2 Chronicles 36

Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, then Jehoiachin Rule

11Then the people of the land took 23Joahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in place of his father in Jerusalem. 2Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. 3Then the king of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem, and imposed on the land a fine of one hundred talents of silver and one talent of gold. 4The king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But 4Neco took Joahaz his brother and brought him to Egypt.

55Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord his God. 6Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up 6against him and 7bound him with bronze chains to take him to Babylon. 78Nebuchadnezzar also brought some of the articles of the house of the Lord to Babylon and put them in his temple at Babylon. 89Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim and 10the abominations which he did, and what was found against him, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son became king in his place.

911Jehoiachin was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem, and he did evil in the sight of the Lord.

Captivity in Babylon Begun

1012At the turn of the year King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon with the valuable articles of the house of the Lord, and he made his kinsman 13Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.

Zedekiah Rules in Judah

1114Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. 12He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God; 15he did not humble himself 16before Jeremiah the prophet 17who spoke for the Lord. 1318He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar who had made him swear allegiance by God. But 19he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord God of Israel. 14Furthermore, 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.

15The Lord, the God of their fathers, 20sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; 16but they continually 21mocked the messengers of God, 22despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, 23until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, until there was no remedy. 1724Therefore He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or infirm; He gave them all into his hand. 1825All 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 of his officers, he brought them all to Babylon. 19Then 26they 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. 20Those who had escaped from the sword he 27carried away to Babylon; and 28they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, 2129to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until 30the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. 31All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath 3233until seventy years were complete.

Cyrus Permits Return

2234Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia--in order to fulfill the word of the Lord 35by the mouth of Jeremiah--the Lord 36stirred 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“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘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, and let him go up!’”