24. The commander of the guards took some prisoners. He took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank, and the three doorkeepers.
25. The commander also took other people who were still in the city. He took the officer in charge of the fighting men. He also took seven people who advised the king. He also took the royal assistant who selected people for the army. And he took 60 other men who were in the city.
26. Nebuzaradan, the commander, took all these people. And he brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.
27. There at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king had them killed.So the people of Judah were led away from their country as captives.
28. This is how many people Nebuchadnezzar took away as captives: in the seventh year, 3,023 Jews;
29. in Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year, 832 people from Jerusalem;
30. in Nebuchadnezzar’s twenty-third year, Nebuzaradan took 745 Jews as captives. Nebuzaradan was the commander of the king’s special guards.In all 4,600 people were taken captive.
31. Jehoiachin king of Judah was in prison in Babylon for 37 years. That year Evil-Merodach became king of Babylon. He let Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison that year. He set Jehoiachin free on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month.
32. Evil-Merodach spoke kindly to Jehoiachin. He gave Jehoiachin a seat of honor. It was above the seats of the other kings who were with him in Babylon.
33. So Jehoiachin put away his prison clothes. For the rest of his life, he ate at the king’s table.