Jerusalem is besieged.

1 ¶ And it came to pass² in the ninthº yearº of his reign,ºª in the tenthº month,º in the tenthº [day] of the month,º [that] Nebuchadnezzarº kingº of Babylonº came,ºª he,² and all² his host,º against² Jerusalem,º and pitchedºª against² it; and they builtºª fortsº against² it round about.º 2 And the cityº was besiegedººª unto² the eleventhºº yearº of kingº Zedekiah.º 3 And on the ninthº [day] of the [fourth] monthº the famineº prevailedºª in the city,º and there was² no² breadº for the peopleº of the land.º

Zedekiah taken, his sons slain, his eyes put out.

4 ¶ And the cityº was broken up,ºª and all² the men¹² of warº [fled] by nightº by the wayº of the gateº between² two walls,º which² [is] by² the king'sº garden:º (now the Chaldeesº [were] against² the cityº round about:)º and [the king] went¹ª² the wayº toward the plain.º 5 And the armyº of the Chaldeesº pursuedºª afterº the king,º and overtookºª him in the plainsº of Jericho:º and all² his armyº were scatteredºª from²² him. 6 So they tookºª² the king,º and brought him upºª² to² the kingº of Babylonº to Riblah;º and they gaveºª judgmentº upon² him. 7 And they slewºª the sonsº of Zedekiahº before his eyes,º and put outºª² the eyesº of Zedekiah,º and boundºª him with fetters¹ of brass,º and carriedºª him to Babylon.º

Nebuzar-adan defaceth the city, carrieth the remnant, except a few poor labourers, into captivity,

8 ¶ And in the fifthº month,º on the seventhº [day] of the month,º which² [is] the nineteenthºº¹ yearº of kingº Nebuchadnezzarº kingº of Babylon,º cameºª Nebuzaradan,º captainº of the guard,º a servantº of the kingº of Babylon,º unto Jerusalem:º 9 And he burntºª² the houseº of the LORD,º and the king'sº house,º and all² the housesº of Jerusalem,º and every² greatº [man's] houseº burntºª he with fire.º 10 And all² the armyº of the Chaldees,º that² [were with] the captainº of the guard,º brake downºª the wallsº of Jerusalemº round about.º 11 Now the restº of the peopleº [that were] leftºª in the city,º and the fugitivesºª that² fell awayºª to² the kingº of Babylon,º with the remnantº of the multitude,º did Nebuzaradanº the captainº of the guardº carry away.ºª 12 But the captainº of the guardº leftºª of the poorº² of the landº [to be] vinedressersº and husbandmen.ºªª¹ª

spoileth and carrieth away the treasures.

13 And the pillarsº of brassº that² [were] in the houseº of the LORD,º and the bases,º and the brasenº seaº that² [was] in the houseº of the LORD,º did the Chaldeesº break in pieces,ºª and carriedºª² the brassº of them to Babylon.º 14 And the pots,º and the shovels,º and the snuffers,º and the spoons,º and all² the vesselsº of brassº wherewith² they ministered,ºª took they away.ºª 15 And the firepans,º and the bowls,º [and] such things as² [were] of gold,º [in] gold,º and of silver,º [in] silver,º the captainº of the guardº took away.ºª 16 The twoº pillars,º oneº sea,º and the basesº which² Solomonº had madeºª for the houseº of the LORD;º the brassº of all² these² vesselsº was² withoutº weight.º 17 The heightº of the oneº pillarº [was] eighteenºº cubits,º and the chapiterº upon² it [was] brass:º and the heightº of the chapiterº threeº cubits;º and the wreathen work,º and pomegranatesº upon² the chapiterº round about,º all² of brass:º and like unto these² had the secondº pillarº with² wreathen work.º

The nobles are slain at Riblah.

18 ¶ And the captainº of the guardº tookºª² Seraiahº the chiefº priest,º and Zephaniahº the secondº priest,º and the threeº keepersºª of the door:º 19 And out of² the cityº he tookºª anº officerº that²² was setº over² the men¹² of war,º and fiveº men¹² of them that wereºª² in the king'sº presence,º which² were foundºª in the city,º and the principalº scribeºª of the host,º which musteredºª² the peopleº of the land,º and threescoreº menº of the peopleº² of the landº [that were] foundºª in the city:º 20 And Nebuzaradanº captainº of the guardº tookºª these, and brought¹ª² them to² the kingº of Babylonº to Riblah:º 21 And the kingº of Babylonº smoteºª them, and slewºª them at Riblahº in the landº of Hamath.º So Judahº was carried awayºª out of²² their land.º

Gedaliah, who was set over them that remained, being slain, the rest flee into Egypt.

22 ¶ And [as for] the peopleº that remainedºª in the landº of Judah,º whom² Nebuchadnezzarº kingº of Babylonº had left,ºª even over² them he made² Gedaliahº the sonº of Ahikam,º the sonº of Shaphan,º ruler.ºª 23 And when all² the captainsº of the armies,º they² and their men,¹² heardºª that² the kingº of Babylonº had made² Gedaliahº governor,ºª there cameºª to² Gedaliahº to Mizpah,º even Ishmaelº the sonº of Nethaniah,º and Johananº the sonº of Careah,º and Seraiahº the sonº of Tanhumethº the Netophathite,º and Jaazaniahº the sonº of a Maachathite,º they² and their men.¹² 24 And Gedaliahº swareºª to them, and to their men,¹² and saidºª unto them, Fearºª not² to be the servantsº² of the Chaldees:º dwellºª in the land,º and serveºª² the kingº of Babylon;º and it shall be wellºª with you. 25 But it came to pass² in the seventhº month,º that Ishmaelº the sonº of Nethaniah,º the sonº of Elishama,º of the seedº² royal,º came,ºª and tenº men¹² with² him, and smoteºª² Gedaliah,º that he died,ºª and the Jewsº and the Chaldeesº that² were² with² him at Mizpah.º 26 And all² the people,º both smallº² and great,º and the captainsº of the armies,º arose,ºª and cameºª to Egypt:º for² they were afraidºª ofº² the Chaldees.º

Evil-merodach advanceth Jehoiachin in his court.

27 ¶ And it came to pass² in the sevenº and thirtiethº yearº of the captivityº of Jehoiachinº kingº of Judah,º in the twelfthºº month,º on the sevenº and twentiethº [day] of the month,º [that] Evilmerodachº kingº of Babylonº in the yearº that he began to reignºª did lift upºª² the headº of Jehoiachinº kingº of Judahº out of prison;ºº² 28 And he spakeºª kindlyº to² him, and setºª² his throneº above²² the throneº of the kingsº that² [were] with² him in Babylon;º 29 And changedºª² his prisonº garments:º and he did eatºª breadº continuallyº beforeº him all² the daysº of his life.º 30 And his allowanceº [was] a continualº allowanceº givenºª him of²² the king,º a dailyº rateº for every day,º all² the daysº of his life.º