¹ Zedekias var enogtyve år gammel da han blev konge, og han herskede elleve År i Jerusalem. Hans Moder hed Hamital og var en Datter af Jirmeja fra Libna.

² Han gjorde, hvad der var ondt i HE ENs Øjne, ganske som Jojakim.

³ Thi for HE ENs Vredes Skyld kom dette over Jerusalem og Juda, og til sidst stødte han dem bort fra sit Åsyn. Og Zedekias faldt fra Babels konge.

⁴ I hans niende egeringsår på den tiende Dag i den tiende Måned drog Kong Nebukadrezar af Babel da med hele sin Hær mod Jerusalem, og de belejrede det og byggede Belejringstårne imod det rundt omkring;

⁵ og Belejringen varede til Kong Zedekiass ellevte egeringsår.

⁶ På den niende Dag i den fjerde Måned blev Hungersnøden hård i Byen, og Folket fra Landet havde ikke Brød. Da blev Byens Mur gennembrudt.

⁷ Alle krigsfolkene flygtede om Natten ud af Byen gennem Porten mellem de to Mure ved Kongens Have, medens Kaldæerne holdt Byen omringet, og de tog Vejen ad Arabalavningen til.

⁸ Men Kaldæernes Hær satte efter Kongen og indhentede ham på Jerikosletten, efter at hele hans Hær var blevet splittet til alle Sider.

⁹ Så greb de Kongen og bragte ham op til ibla i Hamats Land til Babels Konge, der fældede Dommen over ham.

¹⁰ Hans Sønner lod han henrette i hans Påsyn, ligeledes lod han alle Judas Øverster henrette i ibla;

¹¹ og på Zedekias selv lod Babels Konge Øjnene stikke ud; derpå lod han ham lægge i Kobberlænker, og således førte han ham til Babel; og han lod ham kaste i Fængsel, hvor han blev til sin Dødedag.

¹² På den tiende Dag i den femte Måned, det var Babels Konge Nebukadrezars nittende egeringsår, kom Nebuzaradan, Øversten for Livvagten, Babels konges Tjener, til Jerusalem.

¹³ Han satte Ild på HE ENs Hus og Kongens Palads og alle Husene i Jerusalem; på alle Stormændenes Huse satte han Ild;

¹⁴ og Murene om Jerusalem nedbrød hele kaldæernes Hær, som Øversten for Livvagten havde med sig.

¹⁵ De sidste Folk, som var tilbage i Byen, og Overløberne, der var gået over til Babels Konge, og de sidste Håndværkere førte Nebuzaradan, Øversten for Livvagten, bort.

¹⁶ Men nogle af de fattigste af Folket fra Landet lod Nebuzaradan, Øversten for Livvagten, blive tilbage som Vingårdsmænd og Agerdyrkere,

¹⁷ Kobbersøjlerne i HE ENs Hus, Stellene og Kobberhavet i HE ENs Hus slog Kaldæerne i Stykker og førte Kobberet til Babel.

¹⁸ Karrene, Skovlene, knivene og Kanderne og alle Kobbersagerne, som brugtes ved Tjenesten, røvede de;

¹⁹ også Fadene, Panderne, Skålene, Karrene, Lysestagerne, Kanderne og Offerskålene, der helt var af Guld eller Sølv, røvede Øversten for Livvagten.

²⁰ De to Søjler, Havet med de tolv Kobberokser under og Stellene, som Salomo havde ladet lave til HE ENs Hus Kobberet i alle disse Ting var ikke til at veje.

²¹ Atten Alen høj var hver Søjle, og en Snor på tolv Alen kunde nå om den, og den var hul, og Kobberet var fire Fingre tykt.

²² Og der var et Søjlehoved af Kobber oven på den, fem Alen højt, og rundt om Søjlehovedet var der Fletværk og Granatæbler, alt af Kobber; og på samme Måde var det med den anden Søjle.

²³ Og der var seks og halvfemsindstyve Granatæbler, som hang frit; der var i alt hundrede Granatæbler rundt om Fletværket.

²⁴ Øversten for Livvagten tog Ypperstepræsten Seraja, Anden præsten Zefanja og de tre Dørvogtere;

²⁵ og fra Byen tog han en Hofmand, der havde Opsyn med krigsfolket, og syv Mænd, der hørte til Kongens nærmeste Omgivelser, og som endnu fandtes i Byen, desuden Hærførerens Skriver, der udskrev Folket fra Landet til Krigstjeneste, og dertil tresindstyve Mænd at Folket fra Landet, der fandtes i Byen

²⁶ dem tog Øversten for Livvagten Nebuzaradan og førte til Babels Konge i ibla

²⁷ og Babels Konge lod dem dræbe i ibla i Hamats Land. Så førtes Juda i Landflygtighed fra sit Land.

