2 Kings, 24
16. And the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon all the men of valor, seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths, one thousand, all of them strong and fit for war.
16. And the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon all the men of valor, seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths, one thousand, all of them strong and fit for war.
Chapter 24 of 2 kings reports Judah's fall before Babylon, including the invasion of King Nebuchadnezzar, the siege of Jerusalem and the exile of King Joaquim and much of the people of Judah. To find five verses related to the topics covered in this chapter, scoured the whole Bible and selected:
Jeremiah 25:9: "Behold, I will send and take all the families of the North, says the Lord, and the Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, my servant, and bring them against this land and against their inhabitants and against all these nations around , and I will totally destroy them and make them object of horror and whistle, ruined perpetuals. " This verse predicts the fall of Jerusalem and the invasion of Babylon, demonstrating God's faithfulness to fulfill His promises.
Jeremiah 21:7: "After this, says the Lord, I will deliver Zedekiah, king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and those who remain in the plague, sword and hunger, in the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Babylon, in the hand of their enemies, in the hand of those who seek to take their lives out; and he will hurt them to the wire of sword, will not spare them, nor will it have mercy, nor shake. " This verse indicates the punishment that would be imposed on Judah for its infidelity, including the exile and death of many of its inhabitants.
Lamentations 1:3: "Judah went to captivity because of distress and great servitude; dwells between nations, he finds no rest; all his persecutors reach it among his anguish." This verse describes Judah's situation after exile, living like a dispersed and oppressed nation among other nations.
Ezekiel 17:12: "Say, therefore, to the rebellious house, Do you not know what these things mean? Tell us: Behold the king of Babylon to Jerusalem, and took the king and the princes, and took them to Babylon . " This verse refers to the exile of Joaquim and the princes of Judah to Babylon, emphasizing God's righteousness to punish the infidelity of the people.
Psalm 137:1: "Next to the rivers of Babylon, we settle there and cry, when we remember Zion." This verse describes the sadness and longing for the people of Judah by the place that was taken from them and the need to remember God and his covenant even in the midst of adversity.
“Como é belo esperar!” São Padre Pio de Pietrelcina
