2 Kings 25

1 So in the ninth [ordinal number, indicating sequence] year of Zedekiah’s reign [period of royal power, to advise or counsel], on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar [powerful king of Babylon] king of Babylon [city of confusion, mixing] marched [came, approached] against Jerusalem [city of peace] with his entire [all, everything] army [strength, might, or power]. They encamped [set up camp, pitched] outside the city and built [established, constructed] a siege wall [tower or wall used in battle] all around [encompassing, surrounding] it. word study 2 And the city [town, urban settlement] was kept under siege [besieged, shut in by forces] until King [royal ruler, monarch] Zedekiah’s [Jehovah is righteous] eleventh year [period of time, annual cycle]. word study 3 By the ninth [fourth month’s ninth day] day of the fourth month, the famine [severe hunger, lack of food] in the city [town, urban settlement] was so severe [sore, prevalent] that the people [nation, community] of the land [earth, territory] had no [none, none whatsoever] food [bread, sustenance]. word study 4 Then the city [was broken up, breached] was breached; and though the Chaldeans [inhabitants of Chaldea, a region in Mesopotamia] had surrounded the city, all [every single one] the men of war [soldiers, warriors] fled by night [in the darkness, under cover of night] by way of the gate [entrance, doorway] between the two walls [barriers, fortifications] near the king’s [belonging to the ruler, royal] garden [enclosed area, park]. They headed toward the Arabah [desert plain, wilderness], word study 5 but the army [force, military might] of the Chaldeans [Babylonians, inhabitants of Chaldea] pursued [chased, followed after] the king [royal person, ruler] and overtook [caught up with, reached] him in the plains [desert, lowlands] of Jericho [a city in Palestine, the first conquered by the Israelites], and all [every, the whole] his army [strength, might, military power] was separated [scattered, dispersed] from him. word study 6 The Chaldeans [Babylonian soldiers] seized [captured, took hold of] the king and brought him up [ascended with him] to the king of Babylon [ruler of Babel, city of confusion] at Riblah [a town in Syria, meaning fertility], where they pronounced [spoke, gave] judgment [justice] on him. word study 7 And they slaughtered [killed, put to death] the sons [descendants, children] of Zedekiah [Jehovah is righteous] before his eyes [in his sight, visibly]. Then they put out [blinded, gouged out] his eyes [sight, vision], bound him with [chained, fettered] bronze [copper, metal] shackles [fetters, chains], and took him to [carried, brought] Babylon [Babel, a city of confusion]. word study 8 On the seventh [specific, appointed] day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s [king of Babylon, ruler] reign [kingship, dominion] over Babylon [city of confusion, Babel], Nebuzaradan [Babylonian general] captain of the guard [chief, executioner], a servant [attendant, bondservant] of the king [monarch, ruler] of Babylon, entered [came, approached] Jerusalem [city of peace, capital]. word study 9 He burned down the house [dwelling place, temple] of the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God], the royal [king’s] palace, and all [every] the houses [dwellings] of Jerusalem [the city of peace]—every [all] significant [great, important] building [structure, edifice]. word study 10 And the whole army [all the forces, entire military] of the Chaldeans [Babylonians, people of Chaldea] under the captain [chief, commander] of the guard [executioners, lifeguardsmen] broke down [tore down, destroyed] the walls [barriers, fortifications] around [surrounding, encircling] Jerusalem [the city of peace, capital of Palestine]. word study 11 Then Nebuzaradan [commander of the royal guard, chief steward] captain of the guard carried into exile [as captives, deported] the people [nation, community] who remained [were left, spared] in the city [town, settlement], along with the deserters [fugitives, those who fell away] who had defected [fallen to, surrendered] to the king [ruler, monarch] of Babylon [Babel, city of confusion] and the rest [remainder, excess] of the population [multitude, crowd]. word study 12 But the captain [chief, commander] of the guard [executioners, lifeguardsmen] left behind some of the poorest [most helpless, destitute] of the land [earth, territory] to tend [care for, cultivate] the vineyards [grape fields, wine production areas] and fields [agricultural lands, countryside]. word study 13 Moreover, the Chaldeans [inhabitants of Chaldea, a region in Mesopotamia] broke up the bronze [made of copper] pillars [columns] and stands [bases, pedestals] and the bronze [copper, a valuable resource] Sea [a large body of water] in the house [dwelling place, temple] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], and they carried the bronze [copper, a precious metal] to Babylon [a city and empire, meaning confusion or mixing]. word study 14 They also took away the pots [vessels, utensils], shovels [spades, digging tools], wick trimmers [snuffers, for trimming lamp wicks], dishes [spoons, serving utensils], and all the articles [vessels, utensils] of bronze [copper, a base metal] used in the temple [Lord’s house, place of worship] service [ministry, worship]. word study 15 The captain [chief, commander] of the guard [executioners, lifeguardsmen] also took away [removed, seized] the censers [firepans, trays for burning incense] and sprinkling bowls [basins, vessels for holding liquids]—anything [all items, every object] made of pure [refined, unalloyed] gold [a valuable metal] or fine [precious, sterling] silver [a valuable metal]. word study 16 As for the two [a pair] pillars, the Sea [a large body of water], and the movable stands [bases, pedestals] that Solomon [a king of Israel] had made [created, constructed] for the house [a dwelling place] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], the weight [heaviness] of the bronze [copper or something made of it] from all these articles [objects or tools] was beyond measure [without weight, impossible to weigh]. word study 