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Home > Bible > 2 Kings > Chapter 25
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2 Kings Chapter 25

Jerusalem is besieged and taken by Nebuchadnezzer: Sedecias is taken: the city and temple are destroyed. Godolias, who is left governor, is slain. Joachin is exalted by Evilmerodach.

English (Douay-Rheims)

1 And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, the tenth day of the month, that Nabuchodonosor, king of Babylon, came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem: and they surrounded it: and raised works round about it. 2 And the city was shut up and besieged till the eleventh year of king Sedecias, 3 The ninth day of the month: and a famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land. 4 And a breach was made into the city: and all the men of war fled in the night between the two walls by the king's garden (now the Chaldees besieged the city round about), and Sedecias fled by the way that leadeth to the plains of the wilderness. 5 And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all the warriors that were with him were scattered, and left him: 6 So they took the king, and brought him to the king of Babylon, to Reblatha, and he gave judgment upon him. 7 And he slew the sons of Sedecias before his face, and he put out his eyes, and bound him with chains, and brought him to Babylon.

8 In the fifth month, the seventh day of the month, the same is the nineteenth year of the king of Babylon, came Nabuzardan, commander of the army, a servant of the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem. 9 And he burnt the house of the Lord, and the king's house, and the houses of Jerusalem, and every great house he burnt with fire. 10 And all the army of the Chaldees, which was with the commander of the troops, broke down the walls of Jerusalem round about. 11 And Nabuzardan, the commander of the army, carried away the rest of the people, that remained in the city, and the fugitives, that had gone over to the king of Babylon, and the remnant of the common people. 12 But of the poor of the land he left some dressers of vines and husbandmen. 13 And the pillars of brass that were in the temple of the Lord, and the bases, and the sea of brass, which was in the house of the Lord, the Chaldees broke in pieces, and carried all the brass of them to Babylon. 14 They took away also the pots of brass, and the mazers, and the forks, and the cups, and the mortars, and all the vessels of brass, with which they ministered. 15 Moreover also the censers, and the bowls, such as were of gold in gold: and such as were of silver in silver, the general of the army took away. 16 That is, two pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made in the temple of the Lord: the brass of all these vessels was without weight. 17 One pillar was eighteen cubits high: and the chapiter of brass, which was upon it, was three cubits high: and the network, and the pomegranates that were upon the chapiter of the pillar, were all of brass: and the second pillar had the like adorning. 18 And the general of the army took Seraias, the chief priest, and Sophonias, the second priest, and three doorkeepers: 19 And out of the city one eunuch, who was captain over the men of war: and five men of them who had stood before the king, whom he found in the city, and Sopher, the captain of the army, who exercised the young soldiers of the people of the land: and threescore men of the common people, who were found in the city: 20 These Nabuzardan, the general of the army, took away, and carried them to the king of Babylon, to Reblatha. 21 And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Reblatha, in the land of Emath: so Juda was carried away out of their land.

22 But over the people that remained in the land of Juda, which Nabuchodonosor, king of Babylon, had left, he gave the government to Godolias, the son of Ahicam, the son of Saphan. 23 And when all the captains of the soldiers had heard this, they and the men that were with them, to wit, that the king of Babylon had made Godolias governor they came to Godolias to Maspha, Ismael, the son of Nathanias, and Johanan, the son of Caree, and Saraia, the son of Thanehumeth, the Netophathite, and Jezonias, the son of Maachathi, they and their men. 24 And Godolias swore to them and to their men, saying: Be not afraid to serve the Chaldees: stay in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you. 25 But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ismael, the son of Nathanias, the son of Elisama, of the seed royal came, and ten men with him, and smote Godolias; so that he died: and also the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him in Maspha.

26 And all the people, both little and great, and the captains of the soldiers, rising up, went to Egypt, fearing the Chaldees. 27 And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Joachin, king of Juda, in the twelfth month, the seven and twentieth day of the month: Evilmerodach, king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, lifted up the head of Joachin, king of Juda, out of prison. 28 And he spoke kindly to him: and he set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon. 29 And he changed his garments which he had in prison, and he ate bread always before him, all the days of his life. 30 And he appointed him a continual allowance, which was also given him by the king, day by day, all the days of his life.

