Jerusalem Is Captured
(2 Kings 24.18—25.302 Chronicles 36.11-21)1 Zedekiah was 21 years old when he was appointed king of Judah, and he ruled from Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother Hamutal was the daughter of Jeremiah from the town of Libnah. 2 Zedekiah disobeyed the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done, 3 and it was Zedekiah who finally rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar.
The people of Judah and Jerusalem had made the Lord so angry that he finally turned his back on them. That's why horrible things were happening there.
4 In Zedekiah's ninth year as king, on the tenth day of the tenth month, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia led his entire army to attack Jerusalem. The troops set up camp outside the city and built ramps up to the city walls.
5-6 After a year and a half, all the food in Jerusalem was gone. Then on the ninth day of the fourth month, 7 the Babylonian troops broke through the city wall. That same night, Zedekiah and his soldiers tried to escape through the gate near the royal garden, even though they knew the enemy had the city surrounded. They headed toward the Jordan River valley, 8 but the Babylonian troops caught up with them near Jericho. The Babylonians arrested Zedekiah, but his soldiers scattered in every direction. 9 Zedekiah was taken to Riblah in the land of Hamath, where Nebuchadnezzar put him on trial and found him guilty. 10 Zedekiah's sons and the officials of Judah were killed while he watched, 11 then his eyes were poked out. He was put in chains, then dragged off to Babylon and kept in prison until he died.
12 Jerusalem was captured during Nebuchadnezzar's nineteenth year as king of Babylonia.
About a month later, Nebuchadnezzar's officer in charge of the guards arrived in Jerusalem. His name was Nebuzaradan, 13 and he burned down the Lord's temple, the king's palace, and every important building in the city, as well as all the houses. 14 Then he ordered the Babylonian soldiers to break down the walls around Jerusalem. 15 He led away the people left in the city, including everyone who had become loyal to Nebuchadnezzar, the rest of the skilled workers, and even some of the poor people of Judah. 16 Only the very poorest were left behind to work the vineyards and the fields.
17-20 Nebuzaradan ordered his soldiers to go to the temple and take everything made of gold or silver, including bowls, fire pans, sprinkling bowls, pans, lampstands, dishes for incense, and the cups for wine offerings. The Babylonian soldiers took all the bronze things used for worship at the temple, including the pans for hot ashes, and the shovels, lamp snuffers, sprinkling bowls, and dishes for incense. The soldiers also took everything else made of bronze, including the two columns that stood in front of the temple, the large bowl called the Sea, the twelve bulls that held it up, and the movable stands. The soldiers broke these things into pieces so they could take them to Babylonia. There was so much bronze that it could not be weighed. 21 For example, the columns were about 8 meters high and 5.5 meters around. They were hollow, but the bronze was about 75 millimeters thick. 22 Each column had a bronze cap over 2 meters high that was decorated with bronze designs. Some of these designs were like chains and others were like pomegranates. 23 There were 96 pomegranates evenly spaced around each column, and a total of 100 pomegranates were located above the chains.
24 Next, Nebuzaradan arrested Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah his assistant, and three temple officials. 25 Then he arrested one of the army commanders, seven of King Zedekiah's personal advisors, and the officer in charge of gathering the troops for battle. He also found 60 more soldiers who were still in Jerusalem. 26-27 Nebuzaradan led them to Riblah in the land of Hamath, where Nebuchadnezzar had them killed.
The people of Judah no longer lived in their own country.
People of Judah Taken Prisoner
28-30 Here is a list of the number of the people of Judah that Nebuchadnezzar took to Babylonia as prisoners:
In his seventh year as king, he took 3,023 people.In his eighteenth year as king, he took 832 from Jerusalem.In his twenty-third year as king, his officer Nebuzaradan took 745 people.
So, Nebuchadnezzar took a total of 4,600 people from Judah to Babylonia.
Jehoiachin Is Set Free
(2 Kings 25.27-30)31 Jehoiachin was a prisoner in Babylon for 37 years. Then Evil Merodach became king of Babylonia, and in the first year of his rule, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, he let Jehoiachin out of prison. 32 Evil Merodach was kind to Jehoiachin and honored him more than any of the other kings held prisoner there. 33 Jehoiachin was allowed to wear regular clothes instead of a prison uniform, and he even ate at the king's table every day. 34 As long as Jehoiachin lived, he was paid a daily allowance to buy whatever he needed.
Atskats uz Jeruzālemes krišanu
(2Ķēn 24:18–25:262L 36:11–20Jer 39:1–10)1 Cedekija kļuva par ķēniņu divdesmit viena gada vecumā un valdīja Jeruzālemē vienpadsmit gadus. Viņa mātes vārds bija Hamūtala, Jeremijas meita, no Libnas. 2 Viņš darīja to, kas ļauns Kunga acīs, gluži kā bija darījis Jehojākīms. 3a Tā notika ar Jeruzālemi un Jūdu Kunga dusmu dēļ – viņš padzina tos projām no sevis.
3b Bet Cedekija sadumpojās pret Bābeles ķēniņu. 4 Un viņa valdīšanas devītajā gadā, desmitajā mēneša dienā, Bābeles ķēniņš Nebūkadnecars ar visu savu karaspēku nāca pret Jeruzālemi, aplenca to un uzcēla tai visapkārt aplenkuma valni. 5 Pilsēta bija aplenkumā līdz ķēniņa Cedekijas vienpadsmitajam gadam.
