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2 Kings 25
New Living Translation

25 So on January 15,[a] during the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon led his entire army against Jerusalem. They surrounded the city and built siege ramps against its walls. 2 Jerusalem was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah’s reign.

3 By July 18 in the eleventh year of Zedekiah’s reign,[b] the famine in the city had become very severe, and the last of the food was entirely gone. 4 Then a section of the city wall was broken down. Since the city was surrounded by the Babylonians,[c] the soldiers waited for nightfall and escaped[d] through the gate between the two walls behind the king’s garden. Then they headed toward the Jordan Valley.[e]

5 But the Babylonian[f] troops chased the king and overtook him on the plains of Jericho, for his men had all deserted him and scattered. 6 They captured the king and took him to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they pronounced judgment upon Zedekiah. 7 They made Zedekiah watch as they slaughtered his sons. Then they gouged out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon.

The Temple Destroyed

8 On August 14 of that year,[g] which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard and an official of the Babylonian king, arrived in Jerusalem. 9 He burned down the Temple of the Lord, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem. He destroyed all the important buildings[h] in the city. 10 Then he supervised the entire Babylonian army as they tore down the walls of Jerusalem on every side. 11 Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took as exiles the rest of the people who remained in the city, the defectors who had declared their allegiance to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the population. 12 But the captain of the guard allowed some of the poorest people to stay behind to care for the vineyards and fields.

13 The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars in front of the Lord’s Temple, the bronze water carts, and the great bronze basin called the Sea, and they carried all the bronze away to Babylon. 14 They also took all the ash buckets, shovels, lamp snuffers, ladles, and all the other bronze articles used for making sacrifices at the Temple. 15 The captain of the guard also took the incense burners and basins, and all the other articles made of pure gold or silver.

16 The weight of the bronze from the two pillars, the Sea, and the water carts was too great to be measured. These things had been made for the Lord’s Temple in the days of Solomon. 17 Each of the pillars was 27 feet[i] tall. The bronze capital on top of each pillar was 7 1⁄2 feet[j] high and was decorated with a network of bronze pomegranates all the way around.

18 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took with him as prisoners Seraiah the high priest, Zephaniah the priest of the second rank, and the three chief gatekeepers. 19 And from among the people still hiding in the city, he took an officer who had been in charge of the Judean army; five of the king’s personal advisers; the army commander’s chief secretary, who was in charge of recruitment; and sixty other citizens. 20 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took them all to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 21 And there at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon had them all put to death. So the people of Judah were sent into exile from their land.

Gedaliah Governs in Judah

22 Then King Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan as governor over the people he had left in Judah. 23 When all the army commanders and their men learned that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they went to see him at Mizpah. These included Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, Jezaniah[k] son of the Maacathite, and all their men.

24 Gedaliah vowed to them that the Babylonian officials meant them no harm. “Don’t be afraid of them. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and all will go well for you,” he promised.

25 But in midautumn of that year,[l] Ishmael son of Nethaniah and grandson of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family, went to Mizpah with ten men and killed Gedaliah. He also killed all the Judeans and Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah.

26 Then all the people of Judah, from the least to the greatest, as well as the army commanders, fled in panic to Egypt, for they were afraid of what the Babylonians would do to them.

Hope for Israel’s Royal Line

27 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah, Evil-merodach ascended to the Babylonian throne. He was kind to[m] Jehoiachin and released him[n] from prison on April 2 of that year.[o] 28 He spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and gave him a higher place than all the other exiled kings in Babylon. 29 He supplied Jehoiachin with new clothes to replace his prison garb and allowed him to dine in the king’s presence for the rest of his life. 30 So the king gave him a regular food allowance as long as he lived.

Footnotes

  1. 25:1 Hebrew on the tenth day of the tenth month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. A number of events in 2 Kings can be cross-checked with dates in surviving Babylonian records and related accurately to our modern calendar. This day was January 15, 588 B.c.
  2. 25:3 Hebrew By the ninth day of the [fourth] month [in the eleventh year of Zedekiah’s reign] (compare Jer 39:2; 52:6 and the notes there). This day was July 18, 586 B.c.; also see note on 25:1.
  3. 25:4a Or the Chaldeans; also in 25:13, 25, 26.
  4. 25:4b As in Greek version (see also Jer 39:4; 52:7); Hebrew lacks escaped.
  5. 25:4c Hebrew the Arabah.
  6. 25:5 Or Chaldean; also in 25:10, 24.
  7. 25:8 Hebrew On the seventh day of the fifth month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This day was August 14, 586 B.c.; also see note on 25:1.
  8. 25:9 Or destroyed the houses of all the important people.
  9. 25:17a Hebrew 18 cubits [8.3 meters].
  10. 25:17b As in parallel texts at 1 Kgs 7:16, 2 Chr 3:15, and Jer 52:22, all of which read 5 cubits [2.3 meters]; Hebrew reads 3 cubits, which is 4.5 feet or 1.4 meters.
  11. 25:23 As in parallel text at Jer 40:8; Hebrew reads Jaazaniah, a variant spelling of Jezaniah.
  12. 25:25 Hebrew in the seventh month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This month occurred within the months of October and November 586 B.c.; also see note on 25:1.
  13. 25:27a Hebrew He raised the head of.
  14. 25:27b As in some Hebrew manuscripts and Greek and Syriac versions (see also Jer 52:31); Masoretic Text lacks released him.
  15. 25:27c Hebrew on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This day was April 2, 561 B.c.; also see note on 25:1.
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2 Kings 25
New International Version

