1
During Jehoiakims reign, Nebuchadnezzr king of Babylon invaded the land,
and Johoiakim became his vassal for three years.
But then he changed his mind and rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar.
2
The LORD sent Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite and Ammonite raiders against him.
He sent them to destroy Judah, in accordance with the word of the LORD
proclaimed by his servants the prophets.
3
Surely these things happened to Judah according to the LORD's command,
in order to remove them from his presence because of the sins of Manasseh
and all he had done,
4
including the shedding of innocent blood. For he had filled Jerusalem with
innocent blood, and the LORD was not willing to forgive.
5
As for the other events of Jehoiakim's reign, and all he did, ae they not written
in the book of the annas of the kings of Judah?
6
Jehoiakim rested with his fathers.
And Jehoiachin his son succeeded him as king.
7
The king of Egypt did not marach out from his own country again,
because the king of Babylon had taken all his territory,
from the Wadi of Egypt to the Euphrates River.
Jehoiachin King of Judah
8
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king,
and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother's name
was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan; she was from Jerusalelm.
9
He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father had done.
10
At that time the officers of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
advanced on Jerusalem and laid siege to it,
11
and Nebuchadnezzar himself came up to the city while his officers were besieging it.
12
Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his attendants, his nobles and his offiicials
all surrendered to him. In the eighth year of the reign of the king of Babylon,
he took Jehoiachin prisoner.
13
As the LORD had declared, Nebuchadnezzar removed all the treasures
from the temple of the LORD and from the royal palace,
and took away all the gold articles that Solomon king of Israel
had made for the temple of the LORD.
14
He carried into exile all Jerusalem: all the officers and fighting men,
and all the craftsmen and artisans - a total of ten thousand.
Only the poorest people of the land were left.
15
Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin captive to Babylon. He also took from Jerusalem
to Babylon the king's mother, his wives, his officials and the leading men
of the land.
16
The king of Babylon also deported to Babylon the entire force of seven thousand
fighting men, strong and fit for war, and a thousand craftsmen and artisans.
17
He made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's uncle,
king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.
Zedekiah King of Judah
18
Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned
in Jerusalm eleven years. His mother's name was Hamutal
daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah.
19
He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done.
20
It was because of the LORD's anger that all this happened to Jerusalem
and Judah, and in the end the thrust them from his presence.
The fall of Jerusalem
Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
