The Fall of Jerusalem
1Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. 2He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done. 3It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust them from his presence.
Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
4So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. They encamped outside the city and built siege works all around it. 5The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
6By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat. 7Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled. They left the city at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians52:7 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 17 were surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah,52:7 Or the Jordan Valley 8but the Babylonian52:8 Or Chaldean; also in verse 14 army pursued King Zedekiah and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, 9and he was captured.
He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. 10There at Riblah the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes; he also killed all the officials of Judah. 11Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon, where he put him in prison till the day of his death.
12On the tenth day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13He set fire to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. 14The whole Babylonian army, under the commander of the imperial guard, broke down all the walls around Jerusalem. 15Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile some of the poorest people and those who remained in the city, along with the rest of the craftsmen52:15 Or the populace and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon. 16But Nebuzaradan left behind the rest of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields.
17The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars, the movable stands and the bronze Sea that were at the temple of the Lord and they carried all the bronze to Babylon. 18They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes and all the bronze articles used in the temple service. 19The commander of the imperial guard took away the basins, censers, sprinkling bowls, pots, lampstands, dishes and bowls used for drink offerings—all that were made of pure gold or silver.
20The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the twelve bronze bulls under it, and the movable stands, which King Solomon had made for the temple of the Lord, was more than could be weighed. 21Each pillar was eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference52:21 That is, about 27 feet high and 18 feet in circumference or about 8.1 meters high and 5.4 meters in circumference; each was four fingers thick, and hollow. 22The bronze capital on top of one pillar was five cubits52:22 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters high and was decorated with a network and pomegranates of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its pomegranates, was similar. 23There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; the total number of pomegranates above the surrounding network was a hundred.
24The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers. 25Of those still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the fighting men, and seven royal advisers. He also took the secretary who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land, sixty of whom were found in the city. 26Nebuzaradan the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27There at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed.
So Judah went into captivity, away from her land. 28This is the number of the people Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile:
in the seventh year,
3,023 Jews;
29in Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year,
832 people from Jerusalem;
30in his twenty-third year,
745 Jews taken into exile by Nebuzaradan the commander of the imperial guard.
There were 4,600 people in all.
Jehoiachin Released
31In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, he released Jehoiachin king of Judah and freed him from prison. 32He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 33So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king’s table. 34Day by day the king of Babylon gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance as long as he lived, till the day of his death.
Yerusalem Asehweɛ
1Sedekia dii adeɛ no, na wadi mfirinhyia aduonu baako. Ɔdii adeɛ wɔ Yerusalem mfirinhyia dubaako. Na ne maame din de Hamutal a ɔyɛ Yeremia babaa a ɔfiri Libna. 2Ɔyɛɛ bɔne wɔ Awurade ani so, sɛdeɛ Yehoiakim yɛeɛ no. 3Awurade abufuo enti na yeinom nyinaa baa Yerusalem ne Yuda so, na akyire no, ɔyii nʼani firii wɔn so.
Afei, Sedekia sɔre tiaa Babiloniahene.
4Enti Sedekia adedie afe a ɛtɔ so nkron no, bosome a ɛtɔ so edu ne da a ɛtɔ so edu no, Babiloniahene Nebukadnessar ne nʼakodɔm nyinaa tuu Yerusalem so sa; Wɔtuaa kuropɔn no, na wɔyɛɛ mpie twaa ho hyiaeɛ. 5Wɔkaa Yerusalem hyɛɛ kɔsii ɔhene Sedekia ahennie no mfeɛ dubaako so.
