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2 Kings 24-25
English Standard Version
2 Kings 24-25
English Standard Version
24 (A)In his days, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. 2 And the Lord sent against him bands of the (B)Chaldeans and (C)bands of the Syrians and bands of the Moabites and bands of the Ammonites, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, (D)according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servants the prophets. 3 Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the Lord, to remove them out of his sight, (E)for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, 4 and also (F)for the innocent blood that he had shed. For he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord would not pardon. 5 (G)Now the rest of the deeds of Jehoiakim and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 6 So Jehoiakim (H)slept with his fathers, and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place. 7 (I)And the king of Egypt did not come again out of his land, (J)for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt (K)from the Brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates.
Jehoiachin Reigns in Judah
8 (L)Jehoiachin was (M)eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, (N)according to all that his father had done.
Jerusalem Captured
10 At that time the servants of (O)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. 11 And (P)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it, 12 (Q)and Jehoiachin the king of Judah gave himself up to the king of Babylon, himself and his mother and his servants and his officials and his palace officials. (R)The king of Babylon took him prisoner (S)in the eighth year of his reign 13 and carried off all the treasures of the house of the Lord (T)and the treasures of the king's house, (U)and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold in the temple of the Lord, (V)which Solomon king of Israel had made, (W)as the Lord had foretold. 14 (X)He carried away all Jerusalem and all the officials and all the mighty men of valor, (Y)10,000 captives, (Z)and all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remained, (AA)except the poorest people of the land. 15 (AB)And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon. The king's mother, the king's wives, his officials, and the chief men of the land he took into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16 And the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon all the men of valor, (AC)7,000, and the craftsmen and the metal workers, 1,000, all of them strong and fit for war. 17 (AD)And the king of Babylon (AE)made Mattaniah, (AF)Jehoiachin's uncle, king in his place, (AG)and changed his name to Zedekiah.
Zedekiah Reigns in Judah
18 (AH)Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was (AI)Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 19 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, (AJ)according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 20 For because of the anger of the Lord it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence.
(AK)And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
Fall and Captivity of Judah
25 (AL)And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, (AM)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem and laid siege to it. (AN)And they built siegeworks all around it. 2 So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 3 On the ninth day of the fourth month (AO)the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 4 Then 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 (AP)the king's garden, and (AQ)the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the (AR)Arabah. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 6 Then they captured the king (AS)and brought him up to the king of Babylon at (AT)Riblah, and they passed sentence on him. 7 They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, (AU)and put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains and took him to Babylon.
8 (AV)In the fifth month, on (AW)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 (AX)And he burned the house of the Lord (AY)and the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. 10 And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, (AZ)broke down the walls around Jerusalem. 11 (BA)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. 12 But the captain of the guard left (BB)some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen.
13 (BC)And the pillars (BD)of bronze that were in the house of the Lord, and (BE)the stands and (BF)the bronze sea that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried the bronze to Babylon. 14 (BG)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, 15 the 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. 16 As for the two pillars, the one sea, and the stands that Solomon had made for the house of the Lord, (BH)the bronze of all these vessels was beyond weight. 17 (BI)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 (BJ)And the captain of the guard took (BK)Seraiah the chief priest and (BL)Zephaniah the second priest and the three keepers of the threshold; 19 and from the city he took an officer who had been in command of the men of war, and (BM)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. 20 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at (BN)Riblah. 21 And the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at (BO)Riblah in the land of Hamath. (BP)So Judah was taken into exile out of its land.
Gedaliah Made Governor of Judah
22 And over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed (BQ)Gedaliah the son of (BR)Ahikam, son of Shaphan, governor. 23 (BS)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 (BT)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. 24 And 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 (BU)But in the seventh month, (BV)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 (BW)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 (BX)And in the thirty-seventh year of (BY)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 (BZ)freed[b] Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. 28 And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life (CA)he dined regularly at the king's table, 30 and 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
2 Kings 24-25
New International Version
2 Kings 24-25
New International Version
24 During Jehoiakim’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar(A) king of Babylon invaded(B) the land, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. But then he turned against Nebuchadnezzar and rebelled.(C) 2 The Lord sent Babylonian,[a](D) Aramean,(E) Moabite and Ammonite raiders(F) against him to destroy(G) Judah, in accordance with the word of the Lord proclaimed by his servants the prophets.(H) 3 Surely these things happened to Judah according to the Lord’s command,(I) in order to remove them from his presence(J) because of the sins of Manasseh(K) and all he had done, 4 including the shedding of innocent blood.(L) For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was not willing to forgive.(M)
5 As for the other events of Jehoiakim’s reign,(N) and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 6 Jehoiakim rested(O) with his ancestors. And Jehoiachin(P) his son succeeded him as king.
