And the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah
and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father.
Jehoahaz King of Judah
2
Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king,
and he reigned in Jerusalem three months.
3
The king of Egypt dethroned him in Jerusalem and imposed on Judah
a levy of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.
4
The king of Egypt made Eliakom, a brother of Jehoahaz, king over Judah
and Jerusalem and changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim.
But Neco took Eliakim's brother Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt.
Jehoiakim King of Judah
5
Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king,
and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years.
He did evil in the eyes of the LORD his God.
6
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked him
and bound him with with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.
7
Nebuchadnezzar also took to Babyln articles from the temple of the LORD
and put them in his temple there.
8
The other events of Jehoiakim's reign, the detestable things he did and all that
was found against him, are written in the book of the kings of Israel
and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son succeeded him as king.
Jehoiachin King of Judah
9
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king,
and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days.
He did evil in the eyes of the LORD.
10
In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar sent for him and brought him to Babylon,
together with articles of value from the temple of the LORD,
and he made Jehoiachin's uncle, Zedekiah, king over Judah and Jerusalem.
Zedekiah Kng of Judah
11
Jedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king,
and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years.
12
He did evil in the eyes of the LORD his God and did not humble himself
before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the LORD.
13
He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him
take an oath in God's name. He became stiff-necked and hardened his heart
and would not turn to the LORD, the God of Israel.
14
Furthermore, all the lesders of the priests and the people became more and more
unfaithful, following all the detestable practices of the nations
and defiling the temple of the LORD, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.
The Fall of Jerusalem
15
The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers
again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place.
16
But they mocked God's messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets
until the wrath of the LORD was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.
17
He brought up against them theking of the Babylonians, who killed their young men
with the sword in the sanctuary, and spared neither young men nor young woman,
old man or aged, God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar.
18
He carried to Babylon all the articles from the temple of the LORD,
both large and small, and the treasures of the LORD's temple
and the treasuresof the king and his officials.
19
They set fire to God's temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem;
they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there.
20
He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword,
and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of persia
came to power.
21
The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested,
until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of te word of the LORD
spoken by Jeremiah.
22
In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD
spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia
to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing:
23
"This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:
" 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of earth
and he has appointed me to build a temple forhim at Jerusalem in Judah.
Anyone of his people among you -
may the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.' "
