Kuwa kwe Jerusalema
(2 Bomambo 24:18—25:7)1 Zedekiya wakabe ali makole ali makumi mabili ana ling'ompela (21) paakabe mambo, wakabusa makole ali gumi lina ling'ompela (11) mu Jerusalema. Zina la mmeyabe lakabe liyi Hamutali bali nkololokadzi wa Jeremiya we Libina. 2 Wakathama mbipo mbeli kwa Yahwe, koga sekwa kathama Jehoyakimu. 3 Nge malebeswa ngekwe kugwadzamoyo kwa Yahwe zwithu zwakashingikalila Jerusalema ne Juda, zwakayita kuti babatate mbeli kwabo.
Zedekiya kapandukila mambo we Bhabhiloni. 4 Ngono kukati mu gole le buzhanalume le mbuso uwe, mu mwedzi we bugumi, mu zhuba le bugumi le mwedzi, Nebukadineza mambo we Bhabhiloni kazha ne babhayani babe bose kubhayana ne Jerusalema, kaikomba kabaka duluthulu le guma kuipoteleka. 5 Ndizo nzi nkulu wakakombiwa kunoti gole le bugumi lina ling'ompela (11) la Mambo Zedekiya.
6 Mu zhuba le buzhanalume le mwedzi we bunna bhamba likabipa mu nzi nkulu kwakayita kuti kusheteke zojiwa zwe bathu be shango. 7 Ipapo guma le nzi nkulu likapkhwanyiwa ngono babhayani bose bakatizha, bakabhuda mu nzi nkulu busiku nge nkoba upakati kwe makuma mabili apejo ne nnda wa mambo nenguba Bakhaladiya bakabe bakapoteleka nzi nkulu. Ngono bakatola zila yakalinga ku Araba. 8 Koga babhayani be Bakhaladiya bakatatamila mambo bakabhatila Zedekiya mu lubala gwe Jerikho ngono babhayani babe bose bakabe bampalalila. 9 Ipapo bakabhata mambo bakan'yisa kuna mambo we Bhabhiloni ku Ribila mu shango ye Hamati, ngono kaswika kan'tilika nlandu. 10 Mambo we Bhabhiloni kabulaya bakololo ba Zedekiya mbeli kukwe, kakale kabulaya makulukota e Juda ku Ribila. 11 Wakakonyombola mesho a Zedekiya, kan'sunga nge ketani mu makumbo ngono mambo we Bhabhiloni kantolela ku Bhabhiloni kaswika kan'longa mu ng'umba ye busungwa kudzina zhuba le lufu gugwe.
Kukolomogwa kwe Ng'umba ye Ndzimu
(2 Bomambo 25:8-17)12 Mu mwedzi we bushanu mu zhuba le bugumi le mwedzi, hwuti gole le bugumi lina makole ali zhanalume (19) la Mambo Nebukadineza, mambo we Bhabhiloni, Nebuzaradani ntungamili we balindi wakabe eshinga mambo we Bhabhiloni kangina mu Jerusalema. 13 Kapisa Ng'umba ya Yahwe ne ng'umba ye bumambo ne ng'umba dzose dze Jerusalema, ng'umba imwe ne imwe hwulu kaipisa. 14 Babhayani bose bakabe bana ntungamili we balindi bakapkhwanya makuma wose kupoteleka Jerusalema. 15 Nebuzaradani ntungamili we balindi katapa bathu bose bakabe bali bashayi kwazo nenge bathu bose bakabe basala mu nzi nkulu ne batizhi bakabe batizhila kuna mambo we Bhabhiloni ne nyambi dze kubezha. 16 Koga Nebuzaradani ntungamili we balindi kasiya bamwe be bashayi kwazo mu shango kuti bashinge mu minda ye mizhambi ne mu minda imwe.
17 Phanda dze phangula dzakabe dzili dze Ng'umba ya Yahwe ne zwigadziko zwina makumbgwana ne Gungwa le phangula zwakabe zwili mu Ng'umba ya Yahwe, Bakhaladiya bakazwipkhwanya zwikabe zwiyenga ngono bakasengela phangula yose ku Bhabhiloni. 18 Bakasenga kose ne hali ne maharawo ne zwidzimi zwe mavone ne zwikutili ne ndigwana dzinopisila motsha ne zwija zose zwe phangula zwakabe zwishingisiwa mu Ng'umba ye Ndzimu, 19 ne zwikutili zwitukununu ne makambana e moto ne zwikutili ne hali ne zwigadziko zwe mavone ne ndigwana dzinopisila motsha ne ndilo hwulu, zose zwe zwipo zwe zwing'o zwakabe zwakathang'wa nge siliva.
