1西底迦執政第九年十月十日，巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒率領全軍攻打耶路撒冷，在城外安營，修築圍城的高臺。 2城一直被圍困到西底迦執政第十一年。 3那年四月九日，城裡饑荒非常嚴重，百姓無糧可吃。 4城被攻破，城裡的所有士兵便在夜間穿過御花園，從兩城牆中間的門逃往亞拉巴。當時迦勒底人仍四面包圍著城。 5迦勒底軍隊追趕西底迦，在耶利哥平原追上了他，他的軍隊都四散而逃。 6迦勒底人擒住西底迦，把他押到利比拉見巴比倫王，在那裡審判他。 7巴比倫王在西底迦面前殺了他的眾子，又剜去他的雙眼，把他用銅鏈鎖著押往巴比倫。
聖殿被毀
8巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒執政第十九年五月七日，他的臣僕——護衛長尼布撒拉旦來到耶路撒冷， 9放火焚燒耶和華的殿、王宮及城內所有的房屋。他燒毀了所有重要建築。 10他率領的迦勒底軍隊拆毀了耶路撒冷四圍的城牆。 11護衛長尼布撒拉旦擄去城裡剩下的百姓、投降巴比倫王的人以及其他人， 12只留下一些最貧窮的人，讓他們照料葡萄園、耕種田地。
13迦勒底人打碎耶和華殿中的銅柱、盆座和銅海，把銅運往巴比倫， 14並帶走了盆、鏟、蠟剪、碟子及一切獻祭用的銅器。 15護衛長還帶走了火鼎、碗等一切金銀器具。
16所羅門為耶和華的殿所造的兩根銅柱、一個銅海和一些盆座，用的銅多得無法計算。 17銅柱高八米，柱頂有柱冠，高一點三五米。柱冠周圍裝飾著銅網和銅石榴。兩根柱子都一樣。
18護衛長尼布撒拉旦擄走祭司長西萊雅、副祭司長西番亞和三名殿門守衛， 19還從城中拿住一名統管士兵的將領、王的五個親信、一名負責招兵的書記和六十名平民。 20護衛長尼布撒拉旦把他們帶到利比拉去見巴比倫王， 21巴比倫王在那裡處死了他們。猶大人就這樣被擄去，離開了家園。
基大利做猶大省長
22巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒任命基大利治理猶大的餘民。基大利是沙番的孫子、亞希甘的兒子。 23猶大眾將領和他們的下屬聽到巴比倫王委任基大利治理猶大的消息後，便都到米斯巴見基大利。他們是尼探雅的兒子以實瑪利、加利亞的兒子約哈難、尼陀法人單戶篾的兒子西萊雅、瑪迦人雅撒尼亞。 24基大利向他們和他們的下屬發誓，說：「你們不用害怕那些迦勒底官員。你們住在這地方服侍巴比倫王，就會平安無事。」 25七月，王室後裔以利沙瑪的孫子、尼探雅的兒子以實瑪利帶著十個人在米斯巴刺殺了基大利以及跟他一起的猶大人和迦勒底人。 26因為害怕迦勒底人報復，猶大眾人不論貴賤，都和眾將領一起逃往埃及。
約雅斤獲釋
27巴比倫王以未·米羅達在他執政的元年十二月二十七日，即猶大王約雅斤被擄後第三十七年，施恩釋放了約雅斤， 28並好言相待，使他的地位高過被擄到巴比倫的其他各王。 29約雅斤脫去了囚衣，終生與巴比倫王一起吃飯。 30在他有生之年，巴比倫王供應他每天的需用。
1Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon. He marched out against Jerusalem. His whole army went with him. It was in the ninth year of the rule of Zedekiah. It was on the tenth day of the tenth month. Nebuchadnezzar set up camp outside the city. He brought in war machines all around it. 2It was surrounded until the 11th year of King Zedekiah’s rule.
3By the ninth day of the fourth month, there wasn’t any food left in the city. So the people didn’t have anything to eat. 4Then the Babylonians broke through the city wall. Judah’s whole army ran away at night. They went out through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden. They escaped even though the Babylonians surrounded the city. Judah’s army ran toward the Arabah Valley. 5But the Babylonian army chased King Zedekiah. They caught up with him in the plains near Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him. They had scattered in every direction. 6The king was captured.
