예루살렘 함락과 바빌론의 포로가 된 유다 백성
1시드기야왕 9년 10월 10일에 바빌로니아의 느부갓네살왕이 그의 모든 군대를 이끌고 와서 예루살렘 주변에 토성을 쌓고
2시드기야왕 11년까지 포위하였다.
3그런데 성 안에 기근이 심하여 그 해 4월 9일에 백성들이 먹을 식량이 다 떨어지고
4성벽이 뚫렸다. 그래서 유다군은 바빌로니아군이 포위하고 있는데도 밤중에 왕의 동산 곁에 있는 두 담 사이 문을 빠져 나와 25:4 또는 ‘아라바 길로’요단 계곡 방향으로 도망하였다.
5그러나 바빌로니아군이 시드기야왕을 추격하여 여리고 평야에서 그를 생포하자 왕의 모든 군대는 뿔뿔이 흩어져 버렸다.
6시드기야왕은 리블라로 끌려가 느부갓네살왕 앞에서 심문을 받았으며
7그의 아들들은 그가 보는 앞에서 죽음을 당했다. 그리고 느부갓네살왕은 시드기야의 두 눈을 뽑고 그를 사슬에 묶어 바빌론으로 끌고 갔다.
8바빌로니아의 느부갓네살왕 19년 25:8 렘52:12에는 ‘5월 10일’5월 7일에 왕의 경호대장 느부사라단이 예루살렘에 와서
9성전과 궁전에 불을 지르고 예루살렘의 모든 집과 중요한 건물들을 다 태워 버렸으며
10또 그의 부하들은 예루살렘의 성벽을 모조리 헐어 버렸다.
11그런 다음 느부사라단은 성 안에 남아 있는 사람들과 바빌로니아 왕에게 항복한 사람들을 포로로 잡아가고
12제일 가난한 사람들만 남겨 두어 포도원을 가꾸고 농사를 짓게 하였다.
13또 바빌로니아 사람들은 성전의 두 놋기둥과 놋받침과 놋으로 만든 거대한 물탱크를 깨뜨려 그 놋을 바빌론으로 가져가고
14모든 솥과 부삽과 불집게와 숟가락과 성전에서 사용하는 모든 놋그릇과
15그리고 불 옮기는 그릇들과 주발들을 포함하여 금과 은으로 만든 성전의 기구를 모조리 가져갔다.
16이와 같이 그들은 솔로몬왕이 만든 두 놋기둥과 물탱크와 놋받침까지 가져갔으므로 놋이 너무 많아 그 중량을 측정할 수가 없었는데
17그 기둥의 높이는 25:17 히 ‘18규빗’8.1미터였고 그 꼭대기에 있는 기둥머리의 높이는 25:17 히 ‘3규빗’135센티미터였으며 그 기둥머리에 장식된 그물과 석류도 모두 놋으로 되어 있었다.
18그리고 경호대장 느부사라단은 대제사장 스라야, 부제사장 스바냐, 성전 경비원 세 사람,
19군 지휘관 한 사람, 왕의 보좌관 다섯 사람, 징집 담당 서기관 한 사람, 그 밖에 성 안에 남아 있던 사람 60명을 생포하여
20리블라에 있는 바빌로니아 왕에게 끌고 갔으며
21바빌로니아 왕은 하맛 땅에 있는 그 곳 리블라에서 그들을 모조리 처형시켰다. 이렇게 해서 유다 백성들은 포로가 되어 고국을 떠나게 되었다.
22그리고 느부갓네살왕은 사반의 손자이며 아히감의 아들인 그달랴를 유다 총독으로 임명하여 바빌론으로 끌려가지 않은 남은 사람들을 다스리게 하였다.
23그때 항복하지 않은 유다 지휘관들과 그의 부하들이 이 소식을 듣고 미스바에 있는 그달랴를 찾아갔다. 이 지휘관들은 느다냐의 아들 이스마엘, 가레아의 아들 요하난, 느도바 사람인 단후멧의 아들 스라야, 그리고 마아가 사람 야아사냐였다.
24그래서 그달랴는 그들에게 이렇게 말하였다. “당신들은 바빌로니아 신하들을 두려워하지 말고 이 땅에 살면서 바빌로니아 왕을 섬기시오. 그러면 당신들이 무사할 것이오.”
감옥에서 풀려난 여호야긴
25그러나 그 해 7월에 엘리사마의 손자이며 느다냐의 아들인 왕족 이스마엘이 부하 10명을 거느리고 미스바로 가서 그달랴를 죽이고 또 그와 함께 있는 유다 사람들과 바빌로니아 사람들을 죽였다.
26그래서 모든 유다 사람들은 군 지휘관들과 함께 이집트로 도망했는데 이것은 그들이 바빌로니아 사람들을 두려워했기 때문이었다.
27유다의 여호야긴왕이 포로로 잡혀간 지 37년째가 되는 해에 에윌 – 므로닥이 바빌로니아 왕으로 즉위하면서 그 해 25:27 렘52:31에는 ‘12월 25일’12월 27일에 여호야긴왕을 감옥에서 풀어 주었다.
28그는 여호야긴왕에게 친절하게 말하였고 그의 지위를 바빌로니아에서 포로 생활을 하고 있는 다른 왕들보다 더 높여 주었다.
29-30그래서 여호야긴왕은 죄수복을 벗고 죽는 날까지 왕의 식탁에서 식사하며 바빌로니아 왕에게서 매일 일정한 양의 물품을 지급받았다.
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.
