1Thaum Xedekiyas ua vajntxwv kav tebchaws Yudas, nws hnubnyoog muaj nees nkaum ib xyoos, nws nyob hauv lub nroog Yeluxalees kav tau kaum ib xyoo. Nws niam hu ua Hamutas, nws niam yog tus Yelemis uas nyob hauv lub nroog Linas tus ntxhais. 2Vajntxwv Xedekiyas ua txhaum rau tus TSWV ib yam li Vajntxwv Yehauyakees ua. 3Tus TSWV chim rau cov neeg hauv lub nroog Yeluxalees thiab hauv tebchaws Yudas, nws thiaj muab lawv ntiab tawm mus lawm. Xedekiyas ntxeev siab rau Vajntxwv Nenpukajnexales uas kav tebchaws Npanpiloos. 4Yog li ntawd, thaum Xedekiyas ua vajntxwv tau cuaj xyoos, lub kaum hli hnub xiab kaug, Nenpukajnexales thiaj coj nws cov tubrog tuaj tua lub nroog Yeluxalees. Lawv tuaj tsuam yeej nyob sab nraum ntug nroog thiab lawv meem ib tug ntswg puagncig lub nroog, 5thiab lawv vij lub nroog Yeluxalees mus txog thaum Xedekiyas kav tebchaws tau kaum ib xyoos. 6Xyoo ntawd, lub plaub hlis hnub xiab cuag, thaum ntawd sawvdaws tshaib nqhis heev, tsis muaj ib yam dabtsi noj li lawm, 7cov yeebncuab tsoo tus ntsayeej ib qho pob. Txawm yog cov tubrog Npanpiloos twb vij lub nroog tas lawm los thaum ib tag hmo Vajntxwv Xedekiyas thiab nws cov tubrog tseem khiav tawm mus hla vajntxwv lub vaj mus rau ntawm lub roojvag uas nyob kem nruab nrab ntawm ob txheej ntsayeej mus rau tom lub Hav Yauladees lawm. 8Tiamsis cov tubrog Npanpiloos caum lawv qab mus ntes tau Vajntxwv Xedekiyas ntawm lub tiaj nrag uas nyob ze lub nroog Yelikaus. Nws cov tubrog khiav tas tso nws tseg. 9Thaum lawv ntes tau Xedekiyas lawm, lawv coj nws los cob rau Vajntxwv Nenpukajnexales ntawm lub nroog Lilas hauv cheebtsam Hamas thiab Nenpukajnexales txiav txim rau Xedekiyas qhov ntawd. 10Nenpukajnexales muab Xedekiyas cov tub tua tabmeeg Xedekiyas hauv lub nroog Lilas thiab Nenpukajnexales kom luag muab cov Yudas tej nomtswv tua huv tibsi. 11Tom qab ntawd, Nenpukajnexales muab Xedekiyas ob lub qhov muag kaus povtseg thiab muab saw hlau khi cab mus rau tim tebchaws Npanpiloos lawm. Xedekiyas nyob hauv tsev lojcuj mus txog hnub uas nws tuag li.
Lub Tuamtsev Puastsuaj
(2 Vajntxwv 25.8-17)
12Thaum Nenpukajnexales ua vajntxwv kav tebchaws Npanpiloos tau kaum cuaj xyoos, lub tsib hlis hnub xiab kaug, Nenpuxaladas uas yog vajntxwv tus tuavxam thiab yog tus thawj tubrog txawm tuaj rau hauv lub nroog Yeluxalees. 13Nws hlawv lub Tuamtsev, vajntxwv lub loog, cov nomtswv tej tsev ua haujlwm thiab tagnrho tej vajtse hauv Yeluxalees kub hnyiab tas; 14thiab nws cov tubrog muab tej ntsayeej tsoo pob puas tas huv tibsi. 15Nenpuxaladas ntes cov neeg uas seem nyob hauv lub nroog, tsis hais cov uas khiav los thawj, cov neeg uas txawj txaug yam ub yam no uas nyob hauv lub nroog mus rau tebchaws Npanpiloos huv tibsi lawm. 16Tiamsis nws tseg cov neeg txomnyem ibtxhia uas tsis muaj liaj tsis muaj teb nyob rau hauv tebchaws Yudas thiab nws kom lawv ua luag tej teb thiab tej vaj txiv hmab. 17Cov Npanpiloos muab tej ncej tooj, tej tsheb txawb, lub rhawv tooj uas txawb ntawm lub Tuamtsev tsoo tawg tas thiab lawv nqa tej tooj ntawd mus rau tim tebchaws Npanpiloos lawm. 18Lawv tseem nqa tej taumtxhob, tej ciblaug tooj uas luag siv yawm tshauv saum lub thaj, tej txiab txiav teebxeeb, tej tais phiab rau tej ntshav tsiaj uas tua theej txhoj, tej laujkaub uas hlawv hmoov tshuaj tsw qab thiab tej twj taig tooj uas siv ua kevcai hauv lub Tuamtsev mus huv tibsi