The Fall and Captivity of Judah^(A)

25 Now it came to pass ^(B)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. ² So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. ³ By the ninth day of the ^(C)fourth month the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.

⁴ Then ^(D)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 ^(E)the king^[a] went by way of the ^[b]plain. ⁵ But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his army was scattered from him. ⁶ So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon ^(F)at Riblah, and they pronounced judgment on him. ⁷ Then they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, ^(G)put^[c] out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with bronze fetters, and took him to Babylon.

⁸ And in the fifth month, ^(H)on the seventh day of the month (which was ^(I)the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), ^(J)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. ^9 (K)He burned the house of the Lord ^(L)and the king’s house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, ^(M)he burned with fire. ¹⁰ And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard ^(N)broke down the walls of Jerusalem all around.

¹¹ Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive ^(O)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. ¹² But the captain of the guard ^(P)left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers. ^13 (Q)The bronze ^(R)pillars that were in the house of the Lord, and ^(S)the carts and ^(T)the bronze Sea that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and ^(U)carried their bronze to Babylon. ¹⁴ They also took away ^(V)the pots, the shovels, the trimmers, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils with which the priests ministered. ¹⁵ The firepans and the basins, the things of solid gold and solid silver, the captain of the guard took away. ¹⁶ The two pillars, one Sea, and the carts, which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord, ^(W)the bronze of all these articles was beyond measure. ^17 (X)The height of one pillar was ^[d]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.

Judah Overrun by Enemies

24 In ^(A)his days Nebuchadnezzar king of ^(B)Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. ^2 (C)And the Lord sent against him raiding ^[a]bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the people of Ammon; He sent them against Judah to destroy it, ^(D)according to the word of the Lord which He had spoken by His servants the prophets. ³ Surely at the commandment of the Lord this came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight ^(E)because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, ^4 (F)and also because of the innocent blood that he had shed; for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the Lord would not pardon.

⁵ Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? ^6 (G)So Jehoiakim rested with his fathers. Then Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.

⁷ And ^(H)the king of Egypt did not come out of his land anymore, for ^(I)the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Brook of Egypt to the River Euphrates.

The Reign and Captivity of Jehoiachin^(J)

^8 (K)Jehoiachin^[b] was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. ⁹ And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father had done.

¹⁵ Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: ^16 [a]The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; ¹⁷ but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. ¹⁸ What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.

To Live Is Christ

¹⁹ For I know that ^(A)this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, ²⁰ according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but ^(B)with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life ^(C)or by death. ²¹ For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ²² But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I ^[b]cannot tell. ^23 [c]For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a ^(D)desire to depart and be with Christ, which is ^(E)far better. ²⁴ Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. ²⁵ And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith, ²⁶ that ^(F)your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again.

Striving and Suffering for Christ

²⁷ Only ^(G)let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, ^(H)with one mind ^(I)striving together for the faith of the gospel, ²⁸ and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but ^[d]to you of salvation, and that from God. ²⁹ For to you ^(J)it has been granted on behalf of Christ, ^(K)not only to believe in Him, but also to ^(L)suffer for His sake, ^30 (M)having the same conflict ^(N)which you saw in me and now hear is in me.

Unity Through Humility

2 Therefore if there is any ^[a]consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any ^(A)affection and mercy, ^2 (B)fulfill my joy ^(C)by being like-minded, having the same love, being of ^(D)one accord, of one mind. ^3 (E)Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but ^(F)in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. ^4 (G)Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of ^(H)others.

The Humbled and Exalted Christ

^5 (I)Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, ^(J)being in the form of God, did not consider it ^[b]robbery to be equal with God, ^7 (K)but ^[c]made Himself of no reputation, taking the form ^(L)of a bondservant, and ^(M)coming in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and ^(N)became ^(O)obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. ^9 (P)Therefore God also ^(Q)has highly exalted Him and ^(R)given Him the name which is above every name, ^10 (S)that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, ¹¹ and ^(T)that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Light Bearers

¹² Therefore, my beloved, ^(U)as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, ^(V)work out your own salvation with ^(W)fear and trembling; ¹³ for ^(X)it is God who works in you both to will and to do ^(Y)for His good pleasure.