36 The people of Judah chose Josiah's son, Jehoahaz, to become king in Jerusalem after his father. 2 Jehoahaz was 23 years old when he became king. He ruled as king in Jerusalem for three months.
3 The king of Egypt stopped Jehoahaz from ruling in Jerusalem. He made Judah pay tax to him. It was 3,400 kilograms of silver and 34 kilograms of gold. 4 The king of Egypt chose Eliakim, Jehoahaz's brother, to rule as king over Judah and Jerusalem. He changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim. But Necho took Jehoiakim's brother Jehoahaz away to Egypt.
5 Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he became king. [ a ] He ruled for 11 years as king in Jerusalem. He did things that the Lord his God said were evil. 6 While he was king, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Judah. He took hold of King Jehoiakim. He tied bronze chains around him and he took him away to Babylon. 7 King Nebuchadnezzar took some valuable things from the Lord 's temple. He took them to Babylon and he put them in his palace there.
8 The other things that happened while Jehoiakim was king are written in a book. The book is called ‘The history of the kings of Israel and Judah’. It tells about the disgusting sins that he was guilty of.
Jehoiakim's son Jehoiachin became king after him.
9 Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he became king. He ruled as king in Jerusalem for three months and ten days. He did things that the Lord said were evil. 10 In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar sent his soldiers to bring Jehoiachin to Babylon. They also took to Babylon some valuable things from the Lord 's temple. Nebuchadnezzar chose Jehoiachin's relative, Zedekiah, to be king of Judah and Jerusalem.
11 Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king. [ b ] He ruled in Jerusalem for 11 years. 12 He did things that the Lord said were evil. The prophet Jeremiah spoke the Lord 's message to Zedekiah. But Zedekiah was too proud to listen to him. 13 King Nebuchadnezzar had made Zedekiah promise in God's name that he would be faithful to Nebuchadnezzar. But Zedekiah turned against Nebuchadnezzar. He was very proud and he refused to change. He refused to turn back to the Lord , Israel's God. 14 All the leaders of the priests and the people also turned away from the Lord more and more. They did the same disgusting sins that the people in other nations did. They made the Lord 's temple an unclean place. That was the place that the Lord himself had chosen as his special home in Jerusalem.
15 The Lord sent his servants many times to warn his people. He wanted to be kind to them. He wanted to keep his temple safe. 16 But they laughed at the men that God sent to them. They did not think that his messages were important. They insulted his prophets. Finally, the Lord became very angry with his people. Nothing could stop him from punishing them.
17 Then the Lord sent the king of Babylon to attack them. [ c ] His soldiers killed Jerusalem's young men in the temple, where they thought that they would be safe. They were not kind to anybody, the young men or women, or even the very old people. God put all the people of Jerusalem under the king of Babylon's power.
18 The king took away to Babylon all the things that were in God's temple. He took everything, big things and small things. He took all the valuable things that were in the Lord 's temple. He also took the valuable things of the king and his officers. He took them all away to Babylon. 19 Nebuchadnezzar's men destroyed the Lord 's temple with fire. They knocked down the walls around Jerusalem. They burned all the important buildings. They destroyed all the valuable things in the city.
20 Nebuchadnezzar took away to Babylon all the people in Jerusalem who were still alive. They worked as slaves for him and for his sons until the kingdom of Persia became powerful. 21 In this way, the Lord 's message that his prophet Jeremiah had spoken became true. The land of Judah was empty for 70 years. It was finally able to rest, like the rest on a Sabbath day. [ d ]
22 In the first year that Cyrus, king of Persia, was ruling Babylon, the Lord put a thought in his mind. [ e ] King Cyrus decided to send a message to everybody who lived in his kingdom. His message would cause what God had already spoken to his prophet Jeremiah to become true. [ f ] The message was written down and people took it all over Cyrus's kingdom. It said:
23 ‘This is what Cyrus, the king of Persia, says:
The Lord , the God of heaven, has given me power over all the kingdoms of the earth. He has said that I must build a temple for him in Jerusalem, the city that is in Judah. Any of God's people who live among you may now return to Jerusalem. I pray that the Lord their God will be with them.’
36 The people of Judah chose Jehoahaz to be the new king in Jerusalem. Jehoahaz was Josiah’s son. 2 He was 23 years old when he became king of Judah. He was king in Jerusalem for three months. 3 Then King Neco from Egypt made Jehoahaz a prisoner. Neco made the people of Judah pay 3 3/4 tons [ a ] of silver and 75 pounds [ b ] of gold for a fine. 4 Neco chose Jehoahaz’s brother Eliakim to be the new king of Judah and Jerusalem. Neco gave Eliakim a new name. He named him Jehoiakim. But Neco took Jehoahaz to Egypt.
