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54 A sound of a cry cometh from Bavel, and shever gadol (great destruction) from Eretz Kasdim;
55 Because Hashem hath plundered Bavel, and silenced her kol gadol (great voice); when her waves do roar like mayim rabbim, the sound of her roaring resounds;
56 Because the plunderer is come upon her, even upon Bavel, and her gibborim are taken, every one of their keshatot (bows) is broken; for El Gemulot Hashem (Hashem the G-d of Recompense) shall surely repay.
57 And I will make shikkor (drunk) her sarim, and her chachamim, her pachot (rulers), and her seganim (officials), and her gibborim; and they shall sleep a shenat olam (perpetual sleep), and never awake, saith HaMelech Hashem Tzva’os Shmo.
58 Thus saith Hashem Tzva’os: The thick chomot Bavel shall be utterly broken, and her high she’arim shall be burned with eish; and the people shall labor in vain, and the peoples wear themselves out only for eish.
59 The Davar which Yirmeyah HaNavi commanded Serayah Ben Neriyah Ben Machseiyah, when he went with Tzidkiyah Melech Yehudah into Bavel in the fourth year of his reign. And this Serayah was sar menuchah (quartermaster).
60 So Yirmeyah wrote in a sefer all the ra’ah that should come upon Bavel, even all these devarim that are written against Bavel.
61 And Yirmeyah said to Serayah, When thou comest to Bavel, and shalt see, and shalt read all these Devarim;
62 Then shalt thou say, Hashem, Thou hast spoken against this makom, to cut it off, that none shall remain in it, neither adam nor behemah, but that it shall be desolate forever.
63 And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this sefer, that thou shalt bind an even (stone) to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates;
64 And thou shalt say, Thus shall Bavel sink, and shall rise no more because of the ra’ah that I will bring upon her. Thus far are the Devarim of Yirmeyah.
52 Tzidkiyah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven shanah in Yerushalayim. And shem immo was Chamutal bat Yirmeyah of Livnah.
2 And he did that which was rah in the eyes of Hashem, according to all that Y’hoyakim had done.
3 For because of the anger of Hashem it came to pass in Yerushalayim and Yehudah, that he finally cast them out from his presence. Tzidkiyah rebelled against HaMelech Bavel.
4 And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nevuchadretzar Melech Bavel came, he and all his army, against Yerushalayim, and encamped against it, and built siege-works against it round about.
5 So HaIr went under siege unto the eleventh year of Melech Tzidkiyah.
6 And in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the ra’av (famine) was severe in the Ir, so that there was no lechem for the Am HaAretz.
7 Then the Ir was broken through, and all the anshei hamilchamah fled, and went forth out of the Ir by lailah by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was near the Gan HaMelech; (now the Kasdim [Chaldeans] were surrounding the Ir); and they fled by the derech HaAravah.
8 But the army of the Kasdim (Chaldeans) pursued after HaMelech, and overtook Tzidkiyah in the plains of Yericho; and all his army was separated from him and scattered.
9 Then they captured HaMelech, and carried him up unto Melech Bavel to Rivlah in Eretz Chamat; where he pronounced mishpatim upon him.
10 And Melech Bavel slaughtered the Bnei Tzidkiyah before his eyes; he slaughtered also all the sarim (princes) of Yehudah in Rivlah.
11 Then he put out the eyes of Tzidkiyah; and Melech Bavel bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in the bais hapekudot (prison house) till the yom moto (day of his death).
12 Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month
13 And set fire to the Beis Hashem, and the Bais HaMelech (the palace); and all the batim (houses) of Yerushalayim, and all the bais hagadol, he burned with eish:
14 And all the army of the Kasdim (Chaldeans), that were with the captain of the guard, broke down all the chomot (walls) around Yerushalayim.
15 Then Nevuzaradan the captain of the guard sent into the Golus certain of the poor of the people, and the remaining of the people that were left in the Ir, and the defectors to Melech Bavel, and the rest of the multitude.
16 But Nevuzaradan the captain of the guard left certain of the poor of the land for koremim and for farmers.
17 Also the Ammudei HaNechoshet that were in the Beis Hashem, and the moveable Stands, and the Yam Hanechoshet that was in the Beis Hashem, the Kasdim (Chaldeans) broke, and carried all the bronze of them to Babylon.
18 The caldrons also, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the basins, and the pans, and all the klei hanechoshet wherewith they ministered, they took away.
19 And the cups, and the firepans [for incense], and the bowls, and the caldrons, and the menorahs, and the pans, and the bowls; that which were made of zahav, and that which made of kesef, the captain of the guard carried away.
20 The two Ammudim, one Yam, and twelve bronze bulls that were under the bases, which HaMelech Sh’lomo had made in the Beis Hashem: the bronze of all these vessels was beyond weight.
21 And concerning the Ammudim, the height of one ammud was eighteen cubits; and twelve cubits in circumference; and the thickness thereof was four fingers: it was hollow.
