Babylon

Taking an oath, G'dalyahu said to them, "Don't be afraid of the servants of the Kasdim. Just live in the land and serve the king of Bavel, and things will go well for you."

In the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Y'hoyakhin king of Y'hudah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, Eveel-M'rodakh began his reign as king of Bavel; and in his first year he commuted the sentence of Y'hoyakhin king of Y'hudah and released him from prison.

He treated him with kindness and gave him a throne higher than those of the other kings there with him in Bavel.

So all Isra'el was listed by genealogies, and these were recorded in the book of the kings of Isra'el. Then Y'hudah was carried away captive to Bavel because of their unfaithfulness.

However, in the matter of the ambassadors from the princes of Bavel, who sent to him to learn of the marvel that had taken place in the land, God left him by himself, in order to test him, so that he might know everything that was in his heart.

Therefore ADONAI brought against them the commanders of the king of Ashur's army. They took M'nasheh captive with hooks, bound him in chains and carried him off to Bavel.

N'vukhadnetzar king of Bavel attacked him and bound him in chains to carry him off to Bavel.

N'vukhadnetzar also carried the articles in the house of ADONAI away to Bavel and put them in his temple in Bavel.

In the spring, King N'vukhadnetzar sent and had him brought to Bavel together with the valuable articles from the house of ADONAI, and made Tzedekyah his brother king over Y'hudah and Yerushalayim.

All the articles in the house of God, great and small; the supplies in the house of ADONAI; and the supplies of the king and his leading men - all these he brought to Bavel.

Those who had escaped the sword he carried off to Bavel, and they became slaves to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia.

Here is a list of the people of the province who had been exiled, carried off to Bavel by N'vukhadnetzar king of Bavel, but who later returned from exile and went up to Yerushalayim and Y'hudah, each to his own city;

But because our ancestors provoked the God of heaven, he handed them over to N'vukhadnetzar king of Bavel, the Kasdi; he destroyed this house and carried the people off to Bavel.

But in the first year of Koresh king of Bavel, Koresh the king gave authorization to rebuild this house of God.

Moreover, the gold and silver articles belonging to the house of God, which N'vukhadnetzar had removed from the temple in Yerushalayim and brought to the temple of Bavel, Koresh the king took out of the temple in Bavel; they were turned over to a man named Sheshbatzar, whom he had appointed governor.

"'Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, let a search be made in the royal treasury there in Bavel to determine whether a decree was issued by Koresh the king to rebuild this house of God in Yerushalayim; and let the king send us his decision concerning this matter.'"

Also let the gold and silver articles belonging to the house of God, which N'vukhadnetzar removed from the temple at Yerushalayim and brought to Bavel, be restored and returned to the temple in Yerushalayim, each item to its place; and you are to put them in the house of God.'

"Here is a list of the people of the province who had been exiled, carried off to Bavel by N'vukhadnetzar king of Bavel, but who later returned from exile and went up to Yerushalayim and Y'hudah, each to his own city;

During all this time I wasn't present in Yerushalayim; because in the thirty-second year of Artach'shashta king of Bavel, I went to see the king; then, after some time had passed, I asked permission from the king

He had been exiled from Yerushalayim with the captives exiled with Y'khanyah king of Y'hudah, whom N'vukhadnetzar king of Bavel had carried off.

I count Rahav and Bavel among those who know me; Of P'leshet, Tzor and Ethiopia [they will say], "This one was born there."

By the rivers of Bavel we sat down and wept as we remembered Tziyon.

Daughter of Bavel, you will be destroyed! A blessing on anyone who pays you back for the way you treated us!

This is a prophecy about Bavel, which Yesha'yahu the son of Amotz saw:

Thus Bavel, that jewel of kingdoms, the pride and glory of the Kasdim, will be like S'dom and 'Amora when overthrown by God.