5 Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he became the new king of Judah. He was king in Jerusalem for eleven years. Jehoiakim did not obey God. He did what the Lord his God considered evil.
6 King Nebuchadnezzar from Babylon attacked Judah. He made Jehoiakim a prisoner and put bronze chains on him. Then Nebuchadnezzar took King Jehoiakim to Babylon. 7 Nebuchadnezzar took some of the things from the Lord ’s Temple. He carried them to Babylon and put them in his own house. 8 Everything else Jehoiakim did, the terrible sins he did, and everything he was guilty of doing, are written in the book, The History of the Kings of Israel and Judah . Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin became the new king in his place.
9 Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he became king of Judah. He was king in Jerusalem for three months and ten days. He did not obey God. He did what the Lord considered evil. 10 In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar sent some servants to get Jehoiachin. They brought Jehoiachin and some valuable treasures from the Lord ’s Temple to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar chose Zedekiah to be the new king of Judah and Jerusalem. Zedekiah was one of Jehoiachin’s relatives.
11 Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king of Judah. He was king in Jerusalem for eleven years. 12 Zedekiah did what the Lord his God considered evil. Jeremiah the prophet told him messages from the Lord . But Zedekiah did not humble himself and obey what Jeremiah said.
13 Zedekiah turned against King Nebuchadnezzar. In the past Nebuchadnezzar forced Zedekiah to make a promise to be faithful to him. Zedekiah used God’s name and promised to be faithful to Nebuchadnezzar. But Zedekiah was stubborn and would not change his life. He refused to obey the Lord , the God of Israel. 14 Also, all the leaders of the priests and the leaders of the people of Judah sinned worse and became more unfaithful to the Lord. They followed the evil example of the other nations. They ruined the Temple that the Lord had made holy in Jerusalem. 15 The Lord , the God of their ancestors, sent prophets again and again to warn his people. He did this because he felt sorry for them and for his Temple. He didn’t want to destroy them or his Temple. 16 But they made fun of God’s prophets and refused to listen to them. They hated God’s messages. Finally, the Lord could not hold his anger any longer. He became angry with his people and there was nothing that could be done to stop it. 17 So God brought the king of Babylon to attack the people of Judah and Jerusalem. [ c ] The king of Babylon killed the young men even when they were in the Temple. He didn’t have mercy on the people of Judah and Jerusalem. The king of Babylon killed young and old people. He killed men and women. He killed sick and healthy people. God permitted Nebuchadnezzar to punish the people of Judah and Jerusalem. 18 Nebuchadnezzar carried all the things in God’s Temple away to Babylon. He took all the valuable things from the Lord ’s Temple, from the king, and from the king’s officials. 19 Nebuchadnezzar and his army burned the Temple. They broke down Jerusalem’s wall and burned all the houses that belonged to the king and his officials. They took or destroyed every valuable thing in Jerusalem. 20 Nebuchadnezzar took the people who were still alive back to Babylon and forced them to be slaves. They stayed in Babylon as slaves until the Persian kingdom defeated the kingdom of Babylon. 21 The land of Judah became an empty desert and stayed that way for 70 years. All this time the land rested to make up for the Sabbath rests [ d ] that the people had not kept. This is just what the Lord said would happen in the warning he gave through the prophet Jeremiah. [ e ]
22 During the first year that Cyrus [ f ] was king of Persia, the Lord caused Cyrus to make a special announcement. He did this so that what the Lord promised through Jeremiah the prophet would really happen. Cyrus sent messengers to every place in his kingdom. They carried this message:
23 This is what King Cyrus of Persia says:
The Lord , the God of heaven, made me king over the whole earth. He gave me the responsibility of building a Temple for him in Jerusalem. Now, all of you who are his people are free to go to Jerusalem. And may the Lord your God be with you.
36 Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's stead in Jerusalem.
2 Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
3 And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerusalem, and condemned the land in an hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.
4 And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.
5 Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God.
6 Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.
7 Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.
8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.
9 Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord .
10 And when the year was expired, king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the Lord , and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.
11 Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.
12 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord .
13 And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel.
14 Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.
15 And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place:
16 But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy.
17 Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand.
18 And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord , and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon.
19 And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.
20 And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:
21 To fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.
22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
23 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The Lord his God be with him, and let him go up.
