1 Joahaz Reigns over Judah Then the people of the land took 36:1Lit Jehoahaz, cf.36:2;2Kin23:30 Joahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in place of his father in Jerusalem.
2 36:2Shortened form of Jehoahaz, cf.36:1;2Kin23:30 Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
3 Then the king of Egypt had him removed in Jerusalem and imposed on the land a fine of one hundred 36:3A talent was approx. 75 lb. or 34 kg talents of silver and one talent of gold.
4 Then the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Joahaz his brother and brought him to Egypt.Jehoiakim Reigns over Judah
5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh his God.
6 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him and bound him with bronzechainsto lead him off to Babylon.
7 Nebuchadnezzar also broughtsomeof the articles of the house of Yahweh to Babylon and put them in his temple at Babylon.
8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim and 36:8Lit his the 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.Jehoiachin Reigns over Judah
9 Jehoiachin was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem, and he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh.
10 And at the turn of the year King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon with the valuable articles of the house of Yahweh, and he made his relative Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.Zedekiah Reigns over Judah
11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.
12 And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh his God; he did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophetwho spokefrom the mouth of Yahweh.
13 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar who had made him swearallegianceby God. But he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to Yahweh, the God of Israel.
14 Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people were very unfaithfulfollowingall the abominations of the nations; and they defiled the house of Yahweh which He had set apart as holy in Jerusalem.The Chaldeans Destroy Jerusalem
15 And Yahweh, the God of their fathers, sentwordto them 36:15Lit rising up early and sending them out again and again by the hand of His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His habitation;
16 but theycontinuallymocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of Yahweh arose against His people, until there was no remedy.
17 Therefore He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans who killed their choice men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on choice man or virgin, old man or infirm; He gavethemall into his hand.
18 And all the articles of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of Yahweh, and the treasures of the king and of his officials, he broughtthemall to Babylon.
19 Then they burned the house of God and tore down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its valuable articles.
20 And those who had escaped from the sword he took away into exile to Babylon; and they were slaves to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia,
21 to fulfill the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had made up for its sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath 36:21Lit to fulfill seventy years until seventy years were fulfilled.The Proclamation of Cyrus
22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—in order to complete the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah—Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he had a proclamation pass throughout his kingdom, and alsoput itin writing, saying,
23 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia,‘Yahweh, 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 Yahweh his God be with him, and let him go up!’ ”