| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Now it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around. | 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 entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it. |
| 2So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. | 2And the city was kept under siege until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year. |
| 3By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine had become 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 was so severe that the people of the land had no food. |
| 4Then the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled at night by way of the gate between two walls, which was by the king’s garden, even though the Chaldeans were still encamped all around against the city. And the king went by way of the plain. | 4Then the city was breached; and though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city, all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden. They headed toward the Arabah, |
| 5But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his army was scattered from him. | 5but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was separated from him. |
| 6So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they pronounced judgment on him. | 6The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they pronounced judgment on him. |
| 7Then they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, put out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with bronze fetters, and took him to Babylon. | 7And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon. |
| 8And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month (which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. | 8On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign over Babylon, Nebuzaradan captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem. |
| 9He burned the house of the LORD and the king’s house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, he burned with fire. | 9He burned down the house of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every significant building. |
| 10And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down the walls of Jerusalem all around. | 10And the whole army of the Chaldeans under the captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem. |
| 11Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive the rest of the people who remained in the city and the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, with the rest of the multitude. | 11Then Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon and the rest of the population. |
| 12But the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers. | 12But the captain of the guard left behind some of the poorest of the land to tend the vineyards and fields. |
| 13The bronze pillars that were in the house of the LORD, and the carts and the bronze Sea that were in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried their bronze to Babylon. | 13Moreover, the Chaldeans broke up the bronze pillars and stands and the bronze Sea in the house of the LORD, and they carried the bronze to Babylon. |
| 14They also took away the pots, the shovels, the trimmers, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils with which the priests ministered. | 14They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes, and all the articles of bronze used in the temple service. |
| 15The firepans and the basins, the things of solid gold and solid silver, the captain of the guard took away. | 15The captain of the guard also took away the censers and sprinkling bowls—anything made of pure gold or fine silver. |
| 16The two pillars, one Sea, and the carts, which Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the bronze of all these articles was beyond measure. | 16As for the two pillars, the Sea, and the movable stands that Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the weight of the bronze from all these articles was beyond measure. |
| 17The height of one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the capital on it was of bronze. The height of the capital was three cubits, and the network and pomegranates all around the capital were all of bronze. The second pillar was the same, with a network. | 17Each pillar was eighteen cubits tall. The bronze capital atop one pillar was three cubits high, with a network of bronze pomegranates all around. The second pillar, with its network, was similar. |
| 18And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers. | 18The captain of the guard also took away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of second rank, and the three doorkeepers. |
| 19He also took out of the city an officer who had charge of the men of war, five men of the king’s close associates who were found in the city, the chief recruiting officer 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 a court official who had been appointed over the men of war, as well as five royal advisors. He also took the scribe of the captain of the army, who had enlisted the people of the land, and sixty men who were found in the city. |
| 20So Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, took these and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. | 20Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. |
| 21Then the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive from its own land. | 21There at Riblah in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death. So Judah was taken into exile, away from its own land. |
| 22Then he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, governor over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left. | 22Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, over the people he had left behind in the land of Judah. |
| 23Now when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Careah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men. | 23When all the commanders of the armies 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, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite, as well as their men. |
| 24And Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, and said to them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.” | 24And Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, assuring them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will be well with you.” |
| 25But it happened in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck and killed Gedaliah, the Jews, as well as the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. | 25In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down and killed Gedaliah, along with the Judeans and Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. |
| 26And all the people, small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose and went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans. | 26Then all the people small and great, together with the commanders of the army, arose and fled to Egypt for fear of the Chaldeans. |
| 27Now it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. | 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 released King Jehoiachin of Judah from prison. |
| 28He spoke kindly to him, and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon. | 28And he spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and set his throne above the thrones of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. |
| 29So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, and he ate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life. | 29So Jehoiachin changed out of his prison clothes, and he dined regularly at the king’s table for the rest of his life. |
| 30And as for his provisions, there was a regular ration given him by the king, a portion for each day, all the days of his life. | 30And the king provided Jehoiachin a daily portion for the rest of his life. |
|
