Let it be known to the king that we went to the house of the great God in the province of Judah. It is being built with cut stones, and its beams are being set in the walls. This work is being done diligently and succeeding through the people's efforts.

But it was in the fortress of Ecbatana in the province of Media that a scroll was found with this record written on it:

These are the people of the province who went up from among the captive exiles deported by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Each of them returned to his own town in Jerusalem and Judah.

Parosh's descendants 2,172

Arah's descendants 652

Elam's descendants 1,254

Zaccai's descendants 760

Bebai's descendants 628

Adonikam's descendants 667

Adin's descendants 655

Hashum's descendants 328

Hariph's descendants 112

Bethlehem's and Netophah's men 188

Beth-azmaveth's men 42

Ramah's and Geba's men 621

Bethel's and Ai's men 123

the other Elam's people 1,254

Jericho's people 345

Senaah's people 3,930

Immer's descendants 1,052

Harim's descendants 1,017

The singers [included]: Asaph's descendants 148

The temple servants [included]: Ziha's descendants, Hasupha's descendants, Tabbaoth's descendants,

Lebana's descendants, Hagaba's descendants, Shalmai's descendants,

Reaiah's descendants, Rezin's descendants, Nekoda's descendants,

Besai's descendants, Meunim's descendants, Nephishesim's descendants,

Bazlith's descendants, Mehida's descendants, Harsha's descendants,

Neziah's descendants, Hatipha's descendants.

Jaala's descendants, Darkon's descendants, Giddel's descendants,

All the temple servants and the descendants of Solomon's servants 392

Delaiah's descendants, Tobiah's descendants, and Nekoda's descendants 642

These searched for their entries in the genealogical records, but they could not be found, so they were disqualified from the priesthood.

The whole combined assembly numbered 42,360

They had 736 horses, 245 mules,

Some of the family leaders gave to the project. The governor gave 1,000 gold drachmas, 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments to the treasury.

The rest of the people gave 20,000 gold drachmas, 2,000 silver minas, and 67 priestly garments.

These events took place during the days of Ahasuerus,who ruled 127 provinces from India to Cush.

He held a feast in the third year of his reign for all his officials and staff, the army of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the officials from the provinces.

and no restraint was placed on the drinking. The king had ordered every wine steward in his household to serve as much as each person wanted.

to bring Queen Vashti before him with her royal crown. [He wanted] to show off her beauty to the people and the officials, because she was very beautiful.

On the twenty-third day of the third month (that is, the month Sivan), the royal scribes were summoned. Everything was written exactly as Mordecai ordered for the Jews, to the satraps, the governors, and the officials of the 127 provinces from India to Cush. [The edict was written] for each province in its own script, for each ethnic group in its own language, and to the Jews in their own script and language.

After he read it, he asked what province he was from. So when he learned he was from Cilicia,

Then he deported all Jerusalem and all the commanders and all the fighting men, 10,000 captives, and all the craftsmen and metalsmiths. Except for the poorest people of the land, nobody remained.

The king of Babylon also brought captive into Babylon all 7,000 fighting men and 1,000 craftsmen and metalsmiths-- all strong and fit for war.

Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards, deported the rest of the people who were left in the city, the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the population.

Then the common people took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father.

The king of Egypt deposed him in Jerusalem and fined the land 7,500 pounds of silver and 75 pounds of gold.

Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he became king; he reigned 11 years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD his God.

Also Nebuchadnezzar took some of the utensils of the LORD's temple to Babylon and put them in his temple in Babylon.

Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he became king; he reigned three months and 10 days in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the LORD's sight.

Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king; he reigned 11 years in Jerusalem.

He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar who had made him swear allegiance by God. He became obstinate and hardened his heart against returning to the LORD God of Israel.

But the LORD God of their ancestors sent word against them by the hand of his messengers, sending them time and time again, for He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place.

So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their choice young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary. He had no pity on young man and virgin or elderly and aged; He handed them all over to him.

Then the Chaldeans burned God's temple. They tore down Jerusalem's wall, burned down all its palaces, and destroyed all its valuable utensils.

This fulfilled the word of the LORD through Jeremiah and the land enjoyed its Sabbath rest all the days of the desolation until 70 years were fulfilled.

This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build Him a temple at Jerusalem in Judah. Whoever among you of His people may go up, and may the LORD his God be with him.

In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon advanced against Jerusalem with his entire army and laid siege to it.

All the officials of the king of Babylon entered and sat at the Middle Gate: Nergal-sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim the Rab-saris, Nergal-sharezer the Rab-mag, and all the rest of the officials of Babylon's king.

However, the Chaldean army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, arrested him, and brought him to Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon's king, at Riblah in the land of Hamath. The king passed sentence on him [there].

Then he blinded Zedekiah and put him in bronze chains to take him to Babylon.

Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards, deported to Babylon the rest of the people-- those who had remained in the city and those deserters who had defected to him along with the rest of the people who had remained.

[Speaking] through Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon gave orders concerning Jeremiah, saying:

Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, Nebushazban the Rab-saris, Nergal-sharezer the Rab-mag, and all the captains of the king of Babylon

Now the word of the LORD had come to Jeremiah when he was confined in the guard's courtyard:

But I will rescue you on that day"-- [this is] the LORD's declaration-- "and you will not be handed over to the men you fear.

Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king; he reigned 11 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; [she was] from Libnah.

Because of the LORD's anger, it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that He finally banished them from His presence. Nevertheless, Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

The city was under siege until King Zedekiah's eleventh year.

Then the city was broken into, and all the warriors fled. They left the city by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the king's garden, though the Chaldeans surrounded the city. They made their way along the route to the Arabah.

The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him.

Then he blinded Zedekiah and bound him with bronze chains. The king of Babylon brought Zedekiah to Babylon, where he kept him in custody until his dying day.

He burned the LORD's temple, the king's palace, all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the nobles.

Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards, deported some of the poorest of the people, as well as the rest of the people who were left in the city, the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen.

Now the Chaldeans broke into pieces the bronze pillars for the LORD's temple and the water carts and the bronze reservoir that were in the LORD's temple, and carried all the bronze to Babylon.

The commander of the guards took away the bowls, the firepans, the sprinkling basins, the pots, the lampstands, the pans, and the drink offering bowls-- whatever was gold or silver.

One pillar was 27 feet tall, had a circumference of 18 feet, was hollow-- four fingers thick--

[Each capital had] 96 pomegranates all around it. All the pomegranates around the latticework numbered 100.

From the city he took a court official who had been appointed over the warriors; seven trusted royal aides found in the city; the secretary of the commander of the army, who enlisted the people of the land for military duty; and 60 men from the common people who were found within the city.

The king of Babylon put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah went into exile from its land.

in his eighteenth year, 832 people from Jerusalem;

On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Judah's King Jehoiachin, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the [first] year of his reign, pardoned King Jehoiachin of Judah and released him from the prison.

So Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes, and he dined regularly in the presence of the king of Babylon for the rest of his life.

Judah has gone into exile following affliction and harsh slavery; she lives among the nations but finds no place to rest. All her pursuers have overtaken her in narrow places.

Her adversaries have become [her] masters; her enemies are at ease, for the LORD has made her suffer because of her many transgressions. Her children have gone away as captives before the adversary.

Daughter Zion, your punishment is complete; He will not lengthen your exile. But He will punish your iniquity, Daughter Edom, and will expose your sins.

The coastland will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah; they will find pasture there. They will lie down in the evening among the houses of Ashkelon, for the LORD their God will return to them and restore their fortunes.