Jerusalem Is Captured and Destroyed
(2 Chronicles 36.17-21Jeremiah 52.3-30)1 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.
2-3 After a year and a half, all the food in Jerusalem was gone. Then on the ninth day of the fourth month, 4 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 desert, 5 but the Babylonian troops caught up with them near Jericho. They arrested Zedekiah, but his soldiers scattered in every direction.
6 Zedekiah was taken to Riblah, where Nebuchadnezzar put him on trial and found him guilty. 7 Zedekiah's sons were killed right in front of him. His eyes were then poked out, and he was put in chains and dragged off to Babylon.
8 About a month later, in Nebuchadnezzar's nineteenth year as king, Nebuzaradan, who was his official in charge of the guards, arrived in Jerusalem. 9 Nebuzaradan burned down the Lord's temple, the king's palace, and every important building in the city, as well as all the houses. 10 Then he ordered the Babylonian soldiers to break down the walls around Jerusalem. 11 He led away as prisoners the people left in the city, including those who had become loyal to Nebuchadnezzar. 12 Only some of the poorest people were left behind to work the vineyards and the fields.
13 The Babylonian soldiers took the two bronze columns that stood in front of the temple, the ten movable bronze stands, and the large bronze bowl called the Sea. They broke them into pieces so they could take the bronze to Babylonia. 14 They carried off the bronze things used for worship at the temple, including the pans for hot ashes, and the shovels, snuffers, and also the dishes for incense, 15 as well as the fire pans and the sprinkling bowls. Nebuzaradan ordered his soldiers to take everything made of gold or silver.
16 The pile of bronze from the columns, the stands, and the large bowl that Solomon had made for the temple was too large to be weighed. 17 Each column had been eight meters tall with a bronze cap over one meter high. These caps were decorated with bronze designs—some of them like chains and others like pomegranates.
18 Next, Nebuzaradan arrested Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah his assistant, and three temple officials. 19 Then he arrested one of the army commanders, the king's five personal advisors, and the officer in charge of gathering the troops for battle. He also found 60 more soldiers who were still in Jerusalem. 20 Nebuzaradan led them all to Riblah 21 near Hamath, where Nebuchadnezzar had them killed.
Most of the people of Judah had been carried away as captives from their own country.
Gedaliah Is Made Ruler of the People Left in Judah
(Jeremiah 40.7-9Jeremiah 41.1-3)22 King Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam to rule the few people still living in Judah. 23 When the army officers and troops heard that Gedaliah was their ruler, the officers met with him at Mizpah. These men were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth from Netophah, and Jaazaniah from Maacah.
24 Gedaliah said to them, “Everything will be fine, I promise. We don't need to be afraid of the Babylonian rulers, if we live here peacefully and do what Nebuchadnezzar says.”
25 Ishmael was from the royal family. And about two months after Gedaliah began his rule, Ishmael and ten other men went to Mizpah. They killed Gedaliah and his officials, including those from Judah and those from Babylonia. 26 After that, the army officers and all the people in Mizpah, whether important or not, were afraid of what the Babylonians might do. So they left Judah and went to Egypt.
Jehoiachin Is Set Free
(Jeremiah 52.31-34)27 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-seventh day of the twelfth month, he let Jehoiachin out of prison. 28 Evil-Merodach was kind to Jehoiachin and honored him more than any of the other kings held prisoner there. 29 Jehoiachin was even allowed to wear regular clothes, and he ate at the king's table every day. 30 As long as Jehoiachin lived, he was paid a daily allowance to buy whatever he needed.
