Jerusalem Destroyed

⁸ On^(A) the seventh day of the fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards, a servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem.^{(B) 9} He burned the Lord’s temple,^(C) the king’s palace,^(D) and all the houses of Jerusalem; he burned down^(E) all the great houses. ¹⁰ The whole Chaldean army with the commander of the guards tore down the walls^(F) surrounding Jerusalem. ¹¹ Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards, deported the rest of the people who were left in the city, the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the population.^{(G) 12} But the commander of the guards left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.^(H)

¹³ Now^(I) the Chaldeans broke into pieces the bronze pillars^(J) of the Lord’s temple, the water carts, and the bronze reservoir,^(K) which were in the Lord’s temple, and carried the bronze to Babylon.^{(L) 14} They also took the pots, the shovels, the wick trimmers, the dishes, and all the bronze articles used in temple service.^{(M) 15} The commander of the guards took away the firepans and the sprinkling basins—whatever was gold or silver.^(N)

¹⁶ As for the two pillars, the one reservoir, and the water carts that Solomon had made for the Lord’s temple, the weight of the bronze of all these articles was beyond measure.^{(O) 17} One pillar was 27 feet^[a] tall and had a bronze capital on top of it. The capital, encircled by a grating and pomegranates of bronze, stood five feet^[b] high. The second pillar was the same, with its own grating.^(P)

¹⁸ The commander of the guards^(Q) also took away Seraiah^(R) the chief priest, Zephaniah^(S) the priest of the second rank, and the three doorkeepers. ¹⁹ He took a court official who had been appointed over the warriors from the city; five trusted royal aides^[c](T) found in the city; the secretary of the commander of the army, who enlisted the people of the land for military duty; and 60 men from the common people^[d] who were found within the city. ²⁰ Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.^{(U) 21} The king of Babylon put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah went into exile from its land.^(V)

Gedaliah Made Governor

²² Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah^(W) son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, over the rest of the people he left in the land of Judah.^{(X) 23} When all the commanders of the armies—they and their men—heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah.^(Y) The commanders included Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite—they and their men.^{(Z) 24} Gedaliah swore an oath to them and their men, assuring them, “Don’t 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.”^(AA)

²⁵ In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with 10 men and struck down Gedaliah, and he died. Also, they killed the Judeans and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.^{(AB) 26} Then all the people, from the youngest to the oldest, and the commanders of the army, left and went to Egypt, for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.^(AC)