2 Chronicles 36

Joahaz Reigns over Judah

^aThen the people of the land took ¹^bJoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in place of his father in Jerusalem. 2 ¹Joahaz 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 ¹talents 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 ^aNeco took Joahaz his brother and brought him to Egypt.

Jehoiakim Reigns over Judah

5 ^aJehoiakim 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 ^aagainst him and ^bbound him with bronze chains to lead him off to Babylon. 7 ^aNebuchadnezzar also brought some of the articles of the house of Yahweh to Babylon and put them in his temple at Babylon. 8 ^aNow the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim and ¹the 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 ^aJehoiachin 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 ^aAnd 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 ^bZedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.

Zedekiah Reigns over Judah

11 ^aZedekiah 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; ^ahe did not humble himself ^bbefore Jeremiah the prophet who spoke from the mouth of Yahweh. 13 ^aHe also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar who had made him swear allegiance by God. But ^bhe 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 unfaithful following all 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, ^asent word to them ¹again and again by the hand of His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His habitation; 16 but they continually ^amocked the messengers of God, ^bdespised His words and scoffed at His prophets, ^cuntil the wrath of Yahweh arose against His people, until there was no remedy. 17 ^aTherefore 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 gave them all into his hand. 18 ^aAnd 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 brought them all to Babylon. 19 Then ^athey 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 ^atook away into exile to Babylon; and ^bthey were slaves to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, 21 ^ato fulfill the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah, until ^bthe land had made up for its sabbaths. ^cAll the days of its desolation it kept sabbath ¹^duntil seventy years were fulfilled.

The Proclamation of Cyrus

22 ^aNow in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—in order to complete the word of Yahweh ^bby the mouth of Jeremiah—Yahweh ^cstirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he had a proclamation pass throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in 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!’”

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