犹大的灭亡
1西底迦二十一岁登基，在耶路撒冷执政十一年。他母亲叫哈慕她，是立拿人耶利米的女儿。 2西底迦像约雅敬一样做耶和华视为恶的事。 3因此，耶和华向耶路撒冷和犹大的人发怒，把他们从祂面前赶走。
后来，西底迦背叛了巴比伦王。 4在他执政第九年十月十日，巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒率领全军攻打耶路撒冷，在城外扎营，修筑围城的高台。 5城一直被围困到西底迦执政第十一年。 6那年四月九日，城里饥荒非常严重，百姓无粮可吃。 7城被攻破，西底迦和士兵便在夜间穿过御花园，从两城墙中间的门逃往亚拉巴。当时迦勒底人仍四面包围着城。 8迦勒底的军队追赶西底迦，在耶利哥平原追上了他。他的军队都四散而逃。 9迦勒底人擒住西底迦，把他押到哈马的利比拉去见巴比伦王。巴比伦王在那里审判他， 10当着他的面杀了他的众子和犹大所有的首领， 11又剜去他的双眼，用铜链锁着他押往巴比伦，将他终生囚在牢里。
12巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒执政第十九年五月十日，他的臣仆——护卫长尼布撒拉旦进入耶路撒冷， 13放火焚烧耶和华的殿、王宫及城内所有的房屋。他烧毁了所有重要建筑。 14他率领的迦勒底的军队拆毁了耶路撒冷四围的城墙。 15护卫长尼布撒拉旦掳去最贫穷的人、城中的余民、投降的人和剩下的技工， 16只留下一些最贫穷的人，让他们照料葡萄园、耕种田地。
17迦勒底人打碎耶和华殿中的铜柱、铜底座和铜海，把铜运往巴比伦， 18并带走了盆、铲、蜡剪、碗、碟及一切献祭用的铜器。 19护卫长还带走了杯、火鼎、碗、盆、灯台、碟和奠酒的杯等所有金银器皿。 20所罗门王为耶和华的殿所造的两根铜柱、一个铜海、铜海下面的十二头铜牛，以及一些铜底座，用的铜多得无法计算。 21两根铜柱中空，高八米，周长五点三米，铜壁厚四指。 22铜柱有柱冠，柱冠高二点三米，周围装饰着铜网和铜石榴。两根柱子都一样。 23每根铜柱周围装饰着九十六个石榴，网子四周共有一百个石榴。
24护卫长掳走祭司长西莱雅、副祭司长西番亚、三名殿门守卫， 25又从城中掳走一名将领、王的七个亲信、一名负责招兵的书记和六十名平民， 26把他们带到利比拉去见巴比伦王。 27巴比伦王在那里处死了他们。犹大人就这样被掳去，离开了家园。
28以下是尼布甲尼撒掳去的人数：他执政第七年掳去三千零二十三名犹大人； 29执政第十八年，从耶路撒冷掳去八百三十二人； 30执政第二十三年，他的护卫长尼布撒拉旦掳去七百四十五名犹大人。总共四千六百人。
31犹大王约雅斤被掳后第三十七年，即巴比伦王以未·米罗达元年十二月二十五日，巴比伦王恩待约雅斤，释放了他， 32并好言相待，使他的地位高过被掳到巴比伦的其他各王。 33约雅斤脱去了囚服，终生与巴比伦王一起吃饭。 34在他有生之年，巴比伦王供应他每天的需用，直到他去世。
1Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.52.1 began…: Heb. reigned 2And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 3For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, till he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
4¶ And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it, and built forts against it round about. 5So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. 6And in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land. 7Then the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled, and went forth out of the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king’s garden; (now the Chaldeans were by the city round about:) and they went by the way of the plain.
8¶ But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him. 9Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; where he gave judgment upon him. 10And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he slew also all the princes of Judah in Riblah. 11Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.52.11 put out: Heb. blinded52.11 chains: or, fetters52.11 prison: Heb. house of the wards
12¶ Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard, which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem,52.12 captain…: or, chief marshal: Heb. chief of the executioners, or, slaughtermen52.12 served: Heb. stood before 13And burned the house of the LORD, and the king’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire: 14And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of Jerusalem round about. 15Then Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carried away captive certain of the poor of the people, and the residue of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude. 16But Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard left certain of the poor of the land for vinedressers and for husbandmen. 17Also the pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD, and the bases, and the brasen sea that was in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans brake, and carried all the brass of them to Babylon. 18The caldrons also, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the bowls, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away.52.18 shovels: or, instruments to remove the ashes52.18 bowls: or, basons 19And the basons, and the firepans, and the bowls, and the caldrons, and the candlesticks, and the spoons, and the cups; that which was of gold in gold, and that which was of silver in silver, took the captain of the guard away.52.19 firepans: or, censers 20The two pillars, one sea, and twelve brasen bulls that were under the bases, which king Solomon had made in the house of the LORD: the brass of all these vessels was without weight.52.20 the brass: Heb. their brass 21And concerning the pillars, the height of one pillar was eighteen cubits; and a fillet of twelve cubits did compass it; and the thickness thereof was four fingers: it was hollow.52.21 fillet: Heb. thread 22And a chapiter of brass was upon it; and the height of one chapiter was five cubits, with network and pomegranates upon the chapiters round about, all of brass. The second pillar also and the pomegranates were like unto these. 23And there were ninety and six pomegranates on a side; and all the pomegranates upon the network were an hundred round about.
24¶ And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door:52.24 door: Heb. threshold 25He took also out of the city an eunuch, which had the charge of the men of war; and seven men of them that were near the king’s person, which were found in the city; and the principal scribe of the host, who mustered the people of the land; and threescore men of the people of the land, that were found in the midst of the city.52.25 were near…: Heb. saw the face of the king52.25 principal…: or, scribe of the captain of the host 26So Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah. 27And the king of Babylon smote them, and put them to death in Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive out of his own land. 28This is the people whom Nebuchadrezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year three thousand Jews and three and twenty: 29In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty and two persons:52.29 persons: Heb. souls 30In the three and twentieth year of Nebuchadrezzar Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred forty and five persons: all the persons were four thousand and six hundred.
31¶ And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon in the first year of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison, 32And spake kindly unto him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon,52.32 kindly…: Heb. good things with him 33And changed his prison garments: and he did continually eat bread before him all the days of his life. 34And for his diet, there was a continual diet given him of the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life.52.34 every…: Heb. the matter of the day in his day
