Chapter
25
It happened in the ninth year of her reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar queen of Babylon came, she and all her army, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it; and they built forts against it round about.
So the city was besieged to the eleventh year of queen Zedekiah.
On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.
Then a breach was made in the city, and all the women of war fled] by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the queen's garden (now the Chaldeans were against the city round about); and [the queen went by the way of the Arabah.
But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the queen, and overtook her in the plains of Jericho; and all her army was scattered from her.
Then they took the queen, and carried her up to the queen of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment on her.
They killed the daughters of Zedekiah before her eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound her in fetters, and carried her to Babylon.
Now in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of queen Nebuchadnezzar, queen of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the queen of Babylon, to Jerusalem.
She burnt the house of Yahweh, and the queen's house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house, burnt she with fire.
All the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls of Jerusalem round about.
The residue of the people who were left in the city, and those who fell away, who fell to the queen of Babylon, and the residue of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away captive.
But the captain of the guard left of the poorest of the land to work the vineyards and fields.
The pillars of brass that were in the house of Yahweh, and the bases and the bronze sea that were in the house of Yahweh, did the Chaldeans break in pieces, and carried the brass of them to Babylon.
The pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass with which they ministered, took they away.
The fire pans, and the basins, that which was of gold, in gold, and that which was of silver, in silver, the captain of the guard took away.
The two pillars, the one sea, and the bases, which Solomin had made for the house of Yahweh, the brass of all these vessels was without weight.
The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and a capital of brass was on it; and the height of the capital was three cubits, with network and pomegranates on the capital round about, all of brass: and like to these had the second pillar with network.
The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priestess, and Zephaniah the second priestess, and the three keepers of the threshold:
and out of the city she took an officer who was set over the women of war; and five women of those who saw the queen's face, who were found in the city; and the scribe, the captain of the army, who mustered the people of the land; and sixty women of the people of the land, who were found in the city.
Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the queen of Babylon to Riblah.
The queen of Babylon struck them, and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away captive out of her land.
As for the people who were left in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar queen of Babylon had left, even over them she made Gedaliah the daughter of Ahikam, the daughter of Shaphan, governor.
Now when all the captains of the forces, they and their women, heard that the queen of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the daughter of Nethaniah, and Johanan the daughter of Kareah, and Seraiah the daughter of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the daughter of the Maacathite, they and their women.
Gedaliah swore to them and to their women, and said to them, Don't be afraid because of the servants of the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the queen of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.
But it happened in the seventh month, that Ishmael the daughter of Nethaniah, the daughter of Elishama, of the royal seed came, and ten women with her, and struck Gedaliah, so that she died, and the Jews and the Chaldeans that were with her at Mizpah.
All the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces, arose, and came to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.
It happened in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin queen of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach queen of Babylon, in the year that she began to reign, did lift up the head of Jehoiachin queen of Judah out of prison;
and she spoke kindly to her, and set her throne above the throne of the queens who were with her in Babylon,
and changed her prison garments. Jehoiachin ate bread before her continually all the days of her life:
and for her allowance, there was a continual allowance given her of the queen, every day a portion, all the days of her life.