Jerusalem Is Captured
(2 Kings 24.18—25.302 Chronicles 36.11-21)1 Zedekiah was 21 years old when he was appointed king of Judah, and he ruled from Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother Hamutal was the daughter of Jeremiah from the town of Libnah. 2 Zedekiah disobeyed the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done, 3 and it was Zedekiah who finally rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar.
The people of Judah and Jerusalem had made the Lord so angry that he finally turned his back on them. That's why horrible things were happening there.
4 In Zedekiah's ninth year as king, on the tenth day of the tenth month, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia led his entire army to attack Jerusalem. The troops set up camp outside the city and built ramps up to the city walls.
5-6 After a year and a half, all the food in Jerusalem was gone. Then on the ninth day of the fourth month, 7 the Babylonian troops broke through the city wall. That same night, Zedekiah and his soldiers tried to escape through the gate near the royal garden, even though they knew the enemy had the city surrounded. They headed toward the Jordan River valley, 8 but the Babylonian troops caught up with them near Jericho. The Babylonians arrested Zedekiah, but his soldiers scattered in every direction. 9 Zedekiah was taken to Riblah in the land of Hamath, where Nebuchadnezzar put him on trial and found him guilty. 10 Zedekiah's sons and the officials of Judah were killed while he watched, 11 then his eyes were poked out. He was put in chains, then dragged off to Babylon and kept in prison until he died.
12 Jerusalem was captured during Nebuchadnezzar's nineteenth year as king of Babylonia.
About a month later, Nebuchadnezzar's officer in charge of the guards arrived in Jerusalem. His name was Nebuzaradan, 13 and he burned down the Lord's temple, the king's palace, and every important building in the city, as well as all the houses. 14 Then he ordered the Babylonian soldiers to break down the walls around Jerusalem. 15 He led away the people left in the city, including everyone who had become loyal to Nebuchadnezzar, the rest of the skilled workers, and even some of the poor people of Judah. 16 Only the very poorest were left behind to work the vineyards and the fields.
17-20 Nebuzaradan ordered his soldiers to go to the temple and take everything made of gold or silver, including bowls, fire pans, sprinkling bowls, pans, lampstands, dishes for incense, and the cups for wine offerings. The Babylonian soldiers took all the bronze things used for worship at the temple, including the pans for hot ashes, and the shovels, lamp snuffers, sprinkling bowls, and dishes for incense. The soldiers also took everything else made of bronze, including the two columns that stood in front of the temple, the large bowl called the Sea, the twelve bulls that held it up, and the movable stands. The soldiers broke these things into pieces so they could take them to Babylonia. There was so much bronze that it could not be weighed. 21 For example, the columns were about 8 meters high and 5.5 meters around. They were hollow, but the bronze was about 75 millimeters thick. 22 Each column had a bronze cap over 2 meters high that was decorated with bronze designs. Some of these designs were like chains and others were like pomegranates. 23 There were 96 pomegranates evenly spaced around each column, and a total of 100 pomegranates were located above the chains.
24 Next, Nebuzaradan arrested Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah his assistant, and three temple officials. 25 Then he arrested one of the army commanders, seven of King Zedekiah's personal advisors, and the officer in charge of gathering the troops for battle. He also found 60 more soldiers who were still in Jerusalem. 26-27 Nebuzaradan led them to Riblah in the land of Hamath, where Nebuchadnezzar had them killed.
The people of Judah no longer lived in their own country.
People of Judah Taken Prisoner
28-30 Here is a list of the number of the people of Judah that Nebuchadnezzar took to Babylonia as prisoners:
In his seventh year as king, he took 3,023 people.In his eighteenth year as king, he took 832 from Jerusalem.In his twenty-third year as king, his officer Nebuzaradan took 745 people.
So, Nebuchadnezzar took a total of 4,600 people from Judah to Babylonia.