25 So in the ninth(A) year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar(B) king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. He encamped outside the city and built siege works(C) 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[a] month the famine(D) 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,(E) and the whole army fled at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians[b] were surrounding(F) the city. They fled toward the Arabah,[c] 5 but the Babylonian[d] army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered,(G) 6 and he was captured.(H)

He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah,(I) 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.(J)

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(K) to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down.(L) 10 The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the imperial guard broke down the walls(M) around Jerusalem. 11 Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile(N) the people who remained in the city, along with the rest of the populace and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon.(O) 12 But the commander left behind some of the poorest people(P) of the land to work the vineyards and fields.

13 The Babylonians broke(Q) 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(R) and all the bronze articles(S) 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.(T)

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(U) was eighteen cubits[e] high. The bronze capital on top of one pillar was three cubits[f] 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(V) the chief priest, Zephaniah(W) the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers.(X) 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,(Y) in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed.(Z)

So Judah went into captivity,(AA) away from her land.(AB)

22 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah(AC) son of Ahikam,(AD) 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(AE) Gedaliah and also the men of Judah and the Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah.(AF) 26 At this, all the people from the least to the greatest, together with the army officers, fled to Egypt(AG) for fear of the Babylonians.

Jehoiachin Released(AH)

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(AI) king of Judah from prison. He did this on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month. 28 He spoke kindly(AJ) to him and gave him a seat of honor(AK) 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.(AL) 30 Day by day the king gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance as long as he lived.(AM)

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 25:3 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text (see Jer. 52:6); Masoretic Text does not have fourth.
  2. 2 Kings 25:4 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 13, 25 and 26
  3. 2 Kings 25:4 Or the Jordan Valley
  4. 2 Kings 25:5 Or Chaldean; also in verses 10 and 24
  5. 2 Kings 25:17 That is, about 27 feet or about 8.1 meters
  6. 2 Kings 25:17 That is, about 4 1/2 feet or about 1.4 meters
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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. 2 So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 3 On 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. 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 (E)the king's garden, and (F)the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the (G)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 (H)and brought him up to the king of Babylon at (I)Riblah, and they passed sentence on him. 7 They 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. 10 And 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. 12 But 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, 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, (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; 19 and 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. 20 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at (AC)Riblah. 21 And 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

22 And 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. 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 (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. 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 (AP)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

  1. 2 Kings 25:17 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
  2. 2 Kings 25:27 Hebrew reign, lifted up the head of
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2 Reyes 25
Reina Valera Actualizada

25 Y aconteció el diez del mes décimoa del noveno año de su reinado que Nabucodonosor, rey de Babilonia, vino con todo su ejército contra Jerusalén. Luego acamparon contra ella y construyeron muros de asedio contra ella en derredor.

2 La ciudad estuvo sitiada hasta el año once del rey Sedequías. 3 En el noveno día del mes cuarto[a] prevaleció el hambre en la ciudad, y no había alimentos para el pueblo de la tierra.

4 Entonces se abrió una brecha en la ciudad, y huyeron de noche el rey[b] y todos los hombres de guerra por el camino de la puerta que estaba entre los dos muros, junto al jardín del rey, mientras los caldeos estaban junto y alrededor de la ciudad. Se dirigieron[c] hacia el Arabá, 5 pero el ejército de los caldeos persiguió al rey y lo alcanzó en las llanuras de Jericó; y todo su ejército fue dispersado de su lado.

6 Entonces prendieron al rey y lo llevaron ante el rey de Babilonia, en Ribla, y este pronunció[d] sentencia contra aquel. 7 Degollaron a los hijos de Sedequías en su presencia. Y a Sedequías le sacó los ojos, lo aprisionó con cadenas de bronce y lo hizo llevar a Babilonia.

8 El séptimo[e] día del mes quinto[f] del año diecinueve de Nabucodonosor, rey de Babilonia, vino a Jerusalén Nabuzaradán, capitán de la guardia, servidor del rey de Babilonia. 9 Incendió la casa del SEÑOR, la casa del rey y todas las casas de Jerusalén; incendió todo edificio grande. 10 Todo el ejército de los caldeos que estaba con el capitán de la guardia demolió los muros alrededor de Jerusalén.

