2 Kings 24

Babylon Controls Jehoiakim

11In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years; then he turned and revolted against him. 2And the Lord sent against him 2bands of Chaldeans, 3bands of Arameans, 4bands of Moabites, and bands of Ammonites. He sent them against Judah to destroy it, 5in accordance with the word of the Lord which He had spoken through His servants the prophets. 36It indeed came upon Judah at the 7command of the Lord, to remove them from His sight 8due to the sins of Manasseh, in accordance with everything that he had done, 4and 9also for the innocent blood which he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the Lord was unwilling to forgive. 5Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

Jehoiachin Reigns

6So 10Jehoiakim 11lay down with his fathers, and his son Jehoiachin became king in his place. 7Now 12the king of Egypt did not come out of his land again, 13because the king of Babylon had taken everything that belonged to the king of Egypt from 14the brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates.

815Jehoiachin was 16eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9He did evil in the sight of the Lord, 17in accordance with all that his father had done.

Deportation to Babylon

10At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon went up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege. 11And Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came to the city, while his servants were besieging it. 12Then 18Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, his mother, his servants, his commanders, and his officials. And 19the king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign. 1320He also brought out from there all the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king’s house, and he 21smashed all the articles of gold 22that Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the Lord, just as the Lord had said. 14Then 23he led into exile all the people of Jerusalem and all the commanders and all the valiant warriors, 24ten thousand exiles, and 25all the craftsmen and the smiths. None were left 26except the poorest people of the land.

15So 27he led Jehoiachin into exile to Babylon; also the king’s mother, the king’s wives, and his officials and the leading men of the land, he led into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16And all the valiant men, 28seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths, a thousand, all strong and fit for war, these too the king of Babylon brought into exile to Babylon.

Zedekiah Made King

1729Then the king of Babylon made 30his uncle Mattaniah king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

1831Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was 32Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 19He did evil in the sight of the Lord, 33in accordance with everything that Jehoiakim had done. 20For it was 34due to the anger of the Lord that this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He cast them out of His presence. And 35Zedekiah revolted against the king of Babylon.