7 The king of Egypt(Q) did not march out from his own country again, because the king of Babylon(R) had taken all his territory, from the Wadi of Egypt to the Euphrates River.
Jehoiachin King of Judah(S)
8 Jehoiachin(T) was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta(U) daughter of Elnathan; she was from Jerusalem. 9 He did evil(V) in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father had done.
10 At that time the officers of Nebuchadnezzar(W) king of Babylon advanced on Jerusalem and laid siege to it, 11 and Nebuchadnezzar himself came up to the city while his officers were besieging it. 12 Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his attendants, his nobles and his officials all surrendered(X) to him.
In the eighth year of the reign of the king of Babylon, he took Jehoiachin prisoner. 13 As the Lord had declared,(Y) Nebuchadnezzar removed the treasures(Z) from the temple of the Lord and from the royal palace, and cut up the gold articles(AA) that Solomon(AB) king of Israel had made for the temple of the Lord. 14 He carried all Jerusalem into exile:(AC) all the officers and fighting men,(AD) and all the skilled workers and artisans—a total of ten thousand. Only the poorest(AE) people of the land were left.
15 Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin(AF) captive to Babylon. He also took from Jerusalem to Babylon the king’s mother,(AG) his wives, his officials and the prominent people(AH) of the land. 16 The king of Babylon also deported to Babylon the entire force of seven thousand fighting men, strong and fit for war, and a thousand skilled workers and artisans.(AI) 17 He made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.(AJ)
Zedekiah King of Judah(AK)
18 Zedekiah(AL) was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal(AM) daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. 19 He did evil(AN) in the eyes of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done. 20 It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust(AO) them from his presence.(AP)
The Fall of Jerusalem(AQ)(AR)(AS)
Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
25 So in the ninth(AT) year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar(AU) king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. He encamped outside the city and built siege works(AV) all around it. 2 The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
3 By the ninth day of the fourth[b] month the famine(AW) in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat. 4 Then the city wall was broken through,(AX) and the whole army fled at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians[c] were surrounding(AY) the city. They fled toward the Arabah,[d] 5 but the Babylonian[e] army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered,(AZ) 6 and he was captured.(BA)
He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah,(BB) where sentence was pronounced on him. 7 They killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.(BC)
8 On 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. 9 He set fire(BD) to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down.(BE) 10 The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the imperial guard broke down the walls(BF) around Jerusalem. 11 Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile(BG) the people who remained in the city, along with the rest of the populace and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon.(BH) 12 But the commander left behind some of the poorest people(BI) of the land to work the vineyards and fields.
13 The Babylonians broke(BJ) 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. 14 They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes(BK) and all the bronze articles(BL) used in the temple service. 15 The commander of the imperial guard took away the censers and sprinkling bowls—all that were made of pure gold or silver.(BM)
16 The 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. 17 Each pillar(BN) was eighteen cubits[f] high. The bronze capital on top of one pillar was three cubits[g] high and was decorated with a network and pomegranates of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its network, was similar.
18 The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah(BO) the chief priest, Zephaniah(BP) the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers.(BQ) 19 Of 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. 20 Nebuzaradan the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 21 There at Riblah,(BR) in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed.(BS)
So Judah went into captivity,(BT) away from her land.(BU)
22 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah(BV) son of Ahikam,(BW) the son of Shaphan, to be over the people he had left behind in Judah. 23 When 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. 24 Gedaliah 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.”
25 In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood, came with ten men and assassinated(BX) Gedaliah and also the men of Judah and the Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah.(BY) 26 At this, all the people from the least to the greatest, together with the army officers, fled to Egypt(BZ) for fear of the Babylonians.
Jehoiachin Released(CA)
27 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin(CB) king of Judah from prison. He did this on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month. 28 He spoke kindly(CC) to him and gave him a seat of honor(CD) higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king’s table.(CE) 30 Day by day the king gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance as long as he lived.(CF)
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 24:2 Or Chaldean
- 2 Kings 25:3 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text (see Jer. 52:6); Masoretic Text does not have fourth.
- 2 Kings 25:4 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 13, 25 and 26
- 2 Kings 25:4 Or the Jordan Valley
- 2 Kings 25:5 Or Chaldean; also in verses 10 and 24
- 2 Kings 25:17 That is, about 27 feet or about 8.1 meters
- 2 Kings 25:17 That is, about 4 1/2 feet or about 1.4 meters
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.