Daniel’s Captivity in Babylon

1 In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim^(A) of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar^[a](B) of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it. ² The Lord handed King Jehoiakim of Judah over to him, along with some of the vessels from the house of God.^(C) Nebuchadnezzar carried them to the land of Babylon,^[b](D) to the house of his god,^[c] and put the vessels in the treasury of his god.

³ The king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the Israelites from the royal family^(E) and from the nobility— ⁴ young men without any physical defect, good-looking, suitable for instruction in all wisdom,^(F) knowledgeable, perceptive, and capable of serving in the king’s palace.^(G) He was to teach them the Chaldean language^(H) and literature. ⁵ The king assigned them daily provisions from the royal food and from the wine that he drank.^(I) They were to be trained for three years, and at the end of that time they were to attend the king.^{[d](J) 6} Among them, from the Judahites, were Daniel,^(K) Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. ⁷ The chief eunuch gave them names; he gave the name Belteshazzar to Daniel, Shadrach to Hananiah, Meshach to Mishael, and Abednego to Azariah.^(L)

Deportations to Babylon

¹⁰ At that time^(A) the servants of King Nebuchadnezzar^(B) of Babylon marched up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege. ¹¹ King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it. ¹² King Jehoiachin of Judah, along with his mother, his servants, his commanders, and his officials,^[a] surrendered to the king of Babylon.^(C)

So the king of Babylon took him captive in the eighth year of his reign. ¹³ He also carried off from there all the treasures of the Lord’s temple and the treasures of the king’s palace, and he cut into pieces all the gold articles that King Solomon of Israel had made^(D) for the Lord’s sanctuary, just as the Lord had predicted.^{(E) 14} He deported all Jerusalem and all the commanders and all the best soldiers^(F)—ten thousand captives^(G) including all the craftsmen and metalsmiths.^(H) Except for the poorest people of the land,^(I) no one remained.

¹⁵ Nebuchadnezzar deported Jehoiachin to Babylon. He took the king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officials, and the leading men of the land into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.^{(J) 16} The king of Babylon brought captive into Babylon all seven thousand of the best soldiers and one thousand craftsmen and metalsmiths—all strong and fit for war. ¹⁷ And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s^[b] uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.^(K)

Psalm 137

Lament of the Exiles