2 Reis 25

¹ Forsothe it was don in the nynthe yeer of his rewme, in the tenthe moneth, in the tenthe dai of the moneth, Nabugodonosor, kyng of Babiloyne, cam, he, and al his oost, in to Jerusalem; and thei cumpassiden it, and bildiden `stronge thingis in the cumpass therof.

² And the citee was closid, and cumpassid, `til to the eleuenthe yeer of king Sedechie,

³ in the nynthe day of the monethe; and hungur `hadde maistrie in the citee, and `breed was not to the puple of the lond.

⁴ And the citee was brokun, and alle men werriours fledden in the niyt bi the weie of the yate, which is bitwixe the double wal, to the gardyn of the kyng; sotheli Caldeis bisegiden the citee `bi cumpas. Therfor Sedechie fledde bi the weie that ledith to the feeldi placis of the wildirnesse;

⁵ and the oost of Caldeis pursuede the king, and it took him in the pleyn of Jerico; and alle the werriours, that weren with him, weren scaterid, and leften him.

⁶ Therfor thei ledden the king takun to the king of Babiloyne, in to Reblatha, which spak dom with him, `that is, with Sedechie.

⁷ Sotheli he killide the sones of Sedechie bifor him, and puttide out his iyen, and boond him with chaynes, and ledde him in to Babiloyne.

⁸ In the fifthe monethe, in the seuenthe dai of the monethe, thilke is the nyntenthe yeer of the king of Babiloyne, Nabuzardan, prince of the oost, seruaunt of the king of Babiloyne, cam in to Jerusalem;

⁹ and he brente the hows of the Lord, and the hows of the king, and the housis of Jerusalem, and he brente bi fier ech hows;

¹⁰ and al the oost of Caldeis, that was with the prince of knyytis, distriede the wallis of Jerusalem `in cumpas.

¹¹ Forsothe Nabuzardan, prince of the chyyualrie, translatide the tother part of the puple, that dwellide in the citee, and the fleeris, that hadden fled ouer to the king of Babiloyne, and the residue comyn puple;

¹² and he lefte of the pore men of the lond vyntilieris, and erthe tilieris.

¹³ Sotheli Caldeis braken the brasun pilers, that weren in the temple, and the foundementis, and the see of bras, that was in the hous of the Lord; and thei translatiden al the metal in to Babiloyne.

¹⁴ And thei token the pottis of bras, and trullis, and fleisch hokis, and cuppis, and morteris, and alle brasun vessels, in whiche thei mynystriden;

¹⁵ also and censeris, and violis. The prince of the chyualrie took tho that weren of gold, and tho that weren of siluer,

¹⁶ that is, twei pileris, o see, and the foundementis, whiche king Salomon hadde maad `in to the temple of the Lord; and no weiyte was of metal of alle the vessels.

¹⁷ O piler hadde eiyten cubitis of hiyte, and a brasun pomel on it of the heiyte of thre cubitis, and a werk lijk a net, and pomgarnadis on the pomel of the piler, alle thingis of bras; and the secounde piler hadde lijk ournyng.

¹⁸ Also the prince of the chyualrie took Saraie, the firste preest, and Sophony, the secunde prest,

¹⁹ and thre porteris, and oon onest seruaunt of the citee, that was a souereyn ouer men werriours, and fyue men `of hem that stoden bifor the king, whiche he foond in the citee; and he took Sopher, the prince of the oost, that preuide yonge knyytis, `ether men able to batel, of the puple of the lond, and sixe men of the comyns, that weren foundyn in the citee;

²⁰ whiche Nabuzardan, prince of the chyualrie, took, and ledde to the king of Babiloyne, in to Reblatha.

²¹ And the kyng of Babiloyne smoot hem, and killide hem in Reblatha, in the lond of Emath; and Juda was translatid fro his lond.

²² Sotheli he made souereyn Godolie, sone of Aicham, sone of Saphan, to the puple that was left in the lond of Juda; which puple Nabugodonosor, king of Babiloyne, hadde left.

²³ And whanne alle the duykis of knyytis hadde herd these thingis, thei, and the men that weren with hem, that is, that the king of Babiloyne hadde ordeyned Godolie, thei camen `to Godolie, in Maspha, Ismael, sone of Nathanye, and Johannan, sone of Charee, and Saraie, sone of Thenameth of Nechophat, and Jeconye, sone of Machati, thei, and Machat, and the felowis of hem.

²⁴ And Godolie swoor to hem, and to the felowis of hem, and seide, Nyle ye drede to serue the Caldeis; dwelle ye in the lond, and serue ye the king of Babiloyne, and it schal be wel to you.

²⁵ Forsothe it was don in the seuenthe monethe, `that is, sithen Godolie was maad souereyn, Hismael, the sone of Nathanye, sone of Elysama, of the `kyngis seed, cam, and ten men with hym, and thei smytiden Godolie, which diede; but also thei smytiden Jewis and Caldeis, that weren with hym in Maspha.

²⁶ And al the puple roos fro litil `til to greet, and the prynces of knyytis, and camen in to Egipt, and dredden Caldeis.

²⁷ Therfor it was doon in the seuenthe and threttithe yeer of transmigracioun, `ether passyng ouer, of Joakyn, kyng of Juda, in the tweluethe monethe, in the seuene and twentithe dai of the monethe, Euylmeradach, kyng of Babiloyne, in the yeer in which he bigan to regne, reiside the heed of Joakyn, kyng of Juda,

²⁸ fro prisoun, and spak to hym benygneli; and he settide the trone of Joakyn aboue the trone of kyngis, that weren with hym in Babilonye.

²⁹ And he chaungide `hise clothis, whiche he hadde in prisoun; and he eet breed euer in the siyt of Euylmeradach, in alle the daies of his lijf.

³⁰ Also Euylmeradach ordeynede sustenaunce `to hym with out ceessyng; which sustenaunce also was youun of the kyng to hym bi alle daies, and in alle the daies of his lijf.