11 Nabuzaradán, capitán de la guardia, hizo llevar cautivo al resto del pueblo que había quedado en la ciudad, a los desertores que se habían pasado al rey de Babilonia y al resto de la gente. 12 Sin embargo, el capitán de la guardia hizo quedar una parte de la gente más pobre de la tierra, como viñadores y labradores.

13 Los caldeos destrozaron las columnas de bronce que estaban en la casa del SEÑOR, así como las bases de las pilas móviles y la fuente de bronce que estaban en la casa del SEÑOR; y se llevaron el bronce a Babilonia. 14 También se llevaron las ollas, las palas, las despabiladeras, los cucharones y todos los utensilios de bronce con que servían. 15 El capitán de la guardia se llevó también los incensarios y los tazones para la aspersión, tanto los de oro como los de plata.

16 En cuanto a las dos columnas, la fuente y las bases de las pilas móviles que Salomón había hecho para la casa del SEÑOR, no hubo manera de pesar el bronce de todos estos objetos. 17 La altura de cada columna era de ocho metros. Encima tenían un capitel de bronce de un metro y medio de alto y alrededor, sobre el capitel, había una red y granadas, todo de bronce. La segunda columna tenía una labor igual, con la red.

18 El capitán de la guardia tomó también a Seraías, el sacerdote principal; a Sofonías, el segundo sacerdote; y a tres guardias de la puerta. 19 Y de la ciudad tomó a un funcionario que estaba encargado de los hombres de guerra; a cinco hombres de los más íntimos del rey que se hallaban en la ciudad y al escriba principal de la milicia, quien reclutaba al pueblo de la tierra, y a sesenta hombres del pueblo de la tierra que se hallaban en la ciudad. 20 Nabuzaradán, capitán de la guardia, los tomó y los llevó ante el rey de Babilonia, en Ribla. 21 El rey de Babilonia los hirió y los mató en Ribla, en la tierra de Hamat. Así fue llevado cautivo Judá lejos de su tierra.

Gedalías es asesinado

22 Sobre la gente que Nabucodonosor, rey de Babilonia, había dejado en la tierra de Judá, el rey puso a Gedalías hijo de Ajicam, hijo de Safán. 23 Todos los jefes de los soldados, ellos y sus hombres (Ismael hijo de Netanías, Johanán hijo de Carea, Seraías hijo de Tanjumet, de Netofa, y Jazanías hijo de cierto hombre de Maaca) se enteraron de que el rey de Babilonia había puesto por gobernador a Gedalías. Ellos y sus hombres fueron a él en Mizpa. 24 Entonces Gedalías les juró a ellos y a sus hombres, diciéndoles: “No tengan temor a los servidores de los caldeos. Habiten en la tierra y sirvan al rey de Babilonia, y les irá bien”.

25 Pero aconteció en el mes séptimo[g] que Ismael hijo de Netanías, hijo de Elisama, de la descendencia real, fue con diez hombres, e hirieron y dieron muerte a Gedalías y a los judíos y caldeos que estaban con él en Mizpa. 26 Entonces todo el pueblo se levantó, desde el menor hasta el mayor, con los jefes de los soldados, y se fueron a Egipto, porque tenían temor a los caldeos.

Evil-merodac honra a Joaquín

27 Aconteció el veintisiete del mes duodécimo[h] del año treinta y siete de la cautividad de Joaquín, rey de Judá, que Evil-merodac, rey de Babilonia, en el primer año de su reinado, indultó a Joaquín, rey de Judá, y lo sacó de la cárcel. 28 Habló con Joaquín amigablemente y puso su sitial más alto que los sitiales de los reyes que estaban con él en Babilonia. 29 Cambió su ropa de prisión, y Joaquín comía en la presencia del rey siempre, todos los días de su vida. 30 En cuanto a su ración, le fue dada una ración continua de parte del rey, cada cosa en su día, todos los días de su vida.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Reyes 25:3 Aprox. dic.-ene.
  2. 2 Reyes 25:4 Aprox. jun.-jul.; cf. Jer. 52:6.
  3. 2 Reyes 25:4 Según algunos mss.; TM omite huyeron el rey y.
  4. 2 Reyes 25:6 Según algunos mss., LXX y Peshita; cf. Jer. 52:7; TM, se dirigió.
  5. 2 Reyes 25:8 Según muchos mss. y vers. antiguas; cf. Jer. 39:5; TM, pronunciaron.
  6. 2 Reyes 25:8 Dos mss., LXX y Peshita tienen noveno.
  7. 2 Reyes 25:25 Aprox. jul.-ago.
  8. 2 Reyes 25:27 Aprox. sep.-oct.
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