6 Un ceturtajā mēnesī, mēneša devītajā dienā, pilsētā pieņēmās spēkā bads un vienkāršajiem ļaudīm vairs nebija maizes. 7 Tad kaldieši ielauzās pilsētā, un visi karavīri bēga un naktī pameta pilsētu pa ķēniņa dārza ceļu caur vārtiem starp abiem mūriem un devās projām pa klajumu ceļu. 8 Un kaldiešu karaspēks dzinās pakaļ ķēniņam un panāca Cedekiju Jērikas klajumos, bet viss viņa karaspēks aizklīda projām. 9 Un tie saņēma ķēniņu ciet un aizveda pie Bābeles ķēniņa uz Riblu, Hamātas zemē, un viņš teica tam spriedumu. 10 Un Bābeles ķēniņš nokāva Cedekijas dēlus viņa acu priekšā, un Riblā nokāva arī visus Jūdas augstmaņus. 11 Viņš laupīja Cedekijam acugaismu un sasēja viņu dzelzs važās, un Bābeles ķēniņš aizveda viņu uz Bābeli un ielika viņu soda namā līdz viņa nāves dienai.
12 Un piektajā mēnesī, mēneša desmitajā dienā – tas bija Bābeles ķēniņa Nebūkadnecara deviņpadsmitais valdīšanas gads – nāca sardzes vadonis Nebūzaradāns, kas bija Bābeles ķēniņa dienestā Jeruzālemē. 13 Viņš nodedzināja Kunga namu, ķēniņa namu un visus Jeruzālemes namus, visus lielos namus viņš ar uguni nodedzināja! 14 Kaldiešu karaspēks, kas bija pakļauts sardzes vadonim, noplēsa visus Jeruzālemes mūrus – visapkārt! 15 Un sardzes vadonis Nebūzaradāns aizveda trimdā gan nabagos ļaudis, gan atlikušo tautu, kas pilsētā bija palikusi, gan atkritējus, kas bija pārgājuši Bābeles ķēniņa pusē, gan atlikušos amatniekus. 16 Dažus no nabagu ļaudīm sardzes vadonis Nebūzaradāns atstāja par vīna dārzniekiem un arājiem. 17 Vara stabus, kas bija Kunga namā, pamatnes un vara jūru, kas bija Kunga namā, kaldieši sadauzīja un varu aiznesa uz Bābeli. 18 Viņi paņēma katlus, liekšķeres, dzirkles, laistāmos traukus, kausus un visus vara rīkus, ko lietoja namā. 19 Sardzes vadonis paņēma bļodas, ogļu pannas, laistāmos traukus, katlus, gaismekļus, kausus un upurtraukus – tie bija no zelta zeltā un no sudraba sudrabā! 20 Divi stabi, viena jūra, divpadsmit vērši, kas bija zem pamatnēm, kurus Kunga namam bija darinājis ķēniņš Sālamans, – ne nosvērt visas šīs lietas, cik daudz tur bija vara! 21 Stabi – astoņpadsmit elkoņu augsts bija ik stabs! Aukla – divpadsmit elkoņu garumā vijās tiem apkārt! Katrs stabs četru pirkstu biezumā, vidū tukšs. 22 Uz katra stāvēja vara kapitelis – katrs kapitelis piecu elkoņu augstumā! Tīkls un granātāboli bija visapkārt kapitelim – viss no vara! Viens stabs bija kā otrs un granātāboli tāpat! 23 Visā platumā bija deviņdesmit seši granātāboli, pa visu tīklu bija simts granātābolu!
24 Sardzes vadonis paņēma virspriesteri Serāju un otro priesteri Cefanju, un trīs durvju sargus, 25 un no pilsētas viņš paņēma einuhu, kas bija karavīru uzraugs, un septiņus vīrus no ķēniņa galma, kurus atrada pilsētā, un karaspēka pavēlnieka rakstvedi, kurš bija musinājis nabagos ļaudis, un sešdesmit vīrus no nabagu ļaudīm, kuri atradās pilsētā. 26 Sardzes vadonis Nebūzaradāns ņēma viņus un aizveda uz Bābeli, uz Riblu. 27 Un Bābeles ķēniņš tos nonāvēja Riblā, Hamātas zemē. Aizveda trimdā Jūdu no savas zemes!
28 Šie ir ļaudis, kurus savas valdīšanas septītajā gadā aizveda trimdā Nebūkadnecars – trīs tūkstoši divdesmit trīs jūdi. 29 Nebūkadnecara astoņpadsmitajā gadā no Jeruzālemes aizveda astoņi simti trīsdesmit divus. 30 Nebūkadnecara divdesmit trešajā gadā sardzes vadonis Nebūzaradāns aizveda trimdā jūdus – septiņi simti četrdesmit piecus. Kopā – četri tūkstoši seši simti.
Jehojāhīns tiek apžēlots
(2Ķēn 25:27–30)31 Trīsdesmit septītajā Jūdas ķēniņa Jehojāhīna trimdas gadā, divpadsmitajā mēnesī, mēneša divdesmit piektajā dienā, Bābelē par ķēniņu kļuva Evīl-Mrodahs, un viņš apžēloja Jūdas ķēniņu Jehojāhīnu un izlaida viņu no cietuma. 32 Viņš runāja uz viņu labu un lika viņa troni augstāk par visu to ķēniņu troņiem, kuri bija kopā ar viņu Bābelē. 33 Un viņš novilka cietuma drānas un ēda maizi viņa priekšā ilgi – visas sava mūža dienas. 34 Bābeles ķēniņš viņam deva uzturu, mūža uzturu, kā bija teicis – ik dienu līdz pat viņa nāvei, visas viņa mūža dienas!