سقوط أورشليم
(ار 39:1-7؛ ار 52:3-11)1 وفي السَّنةِ التَّاسِعةِ لِلمَلِكِ صِدقيَّا، في العاشِرِ مِنَ الشَّهرِ العاشِرِ، زحَفَ نَبوخَذنَصَّرُ معَ جميعِ جُيوشِهِ على أورُشليمَ وحاصَروها وبَنَوا حَولَها المَتاريسَ. 2 فدَخَلَتِ المدينةُ تَحتَ الحِصارِ إلى السَّنةِ الحاديةَ عَشْرَةَ لِلمَلِكِ صِدقيَّا. 3 وفي اليومِ التَّاسِعِ مِنَ الشَّهرِ الرَّابعِ اشتَدَّ الجوعُ، 4 ففَتَحَ الشَّعبُ ثُغرَةً في سُورِ المدينةِ وهربَ المَلِكُ صِدقيَّا وجميعُ الجُنودِ ليلا مِنْ طريقِ البابِ الّذي بَينَ السُّورَينِ، بِالقُربِ مِنْ بُستانِ المَلِكِ، والبابِليُّونَ مُحيطونَ بِالمدينةِ، وذهَبوا في طريقِ غَورِ الأُردُنِّ. 5 فتَبِـعَ جيشُ البابِليِّينَ المَلِكَ حتّى لَحِقوا بهِ في سَهلِ أريحا، حَيثُ تفَرَّقَ جيشُهُ عَنهُ. 6 فأخَذوهُ إلى مَلِكِ بابِلَ في رَبلَةَ بِأرضِ حماةَ وحكَموا علَيهِ: 7 ذبَحوا بَنيهِ أمامَ عينَيهِ، ثُمَّ فقَأوا عينَيهِ وأوثَقوهُ بِسِلسِلَتَينِ مِنْ نُحاسٍ وجاؤوا بهِ إلى بابِلَ.
خراب الهيكل
(2أخ 36:17-21، ار 39:8-10؛ ار 52:12-30)8 وفي اليومِ السَّابعِ مِنَ الشَّهرِ الخامِسِ في السَّنةِ التَّاسِعةَ عَشْرَةَ لِلمَلِكِ نَبوخذنَصَّرَ مَلِكِ بابِلَ، جاءَ نَبوزرادانُ قائِدُ حرَسِه وكبـيرُ حاشيتِهِ إلى أورُشليمَ 9 وأحرقَ فيها هَيكلَ الرّبِّ وقصرَ المَلِكِ وجميعَ بُيوتِ الأشرافِ 10 وهدَمَ جُنودُهُ كُلَّ أسوارِها. 11 وسبَى نَبوزرادانُ سائِرَ الّذينَ بَقَوا في المدينةِ، والهارِبـينَ اللاَّجِئينَ إلى مَلِكِ بابِلَ، وسائِرَ المَهَرَةِ مِنَ الصُنَّاعِ. 12 لكِنَّهُ ترَكَ مِنْ مَساكينِ الشَّعبِ بَعضَ الكرَّامينَ والفلاَّحينَ. 13 وحَطَّمَ البابِليُّونَ أعمِدَةَ النُّحاسِ والقواعِدَ والحَوضَ الكبـيرَ في الهَيكلِ، وحمَلوا كُلَّ نُحاسِها إلى بابِلَ. 14 وأخَذوا القُدورَ والرُّفوشَ والسَّكاكينَ والأوانيَ والصُّحونَ وجميعَ الأدواتِ الّتي تُستَعمَلُ لِلعِبادةِ في الهَيكلِ 15 كذلِكَ أخَذَ نَبوزرادانُ، قائِدُ الحرَسِ، الطُّسوتَ والمَجامِرَ والسَّكاكينَ والقُدورَ والمَناراتِ والصُّحونَ والأقداحَ وكُلَّ مَصنوعاتِ الذَّهبِ والفِضَّةِ. 16 كما أخذَ مَصنوعاتِ النُّحاسِ الّتي صَنَعَها المَلِكُ سُليمانُ لِلهَيكلِ وهيَ العَمودانِ والحَوضُ الكبـيرُ وقواعِدُهُ الاثنا عشَرَ، وكانَت ثقيلَةً لِكثافَةِ نُحاسِها. 17 وكانَ طُولُ كُلٍّ مِنَ العَمودَينِ ثَمانيَ عَشْرَةَ ذِراعا، وعلَيهِ تاجٌ مِنْ نُحاسٍ، وارتِفاعُ التَّاجِ ثَلاثُ أذرُعٍ، وعلى التَّاجِ حَبـيكَةٌ ورُمَّانٌ مِنْ حَولِها، والكُلُّ مِنْ نُحاسٍ.