Latin (Clementine Vulgate)

1 Factum est autem anno nono regni ejus, mense decimo, decima die mensis, venit Nabuchodonosor rex Babylonis, ipse et omnis exercitus ejus, in Jerusalem, et circumdederunt eam: et exstruxerunt in circuitu ejus munitiones. 2 Et clausa est civitas atque vallata usque ad undecimum annum regis Sedeciæ, 3 nona die mensis: prævaluitque fames in civitate, nec erat panis populo terræ. 4 Et interrupta est civitas: et omnes viri bellatores nocte fugerunt per viam portæ quæ est inter duplicem murum ad hortum regis. Porro Chaldæi obsidebant in circuitu civitatem. Fugit itaque Sedecias per viam quæ ducit ad campestria solitudinis. 5 Et persecutus est exercitus Chaldæorum regem, comprehenditque eum in planitie Jericho: et omnes bellatores qui erant cum eo, dispersi sunt, et reliquerunt eum. 6 Apprehensum ergo regem duxerunt ad regem Babylonis in Reblatha: qui locutus est cum eo judicium. 7 Filios autem Sedeciæ occidit coram eo, et oculos ejus effodit, vinxitque eum catenis, et adduxit in Babylonem.

8 Mense quinto, septima die mensis, ipse est annus nonusdecimus regis Babylonis, venit Nabuzardan princeps exercitus, servus regis Babylonis, in Jerusalem. 9 Et succendit domum Domini, et domum regis: et domos Jerusalem, omnemque domum combussit igni. 10 Et muros Jerusalem in circuitu destruxit omnis exercitus Chaldæorum, qui erat cum principe militum. 11 Reliquam autem populi partem quæ remanserat in civitate, et perfugas qui transfugerant ad regem Babylonis, et reliquum vulgus transtulit Nabuzardan princeps militiæ. 12 Et de pauperibus terræ reliquit vinitores et agricolas. 13 Columnas autem æreas quæ erant in templo Domini, et bases, et mare æreum quod erat in domo Domini, confregerunt Chaldæi, et transtulerunt æs omne in Babylonem. 14 Ollas quoque æreas, et trullas, et tridentes, et scyphos, et mortariola, et omnia vasa ærea, in quibus ministrabant, tulerunt. 15 Necnon et thuribula, et phialas: quæ aurea, aurea, et quæ argentea, argentea tulit princeps militiæ, 16 id est, columnas duas, mare unum, et bases quas fecerat Salomon in templo Domini: non erat pondus æris omnium vasorum. 17 Decem et octo cubitos altitudinis habebat columna una: et capitellum æreum super se altitudinis trium cubitorum: et retiaculum, et malogranata super capitellum columnæ, omnia ærea: similem et columna secunda habebat ornatum. 18 Tulit quoque princeps militiæ Saraiam sacerdotem primum, et Sophoniam sacerdotem secundum, et tres janitores. 19 Et de civitate eunuchum unum, qui erat præfectus super bellatores viros: et quinque viros de his qui steterant coram rege, quos reperit in civitate: et Sopher principem exercitus, qui probabat tyrones de populo terræ: et sexaginta viros e vulgo, qui inventi fuerant in civitate. 20 Quos tollens Nabuzardan princeps militum, duxit ad regem Babylonis in Reblatha. 21 Percussitque eos rex Babylonis, et interfecit eos in Reblatha in terra Emath: et translatus est Juda de terra sua.

22 Populo autem qui relictus erat in terra Juda, quem dimiserat Nabuchodonosor rex Babylonis, præfecit Godoliam filium Ahicam filii Saphan. 23 Quod cum audissent omnes duces militum, ipsi et viri qui erant cum eis, videlicet quod constituisset rex Babylonis Godoliam, venerunt ad Godoliam in Maspha, Ismahel filius Nathaniæ, et Johanan filius Caree, et Saraia filius Thanehumeth Netophathites, et Jezonias filius Maachathi, ipsi et socii eorum. 24 Juravitque Godolias ipsis et sociis eorum, dicens: Nolite timere servire Chaldæis: manete in terra, et servite regi Babylonis, et bene erit vobis. 25 Factum est autem in mense septimo, venit Ismahel filius Nathaniæ filii Elisama de semine regio, et decem viri cum eo: percusseruntque Godoliam, qui et mortuus est: sed et Judæos et Chaldæos qui erant cum eo in Maspha.

26 Consurgensque omnis populus a parvo usque ad magnum, et principes militum, venerunt in Ægyptum timentes Chaldæos. 27 Factum est vero in anno trigesimo septimo transmigrationis Joachin regis Juda, mense duodecimo, vigesima septima die mensis: sublevavit Evilmerodach rex Babylonis, anno quo regnare cœperat, caput Joachin regis Juda de carcere. 28 Et locutus est ei benigne, et posuit thronum ejus super thronum regum qui erant cum eo in Babylone. 29 Et mutavit vestes ejus quas habuerat in carcere, et comedebat panem semper in conspectu ejus cunctis diebus vitæ suæ. 30 Annonam quoque constituit ei sine intermissione, quæ et dabatur ei a rege per singulos dies omnibus diebus vitæ suæ.

Copyright © 2008 by Kevin Knight. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

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