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 Babylonians⚓ were surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah,⚓8but the Babylonian⚓ 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 craftsmen⚓ 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 circumference⚓ ; each was four fingers thick, and hollow. 22The bronze capital on top of one pillar was five cubits⚓ 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.
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Yeluxalee puam tsuaj
(2Vntx. 24:18-25:27; Ylm. 39:1-10)
1Thaus Xentekhiya sawv ua vaajntxwv nwg noob nyoog muaj neeg nkaum ib xyoos. Nwg nyob huv Yeluxalee kaav tau kaum ib xyoos. Nwg nam npe hu ua Hamuthaa kws yog Yelemi kws nyob huv lub moos Lina tug ntxhais. 2Nwg ua tej kws Yawmsaub pum tas phem kawg, ib yaam le txhua yaam kws Yehauyakhi tau ua lawd. 3Tub yog vem Yawmsaub chim heev txhad muaj tej xwm txheej nuav huvsw tshwm rua huv Yeluxalee hab Yuta, mas Yawmsaub txhad muab puab laim pluj ntawm nwg lub xubndag moog. Xentekhiya faav xeeb rua Npanpiloo tug vaajntxwv. 4Xyoo cuaj kws vaajntxwv Nenpukhanexa kaav huv Npanpiloo, nub xab kaum lub kaum hli nwg coj nwg cov tub rog huvsw tuaj ua rog rua Yeluxalee hab vej lub nroog ca. Puab tsub aav vej puag ncig lub nroog. 5Lub nroog txhad raug vej moog txug xyoo kaum ib kws Xentekhiya ua vaajntxwv. 6Nub xab cuaj lub plaub hlis muaj kev tshaib nqhes luj heev huv lub nroog, tsw muaj zaub mov daabtsw le rua cov pejxeem noj. 7Lub ntsaa loog txhad raug tsoo pob ib qho. Txawm yog cov Kheentia nyob vej lub nroog los vaajntxwv hab cov tub rog suavdawg tswv tawm mo ntuj hlaa vaajntxwv lub vaaj tawm lub rooj loog taug txujkev kws muaj ob saab ntsaa loog moog. Puab txawm tswv yuav moog rua Alanpa. 8Tassws Kheentia cov tub rog lawv vaajntxwv Xentekhiya qaab hab lawv cuag nwg rua ntawm lub taj Yelikhau, mas vaajntxwv cov tub rog txawm tswv ua saab ua sua taag lawm. 9Puab txhad nteg tau vaajntxwv hab coj nwg moog cuag Npanpiloo tug vaajntxwv ntawm lub moos Linpla huv Hama tebchaws, mas vaajntxwv Npanpiloo txav txem rua nwg. 10Npanpiloo tug vaajntxwv tua Xentekhiya cov tub taab meeg nwg, hab tua Yuta cov thawj huvsw pov tseg rua ntawm lub moos Linpla. 11Nwg muab Xentekhiya ob lub qhov muag kaus pov tseg hab muab saw hlau khi nwg mas vaajntxwv Npanpiloo coj nwg moog rua Npanpiloo hab muab nwg kaw huv tsev lojfaaj txug nub kws nwg tuag. 12Nub xab kaum lub tswb hlis, yog xyoo kaum cuaj kws Nenpukhanexa ua vaajntxwv kaav huv Npanpiloo, mas Nenpuxalantaa kws yog tug thawj rog zuv vaajntxwv hab ua koom rua vaajntxwv Npanpiloo txawm txeem moog rua huv Yeluxalee. 13Nwg muab Yawmsaub lub tuam tsev hab vaajntxwv lub tsev hab tej tsev huv Yeluxalee huvsw hlawv pov tseg. Nwg hlawv tej tsev luj txhua lub kub nyab taag huvsw. 14Hab cov tub rog Kheentia suavdawg kws nrug tug thawj rog zuv vaajntxwv ua ke kuj tsoo tej ntsaa loog Yeluxalee pob taag huvsw. 15Nenpuxalantaa kws yog tug thawj rog zuv vaajntxwv kuav hlo cov pejxeem kws pluag kawg ib txha hab cov kws tseed tshuav nyob huv lub nroog hab cov kws tswv moog zwm rua Npanpiloo tug vaajntxwv, hab cov Kws txawj ua txhua yaam kws tseed tshuav nyob tawm tebchaws moog. 16Tassws tug thawj rog kws zuv vaajntxwv tseg cov tuabneeg kws pluag kawg huv lub tebchaws ib txha nyob tu vaaj txwv maab hab laij teb. 17Tej ncej tooj lab kws nyob huv Yawmsaub lub tuam tsev hab tej tsheb thawb dej hab lub rhawv dej tooj lab kws nyob huv Yawmsaub lub tuam tsev, mas cov Kheentia muab tsoo ua tej dwb daim hab coj hlo tej tooj lab huvsw moog rua Npanpiloo. 