²⁸ Følgende er Tallet på de Folk, Nebukadrezar bortførte i Fangenskab: I hans syvende År 3023 Judæere,

²⁹ i Nebukadrezars attende År 832 fra Jerusalem;

³⁰ i Nebukadrezars tre og tyvende År bortførte Nebuzaradan, Øversten for Livvagten, 745 af Judæerne; tilsammen 4600.

³¹ I det syv og tredivte År efter Kong Jojakin af Judas Bortførelse på den fem og tyvende Dag i den tolvte Måned tog Babels Konge Evil-Merodak, der i det År kom på Tronen, Kong Jojakin af Juda til Nåde og førte ham ud af Fængselet.

³² Han talte ham venligt til og gav ham Sæde oven for de Konger, som var hos ham i Babel.

³³ Jojakin aflagde sin Fangedragt og spiste daglig hos ham, så længe han levede.

³⁴ Han fik sit daglige Underhold af Babels Konge, hver Dag hvad han behøvede for den Dag, indtil sin Dødedag, så længe han levede.

¹ It happened at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and behold, he stood by the river.

² Behold, there came up out of the river seven cattle, sleek and fat, and they fed in the marsh grass.

³ Behold, seven other cattle came up after them out of the river, ugly and thin, and stood by the other cattle on the brink of the river.

⁴ The ugly and thin cattle ate up the seven sleek and fat cattle. So Pharaoh awoke.

⁵ He slept and dreamed a second time: and behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, healthy and good.

⁶ Behold, seven heads of grain, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them.

⁷ The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy and full ears. Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.

⁸ It happened in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all of Egypt's magicians and wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.

⁹ Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, "I remember my faults today.

¹⁰ Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, me and the chief baker.

¹¹ We dreamed a dream in one night, I and he. We dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream.

¹² There was with us there a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard, and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams. To each man according to his dream he interpreted.

¹³ It happened, as he interpreted to us, so it was: he restored me to my office, and he hanged him."

¹⁴ Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon. He shaved himself, changed his clothing, and came in to Pharaoh.

¹⁵ Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it."

¹⁶ Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, "It isn't in me. God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace."

¹⁷ Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, "In my dream, behold, I stood on the brink of the river:

¹⁸ and behold, there came up out of the river seven cattle, fat and sleek. They fed in the marsh grass,

¹⁹ and behold, seven other cattle came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for ugliness.

²⁰ The thin and ugly cattle ate up the first seven fat cattle,

²¹ and when they had eaten them up, it couldn't be known that they had eaten them, but they were still ugly, as at the beginning. So I awoke.

²² I saw in my dream, and behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, full and good:

²³ and behold, seven heads of grain, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them.

²⁴ The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me."

²⁵ Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dream of Pharaoh is one. What God is about to do he has declared to Pharaoh.

²⁶ The seven good cattle are seven years; and the seven good heads of grain are seven years. The dream is one.

²⁷ The seven thin and ugly cattle that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven empty heads of grain blasted with the east wind; they will be seven years of famine.

²⁸ That is the thing which I spoke to Pharaoh. What God is about to do he has shown to Pharaoh.

²⁹ Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt.

³⁰ There will arise after them seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land,

³¹ and the plenty will not be known in the land by reason of that famine which follows; for it will be very grievous.

³² The dream was doubled to Pharaoh, because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

³³ "Now therefore let Pharaoh look for a discreet and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.

³⁴ Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt's produce in the seven plenteous years.

³⁵ Let them gather all the food of these good years that come, and lay up grain under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it.

³⁶ The food will be for a store to the land against the seven years of famine, which will be in the land of Egypt; that the land not perish through the famine."

³⁷ The thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.

³⁸ Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?"

³⁹ Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Because God has shown you all of this, there is none so discreet and wise as you.

⁴⁰ You shall be over my house, and according to your word will all my people be ruled. Only in the throne I will be greater than you."

⁴¹ Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Behold, I have set you over all the land of Egypt."

⁴² Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand, and put it on Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in robes of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck,

⁴³ and he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had. They cried before him, "Bow the knee!" He set him over all the land of Egypt.

⁴⁴ Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, and without you shall no man lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt."

⁴⁵ Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphenath-Paneah; and he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On as a wife. Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.

⁴⁶ Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.

⁴⁷ In the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth abundantly.

⁴⁸ He gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was around every city, he laid up in the same.

⁴⁹ Joseph laid up grain as the sand of the sea, very much, until he stopped counting, for it was without number.

⁵⁰ To Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him.

⁵¹ Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, "For," he said, "God has made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house."

⁵² The name of the second, he called Ephraim: "For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction."

⁵³ The seven years of plenty, that were in the land of Egypt, came to an end.

⁵⁴ The seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.

⁵⁵ When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread, and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do."

⁵⁶ The famine was over all the surface of the earth. Joseph opened all the store houses, and sold to the Egyptians. The famine was severe in the land of Egypt.

⁵⁷ All countries came into Egypt, to Joseph, to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all the earth.