The Fall of Jerusalem
(2 Kings 24.18—25.7)1 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of the Jeremiah who lived in the city of Libnah. 2 King Zedekiah sinned against the Lord, just as King Jehoiakim had done. 3 The Lord became so angry with the people of Jerusalem and Judah that he banished them from his sight.
Zedekiah rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, 4 and so Nebuchadnezzar came with all his army and attacked Jerusalem on the tenth day of the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign. They set up camp outside the city, built siege walls around it, 5 and kept it under siege until Zedekiah's eleventh year. 6 On the ninth day of the fourth month of that same year, when the famine was so bad that the people had nothing left to eat, 7 the city walls were broken through. Although the Babylonians were surrounding the city, all the soldiers escaped during the night. They left by way of the royal garden, went through the gateway connecting the two walls, and fled in the direction of the Jordan Valley. 8 But the Babylonian army pursued King Zedekiah, captured him in the plains near Jericho, and all his soldiers deserted him. 9 Zedekiah was taken to King Nebuchadnezzar, who was in the city of Riblah in the territory of Hamath, and there Nebuchadnezzar passed sentence on him. 10 At Riblah he put Zedekiah's sons to death while Zedekiah was looking on and he also had the officials of Judah executed. 11 After that, he had Zedekiah's eyes put out and had him placed in chains and taken to Babylon. Zedekiah remained in prison in Babylon until the day he died.
The Destruction of the Temple
(2 Kings 25.8-17)12 On the tenth day of the fifth month of the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, Nebuzaradan, adviser to the king and commander of his army, entered Jerusalem. 13 He burned down the Temple, the palace, and the houses of all the important people in Jerusalem; 14 and his soldiers tore down the city walls. 15 Then Nebuzaradan took away to Babylonia the people who were left in the city, the remaining skilled workers, and those who had deserted to the Babylonians. 16 But he left in Judah some of the poorest people, who owned no property, and he put them to work in the vineyards and fields.
17 The Babylonians broke in pieces the bronze columns and the carts that were in the Temple, together with the large bronze tank, and they took all the bronze to Babylon. 18 They also took away the shovels and the ash containers used in cleaning the altar, the tools used in tending the lamps, the bowls used for catching the blood from the sacrifices, the bowls used for burning incense, and all the other bronze articles used in the Temple service. 19 They took away everything that was made of gold or silver: the small bowls, the pans used for carrying live coals, the bowls for holding the blood from the sacrifices, the ash containers, the lampstands, the bowls used for incense, and the bowls used for pouring out wine offerings. 20 The bronze objects that King Solomon had made for the Temple—the two columns, the carts, the large tank, and the twelve bulls that supported it—were too heavy to weigh. 21-22 The two columns were identical: each one was 27 feet high and 18 feet around. They were hollow, and the metal was 3 inches thick. On top of each column was a bronze capital 7½ feet high, and all around it was a grillwork decorated with pomegranates, all of which was also made of bronze. 23 On the grillwork of each column there were a hundred pomegranates in all, and ninety-six of these were visible from the ground.
The People of Judah Are Taken to Babylonia
(2 Kings 25.18-212 27-30)24 In addition, Nebuzaradan, the commanding officer, took away as prisoners Seraiah the High Priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank, and the three other important Temple officials. 25 From the city he took the officer who had been in command of the troops, seven of the king's personal advisers who were still in the city, the commander's assistant, who was in charge of military records, and sixty other important men. 26 Nebuzaradan took them to the king of Babylonia, who was in the city of Riblah 27 in the territory of Hamath. There the king had them beaten and put to death.
So the people of Judah were carried away from their land into exile. 28 This is the record of the people that Nebuchadnezzar took away as prisoners: in his seventh year as king he carried away 3,023; 29 in his eighteenth year, 832 from Jerusalem; 30 and in his twenty-third year, 745—taken away by Nebuzaradan. In all, 4,600 people were taken away.
31 In the year that Evil-merodach became king of Babylonia, he showed kindness to King Jehoiachin of Judah by releasing him from prison. This happened on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year after Jehoiachin had been taken away as a prisoner. 32 Evil-merodach treated him kindly and gave him a position of greater honor than he gave the other kings who were exiles with him in Babylonia. 33 So Jehoiachin was permitted to change from his prison clothes and to dine at the king's table for the rest of his life. 34 Each day for as long as he lived, he was given a regular allowance for his needs.
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.
