| 12But the commander left behind some of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields. | 12But the commander of the guards left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers. |
| 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. | 13Now the Chaldeans broke into pieces the bronze pillars of the LORD's temple, the water carts, and the bronze reservoir, which were in the LORD's temple, and carried the bronze to Babylon. |
| 14They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes and all the bronze articles used in the temple service. | 14They also took the pots, the shovels, the wick trimmers, the dishes, and all the bronze articles used in temple service. |
| 15The commander of the imperial guard took away the censers and sprinkling bowls--all that were made of pure gold or silver. | 15The commander of the guards took away the firepans and the sprinkling basins--whatever was gold or silver. |
| 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. | 16As for the two pillars, the one reservoir, and the water carts that Solomon had made for the LORD's temple, the weight of the bronze of all these articles was beyond measure. |
| 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. | 17One pillar was 27 feet tall and had a bronze capital on top of it. The capital, encircled by a grating and pomegranates of bronze, stood five feet high. The second pillar was the same, with its own grating. |
| 18The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers. | 18The commander of the guards also took away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of the second rank, and the three doorkeepers. |
| 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. | 19He took a court official who had been appointed over the warriors from the city; five trusted royal aides found in the city; the secretary of the commander of the army, who enlisted the people of the land for military duty; and 60 men from the common people who were found within the city. |
| 20Nebuzaradan the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. | 20Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. |
| 21There at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed. So Judah went into captivity, away from her land. | 21The king of Babylon put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah went into exile from its land. |
| 22Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to be over the people he had left behind in Judah. | 22Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, over the rest of the people he left in the land of Judah. |
| 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. | 23When all the commanders of the armies--they and their men--heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. The commanders included Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite--they and their men. |
| 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." | 24Gedaliah swore an oath to them and their men, assuring them, "Don't be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well for you." |
| 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. | 25In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with 10 men and struck down Gedaliah, and he died. Also, they killed the Judeans and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. |
| 26At this, all the people from the least to the greatest, together with the army officers, fled to Egypt for fear of the Babylonians. | 26Then all the people, from the youngest to the oldest, and the commanders of the army, left and went to Egypt, for they were afraid of the Chaldeans. |
| 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. | 27On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Judah's King Jehoiachin, in the year Evil-merodach became king of Babylon, he pardoned King Jehoiachin of Judah and released him from prison. |
| 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. | 28He spoke kindly to him and set his throne over the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon. |
| 29So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king's table. | 29So Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes, and he dined regularly in the presence of the king of Babylon for the rest of his life. |
| 30Day by day the king gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance as long as he lived. | 30As for his allowance, a regular allowance was given to him by the king, a portion for each day, for the rest of his life. |
| 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. | Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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