2 Kings 25

English Standard Version

Fall and Captivity of Judah

25 ^(A)And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, ^(B)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem and laid siege to it. ^(C)And they built siegeworks all around it. ²So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. ³On the ninth day of the fourth month ^(D)the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 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 ^(E)the king's garden, and ^(F)the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the ^(G)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. ⁶Then they captured the king ^(H)and brought him up to the king of Babylon at ^(I)Riblah, and they passed sentence on him. ⁷They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, ^(J)and put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains and took him to Babylon.

⁸^(K)In the fifth month, on ^(L)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. ⁹^(M)And he burned the house of the Lord ^(N)and the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. ¹⁰And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, ^(O)broke down the walls around Jerusalem. ¹¹^(P)And 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. ¹²But the captain of the guard left ^(Q)some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen.

¹³^(R)And the pillars ^(S)of bronze that were in the house of the Lord, and ^(T)the stands and ^(U)the bronze sea that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried the bronze to Babylon. ¹⁴^(V)And 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, 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. ¹⁶As for the two pillars, the one sea, and the stands that Solomon had made for the house of the Lord, ^(W)the bronze of all these vessels was beyond weight. ¹⁷^(X)The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits,^[a] 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.

¹⁸^(Y)And the captain of the guard took ^(Z)Seraiah the chief priest and ^(AA)Zephaniah the second priest and the three keepers of the threshold; ¹⁹and from the city he took an officer who had been in command of the men of war, and ^(AB)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. ²⁰And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at ^(AC)Riblah. ²¹And the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at ^(AD)Riblah in the land of Hamath. ^(AE)So Judah was taken into exile out of its land.

Gedaliah Made Governor of Judah

²²And over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed ^(AF)Gedaliah the son of ^(AG)Ahikam, son of Shaphan, governor. ²³^(AH)Now 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 ^(AI)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. 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.” ²⁵^(AJ)But in the seventh month, ^(AK)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. ²⁶^(AL)Then 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.

Jehoiachin Released from Prison

²⁷^(AM)And in the thirty-seventh year of ^(AN)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 ^(AO)freed^[b] Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. ²⁸And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. ²⁹So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life ^(AP)he dined 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.

Footnotes

2 Kings 25:17 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
2 Kings 25:27 Hebrew reign, lifted up the head of

Isaiah 1

English Standard Version

1 The ^(A)vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem ^(B)in the days of ^(C)Uzziah, ^(D)Jotham, ^(E)Ahaz, and ^(F)Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

The Wickedness of Judah

²^(G)Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O ^(H)earth;
    for the Lord has spoken:
“Children^[a] ^(I)have I reared and brought up,
    but they have rebelled against me.
³The ox ^(J)knows its owner,
    and the donkey its master's crib,
but Israel does ^(K)not know,
    my people do not understand.”

⁴Ah, sinful nation,
    a people laden with iniquity,
^(L)offspring of evildoers,
    children who deal corruptly!
They have forsaken the Lord,
    they have ^(M)despised ^(N)the Holy One of Israel,
    they are utterly ^(O)estranged.

⁵Why will you still be ^(P)struck down?
    Why will you ^(Q)continue to rebel?
The whole head is sick,
    and the whole heart faint.
⁶^(R)From the sole of the foot even to the head,
    there is no soundness in it,
but bruises and sores
    and raw wounds;
they are ^(S)not pressed out or bound up
    or softened with oil.

⁷^(T)Your country lies desolate;
    your cities are burned with fire;
in your very presence
    foreigners devour your land;
    it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners.
⁸And ^(U)the daughter of Zion is left
    like a ^(V)booth in a vineyard,
like a lodge in a cucumber field,
    like a besieged city.

⁹^(W)If the Lord of hosts
had not left us ^(X)a few survivors,
we should have been like ^(Y)Sodom,
and become like ^(Z)Gomorrah.

¹⁰Hear the word of the Lord,
    you rulers of ^(AA)^(AB)Sodom!
Give ear to the teaching^[b] of our God,
    you people of ^(AC)Gomorrah!
¹¹^(AD)“What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?
    says the Lord;
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
    and the fat of well-fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
    or of lambs, or of goats.

¹²“When you come to ^(AE)appear before me,
    who has required of you
    this trampling of my courts?
¹³Bring no more vain offerings;
    incense is an abomination to me.
^(AF)New moon and Sabbath and the ^(AG)calling of convocations—
    I cannot endure ^(AH)iniquity and ^(AI)solemn assembly.
¹⁴Your ^(AJ)new moons and your appointed feasts
    my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me;
    I am weary of bearing them.
¹⁵When you ^(AK)spread out your hands,
    I will hide my eyes from you;
^(AL)even though you make many prayers,
    I will not listen;
    ^(AM)your hands are full of blood.
¹⁶^(AN)Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
    remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
^(AO)cease to do evil,
¹⁷    learn to do good;
^(AP)seek justice,
    correct oppression;
^(AQ)bring justice to the fatherless,
    plead the widow's cause.

¹⁸“Come now, ^(AR)let us reason^[c] together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
    they shall be as ^(AS)white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
    they shall become like wool.
¹⁹^(AT)If you are willing and obedient,
    you shall eat the good of the land;
²⁰but if you refuse and rebel,
    you shall be eaten by the sword;
    ^(AU)for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

The Unfaithful City

²¹How the faithful city
    ^(AV)has become a whore,^[d]
    ^(AW)she who was full of justice!
Righteousness lodged in her,
    but now murderers.
²²^(AX)Your silver has become dross,
    your best wine mixed with water.
²³Your princes are rebels
    and companions of thieves.
Everyone ^(AY)loves a bribe
    and runs after gifts.
^(AZ)They do not bring justice to the fatherless,
    and the widow's cause does not come to them.

²⁴Therefore the ^(BA)Lord declares,
    the Lord of hosts,
    the ^(BB)Mighty One of Israel:
“Ah, I will get relief from my enemies
    ^(BC)and avenge myself on my foes.
²⁵^(BD)I will turn my hand against you
    and will smelt away your ^(BE)dross as with lye
    and remove all your alloy.
²⁶And I will restore your judges ^(BF)as at the first,
    and your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward ^(BG)you shall be called the city of righteousness,
    the faithful city.”

²⁷^(BH)Zion shall be redeemed by justice,
    and those in her who repent, by righteousness.
²⁸^(BI)But rebels and sinners shall be broken together,
    and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed.
²⁹^(BJ)For they^[e] shall be ashamed of ^(BK)the oaks
    that you desired;
and you shall blush for ^(BL)the gardens
    that you have chosen.
³⁰For you shall be ^(BM)like an oak
    whose leaf withers,
    and like a garden without water.
³¹And the strong shall become ^(BN)tinder,
    and his work a spark,
and both of them shall burn together,
    with ^(BO)none to quench them.