lawm. 19Lawv nqa txhua yam uas muab nyiaj muab kub nchuav ua huv tibsi mus lawm: tsis hais tej laujkaub me, tej yias rau ncaig taws, tej tais phiab rau tej ntshav tsiaj uas tua theej txhoj, tej ciblaug tooj yawm tshauv, tej ncej txawb teeb, tej laujkaub rau hmoov tshuaj tsw qab thiab tej tais uas rau cawv txiv hmab ua khoom fij. 20Tej uas Vajntxwv Xalumoos tsim tseg rau hauv lub Tuamtsev: tsis hais ob tug ncej tooj, cov tsheb txawb, lub rhawv tooj thiab kaum ob tug nyuj uas txawb lub rhawv tooj rau saud, tej no hnyav heev muab los luj tsis tau rau saum teev. 21-22Ob tug ncej tooj ntawd sib luag zos: siab kaum yim tshim, qhov loj puagncig kaum ob tshim, khoob thiab tuab plaub nti. Luag muab tooj ua ob lub hau ua paj txawb rau saum ob tug hauv ncej, ib lub hau twg siab tsib tsim, luag muab xovtooj qhaib ua saw thi puagncig ob lub hau thiab muab tooj nchuav ua ob tsham txiv ntsiavkws dai rau saud. 23Ob tsham txiv ntsiavkws ntawd, ib tsham twg muaj ib puas lub, tiamsis yog tuaj hauv no saib rau saud, tsuas pom cuaj caum rau lub xwb.
Coj Cov Yudas Mus Rau Npanpiloos
(2 Vajntxwv 25.18-21,27-30)
24Dua li ntawd, Nenpuxaladas uas yog tus thawj tubrog tseem ntes Xelayas uas yog tus Povthawj Hlob thiab tus povthawj Xefaniyas uas yog tus pab thiab ntes peb tug neeg tseemceeb uas tu lub Tuamtsev coj mus lawm. 25Nenpuxaladas ntes tus thawj tubrog uas saib tagnrho cov tubrog, vajntxwv xya tus tuavxam, tus thawj tubrog uas yog tus pab thiab tuav cov tubrog tej ntaub ntawv thiab rau caum leej neeg tseemceeb uas nyob hauv lub nroog mus lawm. 26Nenpuxaladas coj cov neeg ntawd mus cob rau Vajntxwv Nenpukajnexales ntawm lub nroog Lilas 27hauv cheebtsam Hamas. Vajntxwv Nenpukajnexales kom luag muab lawv ntaus thiab tua rau hauv lub nroog ntawd. Yog li ntawd, luag thiaj coj cov Yudas tawm hauv lawv lub tebchaws mus lawm. 28Ntawm no yog hais txog cov Yudas uas Vajntxwv Nenpukajnexales ntes coj mus: thaum Nenpukajnexales ua vajntxwv tau xya xyoo, nws ntes cov Yudas peb txhiab nees nkaum peb leeg; 29thiab thaum nws ua vajntxwv tau kaum yim xyoo, nws ntes cov Yudas yim pua peb caug ob leeg hauv lub nroog Yeluxalees coj mus; 30thiab thaum nws ua vajntxwv tau nees nkaum peb xyoo, Nenpuxaladas rov tuaj ntes tau cov Yudas xya pua plaub caug tsib leeg. Xam tagnrho cov neeg uas raug luag ntes coj mus, muaj plaub txhiab rau pua leej. 31Xyoo uas Evimeludas pib ua vajntxwv kav tebchaws Npanpiloos, nws hlub Yehauyakhees uas ua vajntxwv kav tebchaws Yudas, nws thiaj tso Yehauyakhees tawm hauv tsev lojcuj. Suav txij hnub uas luag ntes Yehauyakhees hauv tebchaws Yudas mus txog hnub uas luag tso nws tawm hauv tsev lojcuj los yog tau peb caug xya xyoo rau lub kaum ob hlis hnub nees nkaum tsib. 32Vajntxwv Evimeludas ua zoo rau Yehauyakhees thiab muab nws saib hlob dua lwm tus vajntxwv uas luag ntes mus rau hauv tebchaws Npanpiloos. 33Yog li ntawd, luag thiaj muab dua ib cev ris tsho rau Yehauyakhees hnav, hloov cev uas nws hnav nyob hauv tsev lojcuj thiab nws niaj hnub tau nrog vajntxwv noj mov saum vajntxwv lub rooj mus tas nws simneej. 34Thaum uas Yehauyakhees tseem ua neej nyob, Vajntxwv Evimeludas uas kav tebchaws Npanpiloos niaj hnub muab nyiaj rau Yehauyakhees yuav noj yuav hnav kom txaus mus txog hnub uas tas Yehauyakhees simneej.
52
The Fall of Jerusalem
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.