Jehoiachin Is Set Free
(2 Kings 25.27-30)31 Jehoiachin was a prisoner in Babylon for 37 years. Then Evil Merodach became king of Babylonia, and in the first year of his rule, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, he let Jehoiachin out of prison. 32 Evil Merodach was kind to Jehoiachin and honored him more than any of the other kings held prisoner there. 33 Jehoiachin was allowed to wear regular clothes instead of a prison uniform, and he even ate at the king's table every day. 34 As long as Jehoiachin lived, he was paid a daily allowance to buy whatever he needed.
Etewatewo laJerusalem
1 Sedekia okwa li e nomido omilongo mbali naumwe eshi a ninga ohamba, nokwa pangela muJerusalem omido omulongo naumwe. Edina laina Hamutal, omona waJeremia, a dalelwa muLibna. 2 Ndele ye okwa longa eshi shii momesho Omwene ngaashi Jehoiakim a ningile. 3 Omolwehandu lOmwene Jerusalem naJuda ya monifwa oixuna, fiyo Omwene e va ekelashi koshipala shaye. Ndele Sedekia okwa kala nokutwa ondubo nohamba yaBabilon. 4 Ndele momudo omutimulongo nomutine wouhamba waye mohani onhimulongo mefiku etimulongo, Nebukadnesar, ohamba yaBabilon, okwa fikama novakwaita vaye aveshe, a totele Jerusalem, ndele ova onga eenhanda de shi dingilila nove shi tungila ongubu keembinga adishe. 5 Ndele oshilando osha kala sha dingililwa fiyo okomudo omutimulongo naumwe wohamba Sedekia. 6 Mefiku etimugoi lomohani onhine ondjala eshi ya handuka shili moshilando novanhu vokomikunda va li vehe nomingome vali, 7 oshilando osha nangalwa novakwaita aveshe ova faduka po ndele va fiya po oshilando oufiku; va pita moshivelo shopokati keehotekuma mbali poshikunino shohamba, fimbo Ovakaldea va li va dingilila oshilando. Ndele ova ya nondjila yokombuwa. 8 Ndelenee oita yOvakaldea oya shikula ohamba, noya hanga Sedekia mombuwa yaJeriko, ovakwaita vaye va hangika ve mu fiya po, ndele ve lihana, 9 opo nee ova kwata ohamba, ndele ve i twala kohamba yaBabilon kuRibla momukunda waHamat, ndele okwe i tokola. 10 Ndele ohamba yaBabilon oya dipaifa ovana ovamati vaSedekia omoipafi yaye. Ndele osho yo ovakulunhu vaJuda okwe va dipaifa muRibla. 11 Ndele okwa twiyaulifa omesho aSedekia nokwe mu mangifa nomalyenge oshikushu. Opo nee ohamba yaBabilon okwa twala Sedekia kuBabilon nokwe mu idililifa modolongo fiyo okefiku lokufya kwaye.
12 Ndele mohani onhinhano mefiku etimulongo, omudo omutimulongo nomutimugoi wepangelo laNebukadnesar, ohamba yaBabilon, Nebusaradan, elenga lakula lovanangeli vohamba yaBabilon, ou a kala ofika koshipala shohamba, okwe uya kuJerusalem, 13 nokwa xwika po ongulu yOmwene nouhamba. Nosho yo eengulu adishe domuJerusalem nakeshe eumbo lakula okwe li xwika po nomundilo. 14 Neehotekuma adishe odo da dingilila Jerusalem, oda ngumununwa po kongudu yOvakaldea aveshe ei ya li nelenga lovanangeli. 15 Ndele ombinga yeehepele domoshiwana noshixupe shovanhu va kala moshilando naava ve liyandja kohamba yaBabilon, noshixupe shovalongi vomake, Nebusaradan, elenga lovanangeli okwe va twala eenghwate kuBabilon. 16 Ndelenee ombinga yeehepele domoshilongo, Nebusaradan okwa fiya po vamwe va ninge ovalongi voikunino yomiviinyu novomapya.
