Jerusalem Burned and Plundered

^8 (A)Now on the seventh day of the ^(B)fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguards, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. ⁹ And ^(C)he burned the house of the Lord, ^(D)the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every great house he burned with fire. ¹⁰ So all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the bodyguards ^(E)tore down the walls around Jerusalem. ¹¹ Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguards, led into exile ^(F)the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the ^[a]people. ¹² But the captain of the bodyguards left some of ^(G)the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.

^13 (H)Now the Chaldeans smashed to pieces the bronze pillars which were in the house of the Lord, and the stands and ^(I)the bronze ^[b]Sea which were in the house of the Lord, and carried the ^[c]bronze to Babylon. ^14 (J)And they took away the pots, the shovels, the ^[d]shears, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils ^[e]which were used in temple service. ¹⁵ The captain of the bodyguards also took away the firepans and the basins, what was fine gold and what was fine silver. ¹⁶ The two pillars, the one Sea, and the stands which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord—^[f](K)the bronze of all these articles was too heavy to weigh. ^17 (L)The height of the one pillar was ^[g]eighteen cubits, and a bronze capital was on it; the height of the capital was ^[h]three cubits, with latticework and pomegranates on the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these, same features with latticework.

¹⁸ Then the captain of the bodyguards took ^(M)Seraiah the chief priest and ^(N)Zephaniah the second priest, with the three ^[i]doorkeepers. ¹⁹ And from the city he took one official who was overseer of the men of war, and ^(O)five ^[j]of the king’s advisers who were found in the city; and the ^[k]scribe of the captain 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 Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguards took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at ^(P)Riblah. ²¹ Then the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. ^(Q)So Judah went into exile from its land.

Gedaliah Made Governor

²² Now as for the people who were left in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed ^(R)Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan over them. ^23 (S)When all the captains of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah at ^(T)Mizpah, namely, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men. ²⁴ And Gedaliah swore to them and their men and said to them, “Do not 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.”

^25 (U)But it happened in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal ^[l]family, came ^[m]with ten men and struck Gedaliah down so that he died along with the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. ^26 (V)Then all the people, from the small to the great, and the captains of the forces set out and came to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.