18Puab kuj coj tej laujkaub, tej duav phuaj, tej taig khwb teeb xeeb, tej phaaj luj hab tej taig rau moov tshuaj tsw qaab hab tej twj taig tooj lab txhua yaam kws swv huv lub tuam tsev moog. 19Tug thawj rog kws zuv vaajntxwv coj tej phaaj miv, tej laug yawm ncaig tawg, tej phaaj luj, tej laujkaub hab tej ncej txawb teeb, hab tej taig rau moov tshuaj tsw qaab, hab tej taig laub cawv txwv maab xyeem moog, yog txhua yaam kws xuas tseem kub hab xuas nyaj ua. 20Tej tooj lab kws ua ob tug ncej hab lub rhawv dej hab kaum ob tug nyuj tooj lab kws tag lub rhawv dej, hab tej tsheb thawb dej kws Xalaumoo ua ca rua huv Yawmsaub lub tuam tsev, nyaav dhau kiv tsw taag. 21Ib tug ncej sab kaum yim tshwm, ntsuag puag ncig muaj kaum ob tshwm, khoob qhov tuab plaub ntiv. 22Muaj lub hauv ncej tooj lab txawb rua sau, lub hauv ncej sab tswb tshwm. Hab muaj ib daim ntxaij qhov muag tooj lab hab tej lub txwv ntsab pobkws tooj lab, nyob puag ncig lub hauv ncej. Tug ncej kws ob kuj zoo ib yaam nkaus hab muaj tej lub txwv ntsab pobkws. 23Ib ncig tug ncej muaj cuaj caug rau lub txwv ntsab pobkws, huvsw muaj ib puas lub txwv ntsab pobkws dai ib ncig sau daim ntxaij qhov muag hov. 24Tug thawj rog kws zuv vaajntxwv kuj nteg Xelaya kws yog tug tuam pov thawj hlub hab Xefaniya kws yog pov thawj yau hab peb tug kws zuv qhov rooj tuam tsev. 25Ntawm lub nroog nwg kuj nteg ib tug thawj rog kws saib cov tub rog hab xyaa tug kws ua vaajntxwv lub chaw sablaaj kws tseed nyob huv lub nroog, hab nteg tug tub sau ntawv ntawm tug thawj rog kws txhwj tub rog thoob tebchaws, hab nteg cov pejxeem rau caum leej kws tseed nyob huv lub nroog. 26Nenpuxalantaa kws ua tug thawj rog zuv vaajntxwv nteg cov tuabneeg nuav coj lug txug ntawm vaajntxwv Npanpiloo huv lub moos Linpla. 27Mas Npanpiloo tug vaajntxwv muab puab nplawm hab muab puab tua pov tseg rua ntawm lub moos Linpla huv Hama tebchaws. Yuta txhad raug muab nteg kuav tawm huv nwg lub tebchaws moog lawm. 28Ntawm nuav moog yog cov tuabneeg kws Nenpukhanexa nteg coj moog, mas xyoo xyaa kws Nenpukhanexa ua vaajntxwv kaav nwg coj cov Yutai peb txheeb neeg nkaum peb leeg moog. 29Xyoo kaum yim kws nwg kaav, nwg nteg cov huv Yeluxalee yim pua peb caug ob leeg kuav moog. 30Xyoo neeg nkaum peb kws Nenpukhanexa kaav, Nenpuxalantaa kws yog tug thawj rog zuv vaajntxwv nteg cov Yutai xyaa pua plaub caug tswb leeg kuav moog. Xaam huvsw yog plaub txheeb rau pua leej.
Tso Yehauyakhee dim huv tsev lojfaaj
(2Vntx. 25:27-30)
31Thaus Yuta tug vaajntxwv Yehauyakhee raug nteg tau peb caug xyaa xyoo mas nub tim neeg nkaum tswb lub kaum ob hlis rua xyoo kws Evimelaunta sawv ua vaajntxwv kaav huv Npanpiloo, Evimelaunta ua zoo rua Yuta tug vaajntxwv Yehauyakhee hab muab nwg tso tawm huv tsev lojfaaj lug. 32Nwg has zoo rua Yehauyakhee hab pub nwg nyob lub rooj sab dua tej vaajntxwv kws nrug nwg nyob huv Npanpiloo txhua tug. 33Yehauyakhee txawm hle cev tsoog tsho raug txem, hab nwg naj nub tau nrug vaajntxwv koom rooj noj mov moog taag swm neej. 34Vaajntxwv pheej pub hov txhua chaw tsw tu ncua rua Yehauyakhee lawv le kws naj nub cheem tsum moog taag nwg swm neej.