22 And a capital of nechoshet was upon it; and the height of one capital was five cubits, with network and pomegranates upon the capitals round about, all of nechoshet. The second pillar also and the pomegranates were similar unto these.
23 And there were ninety and six pomegranates on a side; and all the pomegranates upon the surrounding network were a me’ah (hundred).
24 And the captain of the guard took Serayah the Kohen HaRosh, and Tzephanyah the second kohen, and the three keepers of the door:
25 He took also out of the Ir the officer, which had the charge of the anshei hamilchamah; and seven men of them that were royal advisers which were found in the Ir; and the Sofer who was the chief officer in charge of conscripting the Am HaAretz; and threescore men of the Am HaAretz, that were found in the midst of the Ir.
26 So Nevuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to Melech Bavel to Rivlah.
27 And Melech Bavel struck them, and put them to death in Rivlah in Eretz Chamat. Thus Yehudah was carried away captive out of his own land.
28 This is the people whom Nevuchadretzar carried away captive: in the seventh year 3,023 Yehudim:
29 In the eighteenth year of Nevuchadretzar he carried away captive from Yerushalayim 832 nefesh:
30 In the three and twentieth year of Nevuchadretzar Nevuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Yehudim 745 nefesh: the nefesh were 4,600 in all.
31 And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the Golus of Y’hoyakhin Melech Yehudah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Eveel-Merodach Melech Bavel in the first year of his reign [562 B.C.E.] lifted up the head of Y’hoyakhin Melech Yehudah, and brought him forth out of prison [561 B.C.E.].
32 And spoke kindly unto him, and set his throne above the kisse of the melachim that were with him in Babylon,
33 And changed his prison garments: and he did continually eat lechem before him all the days of his life.
34 And for his allowance, there was a regular allowance given him of the Melech Bavel, every day a portion until the yom moto (day of his death) all the days of his life.
3 Remind them to be "V’NISHMA" ("obedient, and we will obey!" SHEMOT 24:7) to sarim (rulers), to shiltonim (authorities), to be submissive, to be obedient, ready for every ma’aseh tov.
2 Speak lashon hora of no one, be not ohev riv (quarrelsome). Be eidel (gentle), displaying anavah (meekness) to kol Bnei Adam.
3 For all of us were once without da’as, sorrarim (disobedient), being led astray, avadim (slaves) of ta’avot and to various ta’anugot (pleasures) of the Olam Hazeh, spending our lives in eyvah (enmity BERESHIS 3:15) and kina (jealousy), hated, and hating one another.
4 But when the Chen v’Chesed and the ahavas Hashem Moshieynu appeared to Bnei Adam,
5 Not by tzidkateynu (our righteousness) in ma’asim tovim which is to our zchus (merit), but according to His rachamim, He granted us Yeshu’at Eloheynu through the mikveh mayim ruchani of rebirth and renewing of the Ruach Hakodesh [Yn 3:3],
6 Which Hashem poured out on us richly through Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua Moshieynu,
7 That, having been made YITZDAK IM HASHEM (IYOV 25:4) by the Chen v’Chesed of Hashem, we might become yoreshim (heirs) in the tikvah HaChayyei Olam.
8 This dvar Emes is trustworthy. And I counsel you to strongly affirm the divrei torah I am handing on to you, that those who have become ma’aminim in Hashem may be shomer for ma’asim tovim. These things to Bnei Adam are good, tov me’od.
9 But pilpul minutiae controversies and toldot and quarrels and fights about the Torah, avoid, for they are unprofitable hevel.
10 An ish hacholek (a man of division, a divisive man) after one or two warnings, avoid,
11 Having da’as that such a man is perverted and sinful, bringing harsha’ah (condemnation) upon himself.
12 When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, try to come to me at Nicopolis, for there I have decided to spend the choref (winter).
13 Do your utmost to speed Zenas, the Ben Torah (scholar), and Apollos on their way, that nothing for them may be lacking.
14 Let anshei adateynu (the men of our community) learn to be concerned about ma’asim tovim so as to supply urgent needs, that they may not be lo poreh (unfruitful).
15 Drishat Shalom from all the ones with me. Drishat Shalom to those who have ahavah for us in the emunah [of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach]. Chen v’Chesed Hashem to all of you. [T.N. In the next letter, Rav Sha’ul’s ministry bore fruit in freedom in a messianic shtiebel in Colossae for a slave boy who had run away in the shackles of sin before Moshiach the Go’el set him free.]
100 (Mizmor l’todah) Make a joyful shout unto Hashem, all ye lands.
2 Serve Hashem with simchah; come before His presence with joyful singing.
3 Know ye that Hashem He is Elohim; it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves, His people, the tzon of His pasture.
4 Enter into His she’arim (gates) with todah, and into His khatzerot (courts) with tehillah; be thankful unto Him, and bless Shmo.
5 For Hashem is good; His chesed is l’olam; and His emunah (faithfulness) endureth dor vador.
18 As a mad man who shooteth firebrands, khitzim (arrows), and mavet,
19 So is the ish that deceiveth his re’a, and saith, Am I not just having a laugh?
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