Beginning

23 which king sent, and all the eld men of Judah, and of Jerusalem, were gathered to him. (and the king sent for all the elders of Judah, and of Jerusalem, and they were gathered unto him.)

² And the king went up into the temple of the Lord, and all the men of Judah, and all the men that dwelled in Jerusalem with him, the priests and the prophets, and all the people from little unto great; and the king read, while all men heard, all the words of the book of [the] bond of peace of the Lord, the which was found in the house of the Lord. (And the king went up into the Temple of the Lord, and all the men of Judah, and all the men who lived in Jerusalem with him, the priests and the prophets, and all the people from the little unto the great; and the king read, while all the men listened, all the words of The Book of the Covenant of the Lord, which had been found in the House of the Lord.)

³ And the king stood on the degrees; and smote a bond of peace before the Lord, that they would go after the Lord, and keep his commandments and witnessings and ceremonies in all their heart and in all their soul, and that they should raise up the words of this bond of peace, that were written in that book; and the people assented to the covenant. (And the king stood on the steps; and struck a covenant before the Lord, that they would follow the Lord, and keep his commandments and testimonies and statutes, with all their heart and with all their soul, and that they would raise up the words of this covenant that were written in that book; and the people agreed to the covenant.)

⁴ And the king commanded to Hilkiah, the bishop, and to the priests of the second order, and to the porters, that they should cast out of the temple [of the Lord] all the vessels, that were made to Baal, and in the maumet wood, and to all the knighthood of (the) heaven(s); and he burnt those vessels without Jerusalem, in the even valley of Kidron, and he bare the powder of those vessels into Bethel. (And the king commanded to the High Priest Hilkiah, and to the priests of the second order, and to the guards, that they should throw out of the Temple of the Lord all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven; and he burned those vessels outside Jerusalem, in the Kidron Valley, and he brought the powder of those vessels to Bethel.)

⁵ And he did away [the] false diviners, which the kings of Judah had set to make sacrifice in (the) high things by the cities of Judah, and in the compass of Jerusalem; and he did away them that burnt incense to Baal, and to the sun, and to the moon, and to (the) twelve signs, and to all the knighthood of (the) heaven(s). (And he did away the false diviners, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make sacrifice in the hill shrines in the cities of Judah, and all around Jerusalem; and he did away those who burned incense to Baal, and to the sun, and to the moon, and to the twelve signs, yea, to all the host of heaven.)

⁶ And the king made the wood of maumetry to be borne out of the house of the Lord, without Jerusalem, in(to) the even valley of Kidron, and he burnt it there; and he drove it into powder, and casted it forth upon the sepulchres of the common people. (And the king ordered the sacred pole of that idol, or that false god, Asherah to be taken out of the House of the Lord, and out of Jerusalem, to the Kidron Valley, and he burned it there; and he drove it down into powder, and threw it forth onto the tombs, or the graves, of the common people.)

⁷ Also he destroyed the little houses of [the] womanish men, the which houses were in the house of the Lord; for the which houses women weaved, or wattled, as little houses of the wood. (And he destroyed the little houses of the male whores of the Temple, which houses were attached to the House of the Lord; and where women weaved, or wattled, vestments used in honouring and worshipping Asherah.)

⁸ And he gathered all the priests from the cities of Judah, and he defouled the high things, where the priests made sacrifice, from Geba unto Beersheba; and he destroyed the altars of the gates (that were) in the entering of the door of Joshua, (who was the) prince of a city, which door was at the left half of the gate of the city. (And he gathered all the priests from the cities of Judah, and he defiled the hill shrines, where the priests made sacrifice, from Geba unto Beersheba; and he destroyed the altars of the demons that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua, who was the ruler of the city, which gate was on the left side of the city gate.)

⁹ Nevertheless the priests of [the] high things went not up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but only they ate therf loaves in the midst of their brethren. (Now the priests of the hill shrines did not go up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they did eat the unleavened bread in the midst of their kinsmen.)

¹⁰ Also he defouled Topheth, which is in the even valley of the son of Hinnom, (so) that no man should hallow his son either his daughter by fire to Moloch. (And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of Ben-hinnom, so that no man would sacrifice his son or his daughter in the fire to Moloch.)