شعب يهوذا يسبى إلى بابل
18 وأخذَ قائِدُ الحرَسِ سَرايا الكاهنَ الأوَّلَ وصَفَنيا الكاهنَ الثَّانيَ وحُرَّاسَ أبوابِ الهَيكلِ الثَّلاثَةَ. 19 وأخذَ مِنَ المدينةِ وكيلَ الجُندِ، وخمسةَ رِجالٍ مِنْ حاشيةِ المَلِكِ، ومُعاوِنَ قائِدِ الجُندِ الّذي كانَ يَحفَظُ سِجِلَّ المُجَنَّدينَ، وسِتِّينَ رَجُلا آخَرينَ. 20 هؤلاءِ أخَذَهُم نَبوزرادانُ قائِدُ الحرَسِ وساقَهُم إلى مَلِكِ بابِلَ في رِبلَةَ، 21 فقَتَلَهُمُ المَلِكُ في أرضِ حماةَ. وهكذا سبَى سُكَّانَ يَهوذا مِنْ أرضِهِم.
جدليا يحكم يهوذا
(ار 40:7—41:18)22 وأمَّا الّذينَ أبقاهُم نَبوخذنَصَّرُ في يَهوذا، فوَلَّى علَيهِم جَدَلْيا بنَ أخيقامَ بنِ شافانَ. 23 فلمَّا سَمِعَ قادةُ الجُيوشِ وجُنودُهُم الّذينَ لم يَستَسلِموا أنَّ مَلِكَ بابِلَ ولَّى جَدَلْيا، أتَوا إليهِ في المِصفاةِ وهُم: إسمَعيلُ بنُ نَثَنيا ويوحَنانُ بنُ قاريحَ وسَرايا بنُ تَنحومَثَ النَّطوفاتيِّ وبازَنيا بنُ المَعكيِّ. 24 فحَلفَ جَدَلْيا لهُم وقالَ: «لا تَخافوا مِنَ البابِليِّينَ فخَيرٌ لكُم أنْ تَظَلُّوا في أرضِكُم آمِنينَ وتَخضَعوا لِمَلِكِ بابِلَ». 25 لكِنْ في الشَّهرِ السَّابِـعِ مِنْ هذِهِ السَّنةِ جاءَ إسمَعيلُ بنُ نَثَنيا بنِ أليشاماعَ مِنَ النَّسلِ المَلكيِّ، ومعَهُ عشَرَةُ رِجالٍ، وقتَلوا جَدَلْيا، والبابِليِّينَ الّذينَ معَهُ في المِصفاةِ. 26 فقامَ الشَّعبُ، مِنَ الصَّغيرِ إلى الكبـيرِ، وعلى رأسِهِم قادةُ الجُيوشِ، ورحَلوا إلى مِصْرَ خَوفا مِنَ البابِليِّينَ.
إطلاق يوياكين من السجن
(ار 52:31-34)27 وفي اليومِ السَّابِـعِ والعشرينَ مِنَ الشَّهرِ الثَّاني عشَرَ، في السَّنةِ السَّابِــعةِ والثَّلاثينَ لِسَبْـيِ يوياكينَ مَلِكِ يَهوذا، صارَ أويلُ مَرودَخُ مَلِكا على بابِلَ. وفي السَّنةِ الّتي ملَكَ فيها، عَفا عَنْ يوياكينَ مَلِكِ يَهوذا، فأطلَقَهُ مِنَ السِّجنِ 28 وكلَّمَهُ بِلُطفٍ، وجعَلَ عرشَهُ أعلى مِنْ عُروشِ الّذينَ معَهُ في بابِلَ. 29 وغيَّرَ يوياكينُ ثيابَ سِجنِهِ، وبَقيَ يتَناوَلُ الطَّعامَ على مائِدةِ مَلِكِ بابِلَ كُلَّ أيّامِ حياتِهِ. 30 وكانَت لَه نَفَقَةٌ دائِمَةٌ مِنَ المَلِكِ تَفي بِـحاجتِهِ اليوميَّةِ، إلى يومِ وفاتِهِ.