¶ Wherefore in the ninth year of his reign, the tenth day of the tenth month, came Nabuchodonozor king of Babylon with all his power to Ierusalem: and pitched against the town and made engines against it on every side.
And the city continued besieged until the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.
And the ninth day of the fourth month of that year, there was so great hunger in the city, that there was no sustenance for the people of the land.
And thereto the city was broken up: wherefore all the men of Arms fled by night, by a way thorow a gate, between two walls hard on the king's garden: the Caldeyes lying about the city. And the king went straight toward the desert.
And the host of the Caldeyes followed after him, and took him in the desert of Iericho, all his army being scattered away from him.
And when they had taken him, they brought him to Nabuchodonozor the king of Babylon to Reblah, where they reasoned with him.
And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and fettered him, and carried him to Babylon.
¶ And the seventh day of the fifth month which was in the nineteenth year of king Nabuchodonozor king of Babylon, came Nabusaradan servant of the king of Babylon and chief Marshal, unto Ierusalem:
and burnt the house of the LORD and the king's house and all the houses of Ierusalem, and all the great houses burnt he with fire.
And all the host of the Caldeyes that were with the chief Marshal brake down the walls of Ierusalem round about.
And the rest of the people that were left in the city, and them that were fled to the king of Babylon, and the remnant of the common people,
Nabusaradan the chief Marshal carried away, and left of the poor of the land to dress the vines and to till the ground.
And the pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD and the bottoms, and the brazen sea that was in the house of the LORD the Caldeyes brake, and carried the brass of them to Babylon.
And the lavers, shovels, dressing knives, ladles, and the ministering vessels of brass, they carried away.
And the firepans, and basins that were either of gold or silver, them took the chief Marshal away
with the two pillars and the sea of brass and the bottoms which Salomon had made in the house of the LORD. The brass of all these vessels was without weight.
The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the head thereon was brass and three cubits long with a wreath and pomegranates round about upon the head, all of brass. And of the same fashion was the second pillar with a wreath.
And the chief Marshal took Saraiah the chief priest, and Zophoniah the highest priest save one, and three keepers of the door.
And out of the city he took a certain chamberlain that had the oversight of the men of war, and five men that were ever in the king's presence, which were found in the city, and Sopher the captain of the Host that taught the people of the land to make war, and three score men of the people of the land that were found in the city also.
And Nabusaradan the chief Marshal took them and brought them to the king of Babylon to Reblah.
And the king of Babylon smote them and slew them at Reblah in the land of Hemath. And so Iuda was carried away out of all their land.
¶ And over the people that remained in the land of Iuda, which Nabuchodonozor king of Babylon left, he set Godoliah the son of Ahikam the son of Saphan.
And when all the captains of the men of war and the men heard that the king of Babylon had made Godoliah governor: there came to Godoliah to Mazphah: Ismael the son of Nathaniah and Iohanan the son of Kareah and Saraiah the son of Thanehumeth the Netophathite and Iezoniah the son of Maachati and their men.
And Godoliah sware to them and to their men, and said to them: fear not ye the servants of the Caldeyes. But dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon and ye shall be in good condition.
But it chanced the seventh month after, that Ismael the son of Nathaniah the son of Elisama of the king's blood came, and ten men with him and smote Godoliah that he died: and so did he the Iews and the Caldeyes that were with him at Mazphah.
Thereupon all the people both small and great and the captains of the men of war arose and went to Egypt: for they were afraid of the Caldeyes.
Notwithstanding yet the thirty seventh year after Iehoacin king of Iuda was carried away, the twenty seventh day of the twelfth month, did Evilmerodach king of Babylon lift up the head of Iehoacin king of Iuda out of the prison house,
and spake kindly to him and set his seat above the seat of all the kings that were with him at Babilon,
and changed his prison garments. And he did ever eat bread before him all the days of his life:
And a continual portion was assigned him of the king, day by day as long as he lived.
Praise the Everlasting Lord for His Faithful Word.