1 Zedequias tinha vinte e um anos de idade quando se tornou rei de Judá; e reinou onze anos em Jerusalém. A sua mãe se chamava Hamutal, filha de outro Jeremias, que vivia na cidade de Libna. 2 O rei Zedequias pecou contra Deus, o Senhor, fazendo o que era errado, como o rei Jeoaquim também havia feito. 3 O Senhor ficou muito irado com o povo de Judá e de Jerusalém e por isso fez com que fossem levados como prisioneiros.

Zedequias se revoltou contra o rei da Babilônia. 4 No ano nono do reinado de Zedequias em Judá, no dia dez do décimo mês, o rei Nabucodonosor, da Babilônia, veio com todo o seu exército e atacou Jerusalém. Eles acamparam fora da cidade e construíram torres em volta para cercá-la. 5 A cidade ficou cercada até o ano onze do reinado de Zedequias. 6 No dia nove do quarto mês daquele mesmo ano, a fome apertou na cidade; o povo não tinha nada para comer. 7 Quando os babilônios abriram brechas nas muralhas, todos os soldados judeus tentaram fugir durante a noite, embora a cidade estivesse cercada. Foram pelo caminho do jardim real, atravessaram o portão que liga as duas muralhas e fugiram na direção do vale do Jordão. 8 Mas o exército dos babilônios perseguiu o rei Zedequias e o prendeu na planície de Jericó. E todos os seus soldados o abandonaram. 9 Zedequias foi levado como prisioneiro ao rei Nabucodonosor, que estava na cidade de Ribla, na região de Hamate. Ali Nabucodonosor o condenou. 10 Em Ribla, o rei da Babilônia mandou matar os filhos de Zedequias na presença do pai. Também mandou matar as autoridades de Judá. 11 Depois, mandou furar os olhos de Zedequias e o prendeu com correntes de bronze a fim de levá-lo para a Babilônia. E Zedequias ficou na prisão em Babilônia até o dia da sua morte.

12 No ano décimo nono do reinado de Nabucodonosor, da Babilônia, no dia dez do quinto mês, Nebuzaradã, conselheiro do rei e comandante-geral do seu exército, entrou em Jerusalém. 13 Ele incendiou o Templo, o palácio do rei e as casas de todas as pessoas importantes de Jerusalém. 14 Os seus soldados derrubaram as muralhas da cidade. 15 E Nebuzaradã levou como prisioneiros para a Babilônia os que haviam sido deixados na cidade, os que haviam fugido para o lado dele e o resto dos operários especializados. 16 Mas deixou em Judá algumas das pessoas mais pobres e as pôs para trabalhar nas plantações de uvas e nos campos.

17 Os babilônios quebraram as colunas de bronze e as carretas que estavam ao lado do Templo e também o grande tanque de bronze. Então levaram todo o bronze para a Babilônia. 18 Levaram as pás e as vasilhas usadas para carregar as cinzas do altar e as tesouras de cortar pavios de lamparinas. Levaram as tigelas onde era recolhido o sangue dos sacrifícios, as vasilhas de queimar incenso e todos os objetos de bronze usados no culto. 19 Levaram todas as peças feitas de ouro ou de prata: as vasilhas pequenas, os pratos de carregar brasas, as tigelas em que era recolhido o sangue dos sacrifícios, as vasilhas para cinza, os candeeiros, as vasilhas de incenso e os vasos usados nas ofertas de bebidas. 20 Não foi possível calcular o peso dos objetos de bronze que o rei Salomão havia feito para o Templo, isto é, as duas colunas, as carretas, o grande tanque e os doze bois que o sustentavam. 21,22 As duas colunas eram iguais: cada uma tinha oito metros de altura por cinco metros e trinta e cinco centímetros de circunferência. Eram ocas, e a grossura do metal era de dez centímetros. No alto de cada coluna havia um remate de bronze, que media dois metros e vinte de altura. Em toda a volta do remate havia um enfeite rendilhado e com romãs. Tudo isso também era de bronze. 23 No enfeite rendilhado de cada coluna havia cem romãs, sendo que noventa e seis delas podiam ser vistas do chão.

