2 Chronicles 36

Joahaz, 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 for three months in Jerusalem. 3Then the king of Egypt deposed him in Jerusalem, and imposed a fine on the land of 4a hundred talents of silver and 5one talent of gold. 4The king of Egypt made 6Joahaz’s brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But 7Neco took his brother Joahaz and brought him to Egypt.

58Jehoiakim 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. 6Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up 9against him and 10bound him with bronze chains to take him to Babylon. 711Nebuchadnezzar also brought some of the articles of the house of the Lord to Babylon, and he put them in his temple in Babylon. 812Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim and 13the 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.

914Jehoiachin was 15eighteen 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.

Captivity in Babylon Begun

1016At 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 17Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.

Zedekiah Rules in Judah

1118Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. 12He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God; 19he did not humble himself 20before Jeremiah the prophet 21who spoke for the Lord. 1322He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear allegiance by God. But 23he 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.

15Yet the Lord, the God of their fathers, 24sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; 16but they continually 25mocked the messengers of God, 26despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, 27until the wrath of the Lord rose against His people, until there was no remedy. 1728So 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. 1829He 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. 19Then 30they 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. 20He 31took into exile those who had escaped from the sword to Babylon; and 32they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, 2133to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until 34the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. 35All the days of its desolation it kept the Sabbath 3637until seventy years were complete.

Cyrus Permits Return

2238Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia--in order to fulfill the word of the Lord 39by the mouth of Jeremiah--the Lord 40stirred 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; 41go up then!’”