17 Each pillar [column, upright post] was eighteen cubits [about 27 feet, a unit of measurement] tall. The bronze [made of copper] capital [top part, decorative crown] atop one pillar was three cubits [about 4.5 feet, a measure of length] high, with a network [latticework, intricate design] of bronze pomegranates [ornamental fruit] all around. The second pillar, with its network [similar pattern, identical design], was similar. word study 18 The captain [chief, commander] of the guard [executioners, lifeguardsmen] also took away Seraiah [Jehovah is ruler] the chief [head, prince] priest [one who serves God and leads others in worship], Zephaniah [God has treasured] the priest [one who serves God and leads others in worship] of second [duplicate, lower] rank, and the three [thrice] doorkeepers [those who protect, attend to, or guard the entrance]. word study 19 Of those still in the city [remaining, left behind], he took a court official [eunuch, high-ranking servant] who had been appointed over the men of war [army, military forces], as well as five royal advisors [king’s friends, nobles]. He also took the scribe [secretary, recorder] of the captain of the army [military leader], who had enlisted [mustered, gathered] the people of the land [nation, territory], and sixty men [people, individuals] who were found in the city [discovered, present]. word study 20 Nebuzaradan [the Babylonian general, chief steward] captain of the guard [executioner, lifeguardsman] took them and brought them to the king [ruler, monarch] of Babylon [city of confusion, empire] at Riblah [town of fertility, Syrian city]. word study 21 There at Riblah [a town in Syria, a place of fertility] in the land [region, territory] of Hamath [an ancient city in Syria], the king [royal ruler, monarch] of Babylon [a city and empire, meaning confusion] struck them down [smiting, hitting] and put them to death [executed, slew]. So Judah [the tribe descended from Judah] was taken into exile [carried away captive, forcibly removed], away from its own land [territory, soil]. word study 22 Nebuchadnezzar [king of the Babylonian empire] king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah [a high-ranking official] son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan [a scribe or secretary], over the people [remaining Israelites, survivors] he had left behind [to remain, spare] in the land [territory, region] of Judah [the southern kingdom, tribe of Judah]. word study 23 When all [every single one] the commanders [captains, leaders] of the armies [forces, military units] and their men [soldiers, warriors] heard [listened, obeyed] that the king [ruler, sovereign] of Babylon [a city and empire, meaning confusion] had appointed [made, ordained] Gedaliah [a governor of Judea] as governor [ruler, leader], they came [went, approached] to Gedaliah [the appointed leader] at Mizpah [a watchtower, a place of observation]—Ishmael [God will hear] son of Nethaniah [given of Jehovah], Johanan [Jehovah has graced] son of Kareah [bald, bald-headed], Seraiah [Jehovah is ruler] son of Tanhumeth [consolation] the Netophathite [an inhabitant of Netophah], and Jaazaniah [Jehovah hears] son of the Maacathite [someone from the city of Maakah], as well as [together with] their men [soldiers, companions]. word study 24 And Gedaliah took an oath [swore a solemn promise, made a vow] before them and their men, assuring them, “Do not be afraid [fear not, have no fear] of the servants [slaves, subjects] of the Chaldeans [inhabitants of Babylon, astrologers]. Live [dwell, reside] in the land [the earth, the territory] and serve [work for, obey] the king [ruler, sovereign] of Babylon [Babel, the city of confusion], and it will be well [good, prosperous] with you [for you, to your benefit].” word study 25 In the seventh month, however, Ishmael [son of Nethaniah, of the royal family] son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama [a royal descendant], who was a member of the [king’s] royal family, came with ten men and struck down [smiting, attacking] and killed [causing to die, murdering] Gedaliah, along with the Judeans [people of Judah, Jews] and Chaldeans [inhabitants of Chaldea, Babylonians] who were with him at Mizpah [a watchtower, a place of observation]. word study 26 Then all [every single one, from the least to the greatest] the people [Amaw, a nation or community] small [insignificant, of little importance] and great [powerful, of high status], together with the commanders [rulers, leaders] of the army [Helech, a force or military might], arose [stood up, rose to action] and fled [ran away, escaped] to Egypt [a foreign land, a place of refuge] for fear [because of dread, in awe] of the Chaldeans [the Babylonians, a powerful and feared nation]. word study 27 On the twenty-seventh [twenty-five in some accounts] day of the twelfth [last] month of the thirty-seventh [thirty-seventh year of exile] year of the exile [captivity, time of punishment] of Judah’s King Jehoiachin [Jehovah establishes, a king of Judah], in the year [period of time, season] Evil-merodach [a king of Babylon] became king [began to reign, ruler] of Babylon [a city and empire of confusion], he released [lifted up, freed] King Jehoiachin [a king of Judah] of Judah [a tribe and region] from prison [a place of confinement, house of restraint]. word study 28 And he spoke kindly [with good words] to Jehoiachin and set his throne [a symbol of power and authority] above the thrones [seats of royal dignity] of the other kings who were with [in the company of, near] him in Babylon [a city of exile and captivity]. word study 29 So Jehoiachin changed [altered, transformed] out of his prison [place of confinement] clothes [garments, attire], and he dined [ate bread, had meals] regularly [continually, constantly] at the king’s [ruler’s, monarch’s] table [in the king’s presence] for the rest [remainder, duration] of his life [existence, lifetime]. word study 30 And the king [the ruler, monarch] provided Jehoiachin [the king of Judah] a daily [every day, continually] portion [ration, food allowance] for the rest [remainder, all the days] of his life [existence, time on earth]. word study