He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah. That’s where Nebuchadnezzar decided how he would be punished. 7Nebuchadnezzar’s men killed the sons of Zedekiah. They forced him to watch it with his own eyes. Then they poked out his eyes. They put him in bronze chains. And they took him to Babylon.
8Nebuzaradan was an official of the king of Babylon. In fact, he was commander of the royal guard. He came to Jerusalem. It was in the 19th year that Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon. It was on the seventh day of the fifth month. 9Nebuzaradan set the Lord’s temple on fire. He also set fire to the royal palace and all the houses in Jerusalem. He burned down every important building. 10The whole Babylonian army broke down the walls around Jerusalem. That’s what the commander told them to do. 11Some people still remained in the city. But Nebuzaradan the commander took them away as prisoners. He also took the rest of the people of the land. That included those who had joined the king of Babylon. 12But the commander left behind some of the poorest people of the land. He told them to work in the vineyards and fields.
13The Babylonian army destroyed the Lord’s temple. They broke the bronze pillars into pieces. They broke up the bronze stands that could be moved around. And they broke up the huge bronze bowl. Then they carried the bronze away to Babylon. 14They also took away the pots, shovels, wick cutters and dishes. They took away all the bronze objects used for any purpose in the temple. 15The commander of the royal guard took away the shallow cups for burning incense. He took away the sprinkling bowls. So he took away everything made out of pure gold or silver.
16The bronze was more than anyone could weigh. It included the bronze from the two pillars, the huge bowl and the stands. Solomon had made all those things for the Lord’s temple. 17Each pillar was 27 feet high. The bronze top of one pillar was four and a half feet high. It was decorated with a set of bronze chains and pomegranates all around it. The other pillar was just like it. It also had a set of chains.
18The commander of the guard took some prisoners. They included Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah the priest who was next in rank. They also included the three men who guarded the temple doors. 19Some people were still left in the city. The commander took as a prisoner the officer who was in charge of the fighting men. He took the five men who gave advice to the king. He also took the secretary. He was the chief officer in charge of getting the people of the land to serve in the army. And he took 60 of those people serving in the army who were still in the city. 20Nebuzaradan the commander took all of them away. He brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 21There the king had them put to death. Riblah was in the land of Hamath.
So the people of Judah were taken as prisoners. They were taken far away from their own land.
22Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had left some people behind in Judah. He appointed Gedaliah to govern them. Gedaliah was the son of Ahikam. Ahikam was the son of Shaphan. 23All of Judah’s army officers and their men heard about what had happened. They heard that the king had appointed Gedaliah as governor. So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, came. So did Johanan, the son of Kareah. Seraiah, the son of Tanhumeth, also came. And so did Jaazaniah, the son of the Maakathite. All their men came too. Seraiah was from Netophah. 24Gedaliah promised to help them and their men. He spoke in a kind way to them. He said, “Don’t be afraid of the Babylonian officials. Make your homes in the land of Judah. Serve the king of Babylon. Then things will go well with you.”
25But in the seventh month Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, came with ten men. He killed Gedaliah. He also killed the people of Judah and the Babylonians who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah. Nethaniah was the son of Elishama. Ishmael was a member of the royal family. 26After he had killed Gedaliah, all the people ran away to Egypt. Everyone from the least important of them to the most important ran away. The army officers went with them. All of them went to Egypt because they were afraid of the Babylonians.
Jehoiachin Is Set Free
27Awel-Marduk set Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, free from prison. It was in the 37th year after Jehoiachin had been taken away to Babylon. It was also the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon. It was on the 27th day of the 12th month. 28Awel-Marduk spoke kindly to Jehoiachin. He gave him a place of honor. Other kings were with Jehoiachin in Babylon. But his place was more important than theirs. 29So Jehoiachin put his prison clothes away. For the rest of Jehoiachin’s life the king provided what he needed. 30The king did that for Jehoiachin day by day as long as he lived.