36 ( A ) Then the people of the land took [ a ] ( B ) Joahaz the son of Josiah and made him king in place of his father in Jerusalem. 2 Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem. 3 Then the king of Egypt deposed him in Jerusalem, and imposed a fine on the land of [ b ] a hundred talents of silver and [ c ] one talent of gold. 4 The king of Egypt made [ d ] Joahaz’s brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But ( C ) Neco took his brother Joahaz and brought him to Egypt.
5 ( D ) Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord his God. 6 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up ( E ) against him and ( F ) bound him with bronze chains to take him to Babylon. 7 ( G ) Nebuchadnezzar also brought some of the articles of the house of the Lord to Babylon, and he put them in his temple in Babylon. 8 ( H ) Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim and [ e ] the abominations which he committed, and what was found against him, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And his son Jehoiachin became king in his place.
9 ( I ) Jehoiachin was [ f ] eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned for three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight of the Lord .
10 ( J ) At the turn of the year King Nebuchadnezzar sent men and had him brought to Babylon with the valuable articles of the house of the Lord ; and he made his relative ( K ) Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.
11 ( L ) Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. 12 He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God; ( M ) he did not humble himself ( N ) before Jeremiah the prophet [ g ] who spoke for the Lord . 13 ( O ) He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear allegiance by God. But ( P ) he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord God of Israel. 14 Furthermore, all the officials of the priests and the people were very unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations; and they defiled the house of the Lord which He had sanctified in Jerusalem.
15 Yet the Lord , the God of their fathers, ( Q ) sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; 16 but they continually ( R ) mocked the messengers of God, ( S ) despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, ( T ) until the wrath of the Lord rose against His people, until there was no remedy. 17 ( U ) So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or frail; He handed them all over to him. 18 ( V ) He brought all the articles of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord , and the treasures of the king and his officers, to Babylon. 19 Then ( W ) they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its fortified buildings with fire and destroyed all its valuable articles. 20 He ( X ) took into exile those who had escaped from the sword to Babylon; and ( Y ) they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, 21 ( Z ) to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until ( AA ) the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. ( AB ) All the days of its desolation it kept the Sabbath [ h ] ( AC ) until seventy years were complete.
22 ( AD ) Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—in order to fulfill the word of the Lord ( AE ) by the mouth of Jeremiah—the Lord ( AF ) stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia so that he sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, 23 “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The Lord , the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may the Lord his God be with him; [ i ] go up then!’”
36 1 And the people ( A ) of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father.
2 Jehoahaz [ a ] 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 [ b ] of silver and a talent [ c ] of gold. 4 The king of Egypt made Eliakim, a brother of Jehoahaz, king over Judah and Jerusalem and changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Necho ( C ) took Eliakim’s brother Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt. ( D )
5 Jehoiakim ( F ) 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 ( G ) king of Babylon attacked him and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon. ( H ) 7 Nebuchadnezzar also took to Babylon articles from the temple of the Lord and put them in his temple [ d ] there. ( I )
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.
9 Jehoiachin ( K ) was eighteen [ e ] 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, ( L ) together with articles of value from the temple of the Lord , and he made Jehoiachin’s uncle, [ f ] Zedekiah, king over Judah and Jerusalem.
11 Zedekiah ( N ) 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 ( O ) his God and did not humble ( P ) 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 ( Q ) in God’s name. He became stiff-necked ( R ) and hardened his heart and would not turn to the Lord , the God of Israel. 14 Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful, ( S ) following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the Lord , which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.
15 The Lord , the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers ( V ) again and again, ( W ) because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed ( X ) at his prophets until the wrath ( Y ) of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy. ( Z ) 17 He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, [ g ] ( AA ) who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and did not spare young men ( AB ) or young women, the elderly or the infirm. ( AC ) God gave them all into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. ( AD ) 18 He carried to Babylon all the articles ( AE ) from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the Lord ’s temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. 19 They set fire ( AF ) to God’s temple ( AG ) and broke down the wall ( AH ) of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed ( AI ) everything of value there. ( AJ )
20 He carried into exile ( AK ) to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants ( AL ) to him and his successors until the kingdom of Persia came to power. 21 The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; ( AM ) all the time of its desolation it rested, ( AN ) until the seventy years ( AO ) were completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah.
22 In the first year of Cyrus ( AP ) 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 also 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 the earth and he has appointed ( AQ ) me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up, and may the Lord their God be with them.’”