¹¹ Also he did away [the] horses, that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, in the entering of the temple of the Lord, beside the chamber of Nathanmelech, the gelding, that was in (the) Parvarim, (that is, the suburbs, or the living quarters); forsooth he burnt by fire the chariots of the sun. (And he did away the horses, that the kings of Judah had erected to the sun, at the entrance to the Temple of the Lord, beside the chamber of Nathanmelech, the eunuch, that was in the Parvarim, that is, in the suburbs, or the living quarters; and he burned up the chariots of the sun.)

¹² Also the king destroyed the altars, that were on the roofs of the solar of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made; and the king destroyed the altars, which Manasseh had made in the two great places of the temple of the Lord; and he ran from thence, and scattered the ashes of those altars into the strand of Kidron. (And the king destroyed the altars that were on the roof of the solarium of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made; and the king destroyed the altars which Manasseh had made in the two great courtyards of the Temple of the Lord; and he went from there, and scattered the ashes of those altars in the Kidron Valley.)

¹³ Also the king defouled the high things, that were in Jerusalem at the right half of the hill of offence, that is, the hill of Olivet, which Solomon, king of Israel, had builded to Ashtoreth, the idol of Sidonians, and to Chemosh, the offence of Moab, and to Malcham, the abomination of the sons of Ammon; (And the king defiled the hill shrines that were east of Jerusalem, on the right side of the hill of offence, that is, south of the Mount of Olives, which Solomon, the king of Israel, had built for Ashtoreth, the false god of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh, the offensive god of Moab, and for Milcom, the abominable god of the Ammonites;)

¹⁴ and he all-brake [the] images, and cutted down (the) [maumet] woods (and cut down the sacred poles of Asherah), and filled the places of those with the bones of dead men.

¹⁵ Furthermore also he destroyed the altar that was in Bethel, and the high solemn thing, which Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, had made, that made Israel to do sin; and he destroyed that high altar, and burnt it, and all-brake it into powder, and cutted down also the [maumet] wood. (And furthermore he destroyed the altar that was in Bethel, and the hill shrine, which Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, had made, who had made Israel to do sin; and he destroyed that high altar, and burned it, and broke it all into powder, and also cut down the sacred pole of Asherah.)

¹⁶ And Josiah turned, and saw there sepulchres that were in the hill; and he sent, and took the bones from the sepulchres, and burnt those on the altar, and defouled it, after the word of the Lord, that the man of God spake, that before-said these words. (And Josiah turned, and saw the tombs, or the graves, that were there on the hill; and he sent for, and took all the bones from those tombs, or those graves, and burned them on the altar, and defiled it, after the word of the Lord, that the man of God spoke, who foretold these things.)

¹⁷ And the king said, What is this burial, that I see? [Whose is this tomb that I see?] And the citizens of that city answered to him, It is the sepulchre of the man of God, that came from Judah, and before-said these words (and foretold these things), which thou hast done upon the altar of Bethel.

¹⁸ And the king said, Suffer ye him (Do not ye touch him); no man move his bones. And (so) his bones dwelled untouched with the bones of the prophet, that came from Samaria.

¹⁹ Furthermore also Josiah did away all the temples of [the] high things, that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to stir the Lord to ire; and he did to those temples by all things which he had done in Bethel. (And furthermore Josiah did away all the temples of the hill shrines that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had built, and had so stirred the Lord to anger; and he did to those temples all the things which he had done to the temples in Bethel.)

²⁰ And he killed all the priests of [the] high things, that were there upon the altars, and he burnt men’s bones on those altars; and he turned again to Jerusalem; (And he killed all the priests of the hill shrines, who were there at the altars, and he burned the bones of people upon those altars; and then he returned to Jerusalem;)

²¹ and he commanded to all the people, and said, Make ye pask to the Lord your God, after that, that is written in the book of this bond of peace. (and he commanded to all the people, and said, Keep ye the Passover to the Lord your God, after what is written in this Book of the Covenant.)

²² Certainly such a pask was not made, from the days of judges that deemed Israel, and of all the days of the kings of Israel, and of Judah, (Certainly such a Passover was not kept, from the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, or of Judah,)

²³ as this pask (that) was made to the Lord in Jerusalem in the eighteenth year of king Josiah.

