| Holman Christian Standard Bible | International Standard Version |
| 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. | 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. |
| 2The city was under siege until King Zedekiah's eleventh year. | 2The city remained under siege until the eleventh year of the reign of King Zedekiah. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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, | 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, |
| 5the Chaldean army pursued him and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. Zedekiah's entire army was scattered from him. | 5but the Chaldean army pursued the king and overtook him in the Jericho plains, where his entire army was scattered. |
| 6The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they passed sentence on him. | 6The Chaldeans captured the king and brought him to Riblah, where the king of Babylon determined his sentence. |
| 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. | 7They executed Zedekiah's sons in his presence, blinded Zedekiah, bound him with bronze chains, and transported him to Babylon. |
| 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. | 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 |
| 9He burned the LORD's temple, the king's palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem; he burned down all the great houses. | 9and set fire to the LORD's Temple, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem. He even incinerated the lavish homes. |
| 10The whole Chaldean army with the commander of the guards tore down the walls surrounding Jerusalem. | 10The Chaldean army that accompanied the captain of the guard demolished the walls that surrounded Jerusalem. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 12But the commander of the guards left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers. | 12However, the captain of the guard left some of the poor people of the land to work as vinedressers and farmers. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 14They also took the pots, the shovels, the wick trimmers, the dishes, and all the bronze articles used in temple service. | 14They also confiscated the pots, shovels, snuffers, spoons, and the rest of the bronze vessels that were used in ministry. |
| 15The commander of the guards took away the firepans and the sprinkling basins--whatever was gold or silver. | 15The captain of the guard also confiscated the fire pans, basins, and whatever had been crafted of pure gold and pure silver. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 18The commander of the guards also took away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of the second rank, and the three doorkeepers. | 18The captain of the guard arrested Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, three temple officials, |
| 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. | 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. |
| 20Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. | 20Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took them to the king of Babylon at Riblah, |
| 21The king of Babylon put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah went into exile from its land. | 21where the king of Babylon executed them in the land of Hamath. And so Judah was transported into exile from the land. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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." | 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." |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 28He spoke kindly to him and set his throne over the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon. | 28He spoke kindly to him and elevated his position above the thrones of the kings with him in Babylon. |
| 29So Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes, and he dined regularly in the presence of the king of Babylon for the rest of his life. | 29Jehoiachin changed out of his prison clothes and had regular meals in the king's presence every day for the rest of his life, |
| 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. | 30and a regular stipend was provided to him by the king in accordance with his needs for as long as he lived. |
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