24 Nebuzaradã, o comandante-geral, também levou como prisioneiros Seraías, o Grande Sacerdote, e Sofonias, o segundo sacerdote, e os três outros oficiais de importância no Templo. 25 Da cidade, ele levou o oficial que tinha sido o comandante das tropas, sete conselheiros do rei que ainda estavam lá, o oficial encarregado de alistar homens para o exército e mais sessenta homens importantes. 26 Nebuzaradã os levou ao rei da Babilônia, que estava na cidade de Ribla, 27 na terra de Hamate. Ali o rei mandou surrá-los e depois matá-los.

Assim o povo de Judá foi levado como prisioneiro para fora da sua terra. 28 Este é o número de prisioneiros que Nabucodonosor levou: no sétimo ano do seu reinado, levou três mil e vinte e três; 29 no décimo oitavo ano, oitocentos e trinta e dois, de Jerusalém. 30 No vigésimo terceiro ano, Nebuzaradã levou setecentos e quarenta e cinco. Ao todo, foram levadas quatro mil e seiscentas pessoas.

31 No ano em que se tornou rei da Babilônia, Evil-Merodaque foi bondoso com o rei Joaquim, de Judá, e o libertou da prisão. Isto aconteceu trinta e sete anos, onze meses e vinte e cinco dias depois que Joaquim havia sido levado como prisioneiro. 32 Evil-Merodaque tratou Joaquim com bondade e lhe deu uma posição mais alta do que a dos outros reis que eram prisioneiros com ele em Babilônia. 33 Assim deixaram que Joaquim tirasse as suas roupas de prisioneiro, e vestisse as suas próprias roupas, e comesse junto com o rei pelo resto da sua vida. 34 E todos os dias, enquanto viveu, recebeu do rei uma pensão para o seu sustento.

1 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign. He reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 2 He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 3 For through Yahweh’s anger this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence.

Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4 In the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it; and they built forts against it round about. 5 So the city was besieged to the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.

6 In the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was severe in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land. 7 Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled, and went out of the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king’s garden. Now the Chaldeans were against the city all around. The men of war went toward the Arabah, 8 but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him. 9 Then they took the king, and carried him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; and he pronounced judgment on him. 10 The king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. He also killed all the princes of Judah in Riblah. 11 He put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison until the day of his death.

12 Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, who stood before the king of Babylon, came into Jerusalem. 13 He burned Yahweh’s house, and the king’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house, he burned with fire. 14 All the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down all the walls of Jerusalem all around. 15 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the poorest of the people, and the rest of the people who were left in the city, and those who fell away, who defected to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude. 16 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poorest of the land to be vineyard keepers and farmers.

17 The Chaldeans broke the pillars of bronze that were in Yahweh’s house and the bases and the bronze sea that were in Yahweh’s house in pieces, and carried all of their bronze to Babylon. 18 They also took away the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the basins, the spoons, and all the vessels of bronze with which they ministered. 19 The captain of the guard took away the cups, the fire pans, the basins, the pots, the lamp stands, the spoons, and the bowls; that which was of gold, as gold, and that which was of silver, as silver.

20 They took the two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under the bases, which king Solomon had made for Yahweh’s house. The bronze of all these vessels was without weight. 21 As for the pillars, the height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits; and a line of twelve cubits encircled it; and its thickness was four fingers. It was hollow. 22 A capital of bronze was on it; and the height of the one capital was five cubits, with network and pomegranates on the capital all around, all of bronze. The second pillar also had the same, with pomegranates. 23 There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; all the pomegranates were one hundred on the network all around.

24 The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold, 25 and out of the city he took an officer who was set over the men of war; and seven men of those who saw the king’s face, who were found in the city; and the scribe of the captain of the army, who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the middle of the city. 26 Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah. 27 The king of Babylon struck them, and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath.

So Judah was carried away captive out of his land. 28 This is the number of the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive:

in the seventh year, three thousand twenty-three Jews;

29 in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty-two persons;

30 in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred forty-five people.

All the people numbered four thousand six hundred.

31 In the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evilmerodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and released him from prison. 32 He spoke kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon, 33 and changed his prison garments. Jehoiachin ate bread before him continually all the days of his life. 34 For his allowance, there was a continual allowance given him by the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life.