6Ɛduruu Tammus bosome (bɛyɛ Kitawonsa) da a ɛtɔ so dunwɔtwe no, Sedekia ahennie mfeɛ dubaako mu no, na ɛkɔm a aba kuropɔn no mu no ano ayɛ den yie, ama wɔn aduane a aka no nyinaa asa. 7Na kuropɔn no ɔfasuo fa bi abu agu fam enti, asraafoɔ no nyinaa yɛɛ adwene sɛ, wɔbɛdwane afiri kuropɔn no mu. Nanso, ɛsiane sɛ na Babiloniafoɔ atwa kuropɔn no ho ahyia enti, wɔtwɛn kɔsii anadwo, na wɔdwane faa ɛpono a ɛda afasuo mmienu a ɛwɔ ɔhene no nturo no mu mu. Wɔyɛɛ ntɛm faa wiramkwan de wɔn ani kyerɛɛ Yordan bɔnhwa no. 8Nanso, Babilonia akodɔm no taa Ɔhene Sedekia kɔtoo no wɔ Yeriko tata so. Na nʼasraafoɔ no nyinaa afiri ne ho abɔ apete, 9na wɔkyeree no.
Wɔfaa no dedua de no kɔmaa Babiloniahene wɔ Ribla a ɛwɔ Hamat asase so, na ɛhɔ na ɔbuu no atɛn. 10Ribla hɔ na Babiloniahene kunkumm Sedekia mmammarima wɔ nʼanim na ɔkumm Yudafoɔ adwumayɛfoɔ nyinaa nso. 11Afei ɔtutuu Sedekia ani, de kɔbere mfrafraeɛ mpokyerɛ guu no sɛ ɔde no rekɔ Babilonia. Ɛhɔ na ɔde no too afiase kɔsii ne wu da.
12Ab bosome (bɛyɛ Ɔsannaa) ɛda a ɛtɔ so dunan wɔ afe a ɛyɛ Nebukadnessar mfeɛ dunkron adedie mu no, Nebusaradan a ɔyɛ awɛmfoɔ so panin a ɔyɛ Babiloniahene mpanimfoɔ nu mu baako no kɔɔ Yerusalem. 13Ɔde ogya too Awurade asɔredan, ahemfie ne afie a ɛwɔ Yerusalem nyinaa mu. Ɔhyee efie biara a ɛdi mu. 14Babiloniafoɔ akodɔm a wɔhyɛ ɔhene awɛmfoɔ so sahene ase no bubuu afasuo a atwa Yerusalem ho ahyia no nyinaa. 15Ɔsahene Nebusaradan a ɔtua awɛmfoɔ ano no faa wɔn a wɔdi hia no mu bi, wɔn a wɔkaa kuropɔn no mu, adwumfoɔ a wɔaka ne wɔn a wɔkɔdɔm Babiloniahene no kɔɔ nnommumfa mu. 16Nanso, Nebusaradan gyaa wɔn a wɔdi hia wɔ asase no so no nkaeɛ sɛ wɔnhwɛ bobe nturo ne mfuo no.
17Babiloniafoɔ no bubuu kɔbere mfrafraeɛ afadum, nnyinasodeɛ a wɔtumi moma soɔ ne kɔbere mfrafraeɛ Po a na ɛwɔ Awurade asɔredan mu, na wɔde kɔbere mfrafraeɛ no nyinaa kɔɔ Babilonia. 18Afei, wɔfaa nkukuo, nsofi, kaneahoma twitwasoɔ, ɔpete nkuruwa, nwowaa ne kɔbere mfrafraeɛ nneɛma a wɔde yɛ ɔsom adwuma wɔ asɔredan mu no nso kɔeɛ. 19Ɔhene awɛmfoɔ sahene no faa nkankyee, nkankyee ntrawantrawa, ɔpete nkuruwa, nkukuo, kaneannua, nwowaa ne nkuruwa a wɔde di ɔnom afɔrebɔ ho dwuma no kɔeɛ; wɔde sikakɔkɔɔ amapa anaa dwetɛ na ɛyɛɛ yeinom nyinaa.