20 Phanda mbili dze phangula ne Gungwa, kusi kwalo lina zwifano zwe mikono zwili gumi lina zwibili zwakathamwa nge phangula ne zwigadziko zwina makumbgwana zwakabe zwathamwa ndi Mambo Solomoni ezwithamila Ng'umba ya Yahwe zwakabe zwili zwinjinji kwazwabe zwipinda zwiyelo. 21 Phanda imwe ne imwe bulefu kuyenda pezhugwi gwakabe guli thambo dzili gumi lina zhanakadzi (18), tjapezhugwi kwe phanda kwakabe kuli bupabi gwe maboko ali gumi lina mabili (12), bupabi gwe phanda gwakabe guli zwinyala zwili zwinna phanda yakabe ili bgwambgwa koga tjemukati.
22 Phanda yakabe ina nsholo wayo we phangula, pezhugwi kwe nsholo kwakabe kuli maboko ali mashanu, kwakalukanyiwa kuna dzipomegiranate dzose dzili dze phangula dzakanakisa pezhugwi kupoteleka. Phanda imwe yakabe yakanakisiwa koga sa ikoku, dzipomegiranate naidzo dzili muili. 23 Dzipomegiranate dzakabe dziboneka dzakabe dzili makumi ali zhanalume dzina dzili tathatu (96). Dzipomegiranate dzose dzakabe dzakalukigwa kupoteleka dzakabe dzili zana (100).
Bajuta banoyisiwa ku Bhabhiloni
(2 Bomambo 25:18-21, 2 27-30)24 Ngono ntungamili we balindi katola Seraya mpirisiti nkulu na Zafaniya unotobela mpirisiti nkulu ne batjengeti batatu be lutombo, 25 kudwa mu nzi nkulu wakatola nshingi wakabe ali nlauli we balume be ngwa ne balume bali kutendeka be bakumbuludzi ba mambo, bakabe bewang'wa mu nzi nkulu, ne nkwalili we nlauli we babhayani wakabe edanilila bathu be shango, ne balume bali makumi ali tathatu (60) be bathu be shango, bakabe bewang'wa mu nzi nkulu. 26 Ngono Nebuzaradani ntungamili we balindi wakabatola kabayisa kuna mambo we Bhabhiloni ku Ribila. 27 Mambo we Bhabhiloni kabaloba kababulaya ku Ribila mu shango ye Hamati. Ndizo Bajuta bakatolegwa kuzhe kwe shango yabo.
28 Eyi imbalo ye bathu bakatogwa ndi Nebukadineza ebatapa: Mu gole le butendeka, kwakatogwa Bajuta bali zwiwulu zwili zwitatu zwina makumi mabili ana batatu (3 023), 29 mu gole le bugumi lina ali zhanakadzi la Nebukadineza wakatapa kudwa mu Jerusalema bathu bali mazana ali zhanakadzi ana bali makumi matatu ana babili (832), 30 mu gole le bumakumi mabili ana ali matatu la Nebukadineza, Nebuzaradani ntungamili we balindi wakatapa Bajuta bali mazana ali kutendeka ana bali makumi manna ana bashanu (745), bathu bose bose bakabe bali zwiwulu zwili zwinna zwina mazana ali tathatu (4 600).
Jehoyakini unosunungugwa
31 Mu gole le bumakumi matatu ana kutendeka le kutapiwa kwa Jehoyakini mambo we Juda mu mwedzi we bugumi lina mibili mu zhuba le bugumi lina ali mashanu le mwedzi, Evilimerodaki mambo we Bhabhiloni mu gole laakaabe mambo, kamilidza nsholo wa Jehoyakini mambo we Juda ngono kan'dusa mu ng'umba ye busungwa, 32 kalebeleka naye nge buthu ngono kampa tjigalo tjipezhugwi kwe tja bomambo bamwe bakabe banaye mu Bhabhiloni. 33 Ndizo Jehoyakini kaambula zwiambalo zwizwe zwe busungwa. Ngono mazhuba wose e butjilo gugwe kaja zwibaka zose pa tafuli ya mambo, 34 ngekwe ndipo iye wakabe epiwa ndipo tjibaka ne tjibaka kuyenda ne zwaanoshaka zhuba ne zhuba atjatjila kudzina zhuba le lufu gugwe.
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.