²⁴ But also Josiah did away men having fiends speaking in their wombs, and false diviners in altars, and he did away the figures of idols, and all [the] uncleannesses, and [the] abominations, that were in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he should do the words of the law, that were written in the book, that Hilkiah, the priest, found in the temple of the Lord. (And Josiah also did away men having fiends speaking in their wombs, and false diviners at altars, and the figures of idols, and all the uncleannesses, and the abominations, that were in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, so that he would do all the words of the Law, that were written in the book that the High Priest Hilkiah had found in the Temple of the Lord.)

²⁵ No king before him was like him, that turned again to the Lord in all his heart, and in all his soul, and in all his strength, after all the law of Moses; neither after him rose (up) any like him. (There was no king like him before him, who had turned again to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his strength, after all the Law of Moses; nor did there rise up any king like him after him.)

²⁶ Nevertheless the Lord was not turned away from the ire of his great vengeance, by which his strong vengeance was wroth against Judah, for the stirrings to ire by which Manasseh had stirred him to ire.

²⁷ Therefore the Lord said, I shall do away also Judah from my face, as I did away Israel; and I shall cast away this city Jerusalem, which I chose, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there. (And so the Lord said, I shall also do away Judah from before me, as I did away Israel; and I shall throw away this city of Jerusalem, which I chose, and the House of which I said, My name shall always be there.)

²⁸ Forsooth the residue of the words of Josiah, and all things that he did, whether these be not written in the book of [the] words of [the] days of the kings of Judah?

²⁹ In the days of Josiah, Pharaoh Necho, the king of Egypt, went up against the king of Assyrians, to the flood Euphrates; and Josiah, king of Judah, went into the meeting of Pharaoh, to forbid him to pass through Judah; and Josiah was slain in Megiddo, when he had seen Pharaoh. (In the days of Josiah, Pharaoh Necho, the king of Egypt, went up to the Euphrates River to help the king of Assyria; and Josiah, the king of Judah, went out against Pharaoh, to forbid him to pass through Judah; and Josiah was killed at Megiddo, when he met Pharaoh in battle.)

³⁰ And his servants bare him dead from Megiddo, and brought him into Jerusalem, and buried him in his sepulchre; and the people of the land took Jehoahaz^[a], the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king for his father (and made him king in place of his father).

³¹ Jehoahaz was of three and twenty years, when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem; the name of his mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremy of Libnah.

³² And he did evil before the Lord, by all things which his fathers had done.

³³ And Pharaoh Necho bound him in prison in Riblah, that is in the land of Hamath, that he should not reign in Jerusalem; and Pharaoh set a pain, either a fine, to the land of Judah, in an hundred talents of silver, and in one talent of gold (and Pharaoh put a fine on the land of Judah, of a hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold).

³⁴ And Pharaoh Necho made king Eliakim, the son of Josiah, for Josiah, his father (And Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim, Josiah’s son, to be king in place of his father); and he turned the name of him to Jehoiakim; forsooth Pharaoh took Jehoahaz (away), and led him into Egypt, (and he died there).

³⁵ Soothly Jehoiakim gave silver and gold to Pharaoh, when he had commanded to the land by all years, that it should be brought, by the commandment of Pharaoh; and Jehoiakim raised of each man by his mights, or after his power, both silver and gold, of the people of the land, that he should give to Pharaoh Necho. (And Jehoiakim paid the silver and gold to Pharaoh, in all the years that he commanded over the land, that it should be brought in, by Pharaoh’s commandment; and Jehoiakim raised both the silver, and the gold, from the people of the land, yea, out of each man’s own wealth, so that he could pay it to Pharaoh Necho.)

³⁶ Jehoiakim was of five and twenty years, when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; the name of his mother was Zebudah, the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.

³⁷ And he did evil before the Lord, by all things which his fathers had done.

24 In the days of Jehoiakim, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, went up into Judah, and Jehoiakim was made (a) servant to him by three years; and again Jehoiakim rebelled against him. (Now in the days of Jehoiakim, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, went up into Judah, and Jehoiakim was made his servant for three years; and then Jehoiakim rebelled against him.)

