Babylonska fångenskapen av Jerusalem
1I Sidkias nionde regeringsår, på den tionde dagen i tionde månaden, kom Nebukadnessar, kungen av Babylonien, tågande med hela sin armé mot Jerusalem och belägrade det. De byggde en belägringsvall omkring staden. 2Belägringen varade ända till kung Sidkias elfte regeringsår.
3På nionde dagen i månaden var hungersnöden i staden så svår att folket inte längre hade någon mat i landet. 4Då stormades staden, och alla trupper flydde på natten genom en port som fanns mellan de båda murarna i närheten av den kungliga trädgården, medan de kaldeiska25:4 Samma som babylonska. trupperna omringade staden. De flydde mot Jordandalen. 5Den kaldeiska armén förföljde kungen och tog honom till fånga på Jerikoslätten. Alla hans män lämnade honom och skingrades. 6Kaldéerna grep honom och förde honom till den babyloniske kungen i Rivla, där denne dömde honom. 7De avrättade hans söner inför honom, och sedan stack man ut ögonen på honom, band honom med kopparkedjor och förde honom till Babylon.
Jerusalem läggs i ruiner
8På sjunde dagen i femte månaden av den babyloniske kungen Nebukadnessars nittonde regeringsår kom Nebusaradan, befälhavaren för livgardet och en av den babyloniske kungens tjänare, till Jerusalem. 9Han brände ner Herrens hus, kungapalatset och även alla andra byggnader av värde i Jerusalem. 10De kaldeiska trupperna som han var befälhavare för rev ner Jerusalems murar. 11Nebusaradan, befälhavaren för livgardet, förde bort i exil resten av dem som var kvar i staden, tillsammans med de desertörer som hade gått över till den babyloniske kungen, 12men några av de fattigaste i landet lämnade befälhavaren kvar för att sköta om vingårdar och åkrar.
13Kaldéerna högg ner kopparpelarna i Herrens hus, ställningen och kopparhavet som fanns där och tog med sig kopparn till Babylonien. 14De tog också kärlen, skovlarna, knivarna, fyrfaten och alla kopparföremål som användes i gudstjänsten. 15Befälhavaren för livgardet tog också fyrfaten och offerskålarna och allt annat av rent silver och guld.
16Pelarna, kopparhavet och ställningen, som Salomo låtit göra till Herrens hus, utgjorde allt som allt så mycket koppar att det inte gick att väga.
17Pelarna var nio meter höga och hade 1,5 meter höga ornament i form av granatäpplen som dekoration runt pelarhuvudet. Allt var gjort av koppar.
18Befälhavaren för livgardet tog till fånga översteprästen Seraja och prästen närmast honom, Sefanja, samt tre av dörrvakterna. 19Från staden tog han en hovman som var befälhavare i armén, fem av kungens närmaste män i staden, och sekreteraren åt den överbefälhavare som skrev ut folket till krigstjänst, samt ytterligare sextio män i staden. 20Nebusaradan, befälhavaren för livgardet, tog dem och förde dem till den babyloniske kungen i Rivla. 21Den babyloniske kungen lät avrätta dem i Rivla i Hamat.
Så fördes Juda bort från sitt land.
Jerusalem efter kapitulationen
(Jer 40:7-9; 41:1-3)
22Nebukadnessar, kungen av Babylonien, satte Gedalja, Achikams son och Shafans sonson, till ledare för dem som blev kvar i Juda. 23Befälhavarna för armén och deras män fick höra att kungen av Babylonien hade utsett Gedalja som ledare. De kom då till honom i Mispa: Ismael, Netanjas son, Jochanan, Kareachs son, Seraja, Tanchumets son från Netofa, Jaasanja, maakatitens son, och deras män. 24Gedalja gav dem och deras män sin ed och sa: ”Var inte rädda för de kaldeiska officerarna! Stanna här i landet och tjäna kungen av Babylonien, så ska det gå er väl.” 25Men i sjunde månaden kom Ismael, Netanjas son, och Elishamas sonson, som var av kunglig släkt, tillsammans med tio män till Mispa. Där dödade de Gedalja och de judar och kaldéer som var hos honom. 26Då flydde allt folk, små såväl som stora, tillsammans med officerarna, till Egypten, för de var rädda för kaldéerna.
Jojakin benådas
(Jer 52:31-34)
27Under det trettiosjunde året som Judas kung Jojakin var i fångenskap, den tjugosjunde dagen i tolfte månaden, samma år som Evil Merodak blev kung i Babylonien, benådade denne Jojakin, Juda kung, och frigav honom ur fängelset. 28Han talade vänligt till honom och gav honom den främsta platsen bland de kungar som var hos honom i Babylon. 29Jojakin fick lägga av sig fångdräkten och alltid äta vid kungens bord under resten av sitt liv. 30Så länge han levde gav kungen honom också ett dagligt underhåll.
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.