17 Ndele eengudi doshikushu dotembeli, noiyaxa yokulikoshela mo nefuta loshikushu, oinima ei ya li motembeli yOmwene Ovakaldea ve i tataula, oivela yayo aishe itwima ve i twala kuBabilon. 18 Neembiya nouxupulo noiyaxa yokuyakela pomatwimino noixwikikwashela noitwiminifo yoidimba noikwatelwa aishe yoshikushu ei ya longifwa motembeli, ove i kufa po. 19 Noiyaxa noikwatelwa yomakala neembiya noixwekelwashela noitwiminifo nomakopi oo a li oshingoldoelela noyoshisilivelilela, elenga lovanangeli ole i kufa po. 20 Oshikushu shomeengudi mbali noyefuta noyomeengobe omulongo nanhano dokoshi yalo noyoiyaxa yokulikoshela ei ohamba Salomo e i ningila otembeli yOmwene, oya li ihapu ihe shi kuyelekwa. 21 Mokupopya eengudi, oule waimwe wa li omaludimbo omulongo naahetatu nounene wado wa fika pongodi yomaludimbo omulongo naavali ya kwatafana ya ninga elulo, oupapi wayo wa li u fike pominwe nhee, u nomututu. 22 Koxulo yayo okwa li oshipaka oshikushu, oule woshipaka shimwe osha li shi fike pomaludimbo atano, nosha dingililwa koshidingo shoshivela shoulenga sha tungwa sha pingakanifwa noiimati yagranat ya dingilila oshipaka. Nosho yo ongudi ikwao ya li i noshipaka shi noiimati yagranat. 23 Ndele oiimati yagranat oyo ya monika oya li i fike pomilongo omugoi nahamano, hano aishe kumwe ya dingilila oshipaka oya li efele limwe.
24 Elenga lovanangeli ola kufa omupristeli Seraja namukwao Sefania novanangeli vopoivelo vatatu. 25 Ndele moshilando okwa kufa elenga lohamba la li omupashukili wovakwaita, novalumenhu vaheyali ovo va fika pohamba, va hangwa moshilando, nomushangi womupashukili wovakwaita ou a li ha tambula ovanhu vokomikunda moukwaita, novalumenhu 60 vokomikunda va hangika meni loshilando. 26 Ndele Nebusaradan, elenga lovanangeli e va kufa nokwe va twala kohamba yaBabilon muRibla. 27 Ndelenee ohamba yaBabilon ye va dipaifa muRibla, moshilongo shaHamat. Osho hano Juda okwa kufwa mo medu lavo nokwa twalwa moupika.
28 Ovanhu ovo ava Nebukadnesar e va twala moupika: Momudo omutiheyali Ovajuda omayovi atatu nomilongo mbali navatatu, 29 nomudo omutimulongo nomutihetatu waNebukadnesar Ovajerusalem omafele atatu nomilongo nhatu naavali. 30 Momudo omutimilongo mbali nanhatu waNebukadnesar, Nebusaradan, elenga lovanangeli okwa twala Ovajuda omafele aheyali nomilongo nhee navatano moupika. Aveshe kumwe omayovi ane nomafele ahamano.
Jehoiakin ta pitifwa modolongo
31 Nomudo omutimilongo nhatu nomutiheyali womoupika waJehoiakin, ohamba yaJuda, efiku etimilongo mbali nanhano lohani onhimulongo nambali, Evil-Merodak, ohamba yaBabilon, okwa fila Jehoiakin, ohamba yaJuda onghenda nokwe mu pitifa mo modolongo, omudo ou a nangala oshilongo. 32 Ndele ye okwe mu popifa nombili nokwa tula olukalwa laye komesho yomalukalwa eehamba dikwao, da li puye muBabilon. 33 Ndele Jehoiakin okwa dulwa oikutu yaye yomodolongo. Nomafiku aeshe okwa kala ha li eendja moipafi yaye, fimbo e nomwenyo. 34 Ndele ye okwa pewa kohamba yaBabilon eemhumbwe adishe domokukala kwaye, keshe efiku osho e shi pumbwa fiyo okefiku lokufya, omafiku aeshe mokukala kwaye.