² And the Lord sent to him thieves of Chaldees, and thieves of Syria, and thieves of Moab, and thieves of the sons of Ammon; and he sent them into Judah, that he should destroy it, by the word of the Lord, which he spake by his servants (the) prophets. (And the Lord sent against him thieves of the Chaldeans, and thieves from Syria, and from Moab, and of the Ammonites; and he sent them into Judah to destroy it, by the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servants the prophets.)

³ Forsooth this was done by the word of the Lord against Judah, that he should do away it (from) before himself, for the sins of Manasseh, and all things which he did, (This was done by the word of the Lord against the people of Judah, so that he would do them away from his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, and all the things which he did,)

⁴ and for the guiltless blood that he shed out; and he filled Jerusalem with the blood of innocents; and for this thing the Lord would not do mercy.

⁵ Forsooth the residue of [the] words of Jehoiakim, and all things which he did, whether these be not written in the book of [the] words of (the) days of the kings of Judah?

⁶ And Jehoiakim slept with his fathers, and Jehoiachin, his son, reigned for him.

⁷ And the king of Egypt added no more to go out of his land; for the king of Babylon had taken all things that were the king’s of Egypt, from the strand of Egypt unto the flood Euphrates (from the River of Egypt unto the Euphrates River).

⁸ Jehoiachin was of eighteen years, when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem; the name of his mother was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.

⁹ And he did evil before the Lord, by all things that his father had done.

¹⁰ In that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, went up against Jerusalem, and the city was compassed with besiegings.

¹¹ And Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to the city with his servants, that he should fight against it (so that he could fight against it).

¹² And Jehoiachin, king of Judah, went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his chamberlains; and the king of Babylon received him, in the eighth year of his realm (and the king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign).

¹³ And he brought forth from thence all the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king’s house; and he beat together all the golden vessels, which Solomon, king of Israel, had made in the temple of the Lord, by the word of the Lord. (And he brought back from there all the treasures from the House of the Lord, and the treasures from the king’s palace; and he broke up all the gold vessels, which Solomon, the king of Israel, had made for the Temple of the Lord, by the word of the Lord.)

¹⁴ And he translated all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the strong men of the host, ten thousand, into captivity, and each craftsman, and goldsmith; and nothing was left, except the poor people/s of the land. (And he carried away all the people of Jerusalem, and all the leaders, and all the strong men of the army, ten thousand altogether, into captivity, and also each craftsman, and each goldsmith; and no one was left, except the poor people of the land.)

¹⁵ Also he translated Jehoiachin into Babylon, and the mother of the king, the wives of the king, and the chamberlains of the king; and he led the judges of the land into captivity from Jerusalem into Babylon; (And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king’s mother, and the king’s wives, and the king’s chamberlains; and he led away the judges of the land from Jerusalem into captivity in Babylon;)

¹⁶ and all the strong men, seven thousand; and craftsmen and goldsmiths, a thousand; yea, all (of the) strong men and warriors; and the king of Babylon led them (away as) prisoners into Babylon.

¹⁷ And he ordained Mattaniah, the brother of his father, (that is, Jehoiachin’s uncle,) (to reign) for him; and putted to him the name Zedekiah. (And he ordained Mattaniah, the brother of Jehoiachin’s father, to be king in place of him; and he changed his name to Zedekiah.)

¹⁸ Zedekiah had one and twenty years of age, when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; the name of his mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremy of Libnah. (Zedekiah was twenty-one years old, when he began to reign, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem; the name of his mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.)

¹⁹ And he did evil before the Lord, by all things that Jehoiakim had done.

²⁰ For the Lord was wroth against Jerusalem, and against Judah, till he casted them away from his face; and Zedekiah went away from the king of Babylon. (And because of that, the Lord was so angry against Jerusalem, and Judah, that he threw them away from his face; and then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.)

25 Forsooth it was done in the ninth year of his realm, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came, he, and all his host, into Jerusalem; and they compassed it, and builded strongholds in the compass thereof. (And it was done in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, came, he, and all his army, into Jerusalem; and they encompassed, or surrounded, it, and built strongholds all around it.)

² And the city was closed, and compassed, till to the eleventh year of king Zedekiah, (And the city was enclosed, and encompassed, or surrounded, until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.)

³ in the ninth day of the month; and hunger had mastery in the city, and there was not bread to the people of the land. (And on the ninth day of the month, famine had the mastery in the city, and there was no food for the people of the land.)