20Na wɔntumi nkari kɔbere mfrafraeɛ a wɔde yɛɛ afadum mmienu no, Ɛpo no ne anantwinini dumienu a ɛwɔ nʼase ne nnyinasoɔ a wɔmoma soɔ a Ɔhene Salomo yɛɛ wɔ Awurade asɔredan mu yi mu duru. 21Na afadum no biara ɔsorokɔ yɛ anammɔn aduonu nson ɛnna ne kanko mu nso yɛ anammɔn dunwɔtwe. Emu da tokuro na nʼafaban no mu pipiripie yɛ nsateakwaa ɛnan. 22Na kɔbere mfrafraeɛ ntaasoɔ a ɛsi afadum baako so no ɔsorokɔ yɛ anammɔn nson ne fa a wɔde kɔbere mfrafraeɛ ateaa ahyehyɛ ho nyinaa ahyia. Afadum a aka no nso a wɔde kɔbere mfrafraeɛ ateaa ahyehyɛ ho no te sɛ baako no. 23Na Kɔbere mfrafraeɛ ateaa aba a ɛsensɛn ntaasoɔ no ano no yɛ aduɔkron nsia, ɛnna deɛ ɛkata ntaasoɔ no ho yɛ ɔha.
24Awɛmfoɔ no sahene no faa ɔsɔfopanin Seraia, abadiakyire Sefania ne ɔpono ano hwɛfoɔ baasa no sɛ nneduafoɔ. 25Ɔfaa ɔpanin a ɔtua asraafoɔ no ano, ne adehyeɛ afotufoɔ baason firii nnipa a na wɔda so wɔ kuropɔn no mu no. Afei ɔfaa ɔtwerɛfoɔ a na ɔyɛ adwumayɛfoɔ panin ma wɔn a wɔfa nnipa ma wɔkɔyɛ asraafoɔ wɔ asase no so, ne nʼadwumayɛfoɔ no mu aduosia a ɔhunuu wɔn wɔ kuropɔn no mu. 26Ɔsahene Nebusaradan faa wɔn nyinaa de wɔn brɛɛ Babiloniahene wɔ Ribla. 27Wɔ Ribla a ɛwɔ Hamat hɔ no, ɔhene no ma wɔkunkum wɔn.
Enti wɔtwaa Yuda asuo firii nʼasase so.
28Nnipa dodoɔ a Nebukadnessar de wɔn kɔɔ nkoasom mu nie:
nʼadedie afe a ɛtɔ so nson mu,
Yudafoɔ 3,023;
29Nebukadnessar adedie afe a ɛtɔ so dunwɔtwe mu,
nnipa a wɔfiri Yerusalem, 832;
30nʼadedie afe a ɛtɔ so aduonu mmiɛnsa mu,
ɔsahene Nebusaradan a ɔtua ɔhene awɛmfoɔ ano no de Yudafoɔ 745 kɔɔ nnommumfa mu.
Nnipa no nyinaa dodoɔ yɛ 4,600.
Wɔgyaa Yehoiakin
31Ɔhene Yehoiakin dii mfeɛ aduasa nson wɔ nʼasutwa mu wɔ Babilonia no, Ewil-Merodak bɛdii Babiloniahene. Ɔhunuu Yehoiakyin mmɔbɔ, enti ɔyii no firii afiase saa afe no ara mu Adar bosome (bɛyɛ Oforisuo) da a ɛtɔ so mmienu. 32Ɔkaa abodwosɛm kyerɛɛ no, na ɔmaa no diberɛ a ɛwɔ animuonyam sene ahemfo a wɔne no wɔ Babilonia no deɛ. 33Enti Yehoiakin yii nʼafiase ntadeɛ guu nkyɛn, na ɛfiri saa ɛda no ɔdidii wɔ ɔhene didipono so ɛberɛ biara kɔsii ne wu da. 34Na Babiloniahene no sane maa Yehoiakin sika berɛ ano berɛ ano, ma ɔde tuatua ne ho aka kɔsii ne owuda.