⁴ And the city was broken (into), and all (the) men warriors fled in the night by the way of the gate, that is betwixt the double wall, toward the garden of the king; soothly the Chaldees besieged the city in compass/about. Therefore Zedekiah fled by the way that leadeth to the field places of the wilderness;

⁵ and the host of Chaldees pursued the king, and took him in the plain of Jericho; and all the warriors, that were with him, were scattered abroad, and left him. (and the Chaldean army pursued the king, and overtook him/and took hold of him on the plains of Jericho; and all the warriors, who were with him, scattered everywhere, and left him all alone.)

⁶ Therefore they led the king taken to the king of Babylon, into Riblah, which spake doom with him, that is, with Zedekiah. (And so they captured the king, and led him to the king of Babylon, at Riblah, who spoke judgement upon him, that is, upon Zedekiah.)

⁷ Soothly he killed the sons of Zedekiah before him, and putted out his eyes, and bound him with chains, and led him into Babylon.

⁸ In the fifth month, in the seventh day of the month, that is the nineteenth year of (Nebuchadnezzar,) the king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, prince of the host, [the] servant of the king of Babylon, came into Jerusalem; (In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, that is the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the leader of the army/the captain of the guard, the servant of the king of Babylon, came into Jerusalem;)

⁹ and he burnt the house of the Lord, and the house of the king, and the houses of Jerusalem, and he burnt by fire each house thereof; (and he burned down the House of the Lord, and the house of the king, and the houses of Jerusalem, yea, he burned down every house there;)

¹⁰ and all the host of Chaldees, that was with the prince of knights, destroyed the walls of Jerusalem in compass. (and all the army of the Chaldeans, that was with the leader of the horsemen, or of the army, destroyed the walls of Jerusalem all around.)

¹¹ Forsooth Nebuzaradan, prince of the chivalry, translated the tother part of the people, that dwelled in the city, and the fleers, that had fled over to the king of Babylon, and the remnant common people; (And Nebuzaradan, the leader of the cavalry, or of the army/the captain of the guard, carried away the other part of the people, who lived in the city, and the fleers, who had fled over to the king of Babylon, and the remnant of the common people;)

¹² and he left of the poor men of the land vine-tillers, and earth-tillers. (but he left of the poor people of the land the vine-tillers, and the earth-tillers.)

¹³ Soothly Chaldees brake the brazen pillars, that were in the temple, and the foundaments, and the sea of brass, that was in the house of the Lord; and they translated, or bare over, all the metal into Babylon. (And the Chaldeans broke up the bronze pillars, that were in the Temple, and their bases, and the Sea of bronze, that was in the House of the Lord; and they carried away all the bronze to Babylon.)

¹⁴ And they took the pots of brass, and trowels, and fleshhooks, and cups, and mortars, and all [the] brazen vessels, in which they ministered; (And they took away the bronze pots, and the trowels, and fleshhooks, and cups, and spoons, and all the other bronze vessels, with which they ministered;)

¹⁵ and censers also, and vials. The prince of the chivalry took those things that were of gold, and those that were of silver, (and also the censers, and basins. The leader of the cavalry, or of the army/The captain of the guard took away those things that were made out of gold, and made out of silver,)

¹⁶ that is, two pillars, one sea, and the foundaments, or bases, which king Solomon had made to the temple of the Lord (that is, the two pillars, the one Sea, and the foundations, or the bases, which King Solomon had made for the Temple of the Lord); and there was no certain weight of [the] metal of all the vessels.

¹⁷ One pillar had eighteen cubits of height, and a brazen pommel upon it of the height of three cubits, and a work like a net, and pomegranates upon the pommel of the pillar, all things of brass; and the second pillar had like adorning. (One pillar was eighteen cubits in height, and had a bronze capital upon it the height of three cubits, and a network, and pomegranates upon the capital of the pillar, all things made out of bronze; and the second pillar had like adorning.)

¹⁸ Also the prince of the chivalry took Seraiah, the first priest, and Zephaniah, the second priest, and [the] three porters, (And the leader of the cavalry, or of the army/the captain of the guard took Seraiah, the first priest, and Zephaniah, the second priest, and the three guards,)

¹⁹ and an honest (and chaste) servant of the city, that was sovereign over [the] men warriors, and five men of them that stood before the king, which he found in the city; and he took (the) Sopher, (that is,) the prince of the host, that proved [the] young knights, either (the) men able to battle, of the people of the land, and six(ty) men of the commons, that were found in the city; (and a eunuch of the city, who was the ruler over the warriors, and five men of those who stood before the king, whom he found in the city; and he took the Sopher, that is, the leader in the army, who proved the young soldiers to be able for battle, of the people of the land, and sixty common men, who were also found in the city;)

²⁰ (all of) which Nebuzaradan, prince of the chivalry, took, and led to the king of Babylon, into Riblah. (all of whom Nebuzaradan, the leader of the cavalry, or of the army/the captain of the guard, took hold of, and led captive to the king of Babylon, in Riblah.)

²¹ And the king of Babylon smote them, and killed them in Riblah, in the land of Hamath; and Judah was translated from his land. (And the king of Babylon struck them down, and killed them in Riblah, in the land of Hamath; and so the people of Judah were taken away from their land.)

²² Soothly Nebuchadnezzar made Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, sovereign to the people, that was left in the land of Judah; which people Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had left in Judah. (And Nebuchadnezzar made Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to be the ruler of the people, who were left in the land of Judah; which people Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had left there in Judah.)

²³ And when all the dukes of knights had heard these things, they, and all the men that were with them, that is, that the king of Babylon had ordained Gedaliah to be their sovereign in Judah, they came to Gedaliah, in Mizpah, (that is,) Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, and Johanan, son of Careah, and Seraiah, son of Tanhumeth of Netophah, and Jaazaniah, son of (a) Maachathite, they, and the fellows of them. (And when all the leaders of the horsemen, they and all the men who were with them, had heard these things, that is, that the king of Babylon had ordained Gedaliah to be their ruler in Judah, they came to Gedaliah in Mizpah; that is, Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan, the son of Careah, and Seraiah, the son of Tanhumeth of Netophah, and Jaazaniah, the son of a Maachathite, they, and all their fellows came.)

²⁴ And Gedaliah swore to them, and to the fellows of them, and said, Do not ye dread to serve the Chaldees; dwell ye in the land, and serve ye the king of Babylon, and it shall be well to you. (And Gedaliah swore to them, and to their fellows, and said, Do not ye fear to serve the Chaldeans; live ye in the land, and serve ye the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.)

²⁵ Forsooth it was done in the seventh month, that is, since Gedaliah was made sovereign, (that) Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the king’s seed, came, and ten men with him, and they smote Gedaliah, which died; but also they smited [the] Jews and [the] Chaldees, that were with him in Mizpah. (And it was done in the seventh month, that is, since Gedaliah was made the ruler, that Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the king’s descendants, came, and ten men with him, and they struck down Gedaliah, and he died; and they also struck down the Jews and the Chaldeans, who were with him in Mizpah.)

²⁶ And all the people rose, from the little unto the great, and the princes of knights, and they came, or fled, into Egypt, and dreaded the Chaldees. (And all the people, from the little unto the great, and the leaders of the horsemen, rose up, and they fled to Egypt, for they feared the Chaldeans.)

²⁷ Therefore it was done in the seven and thirtieth year of the transmigration, either passing over, of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the seven and twentieth day of the month, Evilmerodach, king of Babylon, in the year in which he began to reign, raised [up] the head of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, from prison, (And so it was done in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that Evilmerodach, the king of Babylon, in the year in which he began to reign, raised up the head of Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, and released him from prison,)

²⁸ and spake to him benignly; and he set the throne of Jehoiachin above the throne of (the) kings, that were with him in Babylon. (and spoke kindly to him; and he put Jehoiachin’s seat above the seats of the other kings, who were with him for meals in Babylon.)

²⁹ And Evilmerodach changed the clothes of Jehoiachin that he had (worn) in prison; and he ate bread ever[more] in the sight of Evilmerodach, in all the days of his life.

³⁰ Also Evilmerodach ordained sustenance for Jehoiachin without ceasing; which sustenance also was given of the king to him by all days, in all the days of his life. (And Evilmerodach ordered a regular allowance for Jehoiachin; yea, each day this allowance was given to him by the king, for all the remaining days of his life.)