2 Chronicles 36

The Reign and Captivity of Jehoahaz

36Then ^athe people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father’s place in Jerusalem. ²¹Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. ³Now the king of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a tribute of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. ⁴Then the king of Egypt made ²Jehoahaz’s brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took ³Jehoahaz his brother and carried him off to Egypt.

The Reign and Captivity of Jehoiakim

^5bJehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did ^cevil in the sight of the Lord his God. ^6dNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him, and bound him in ⁴bronze fetters to ^ecarry him off to Babylon. ^7fNebuchadnezzar also carried off some of the articles from the house of the Lord to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon. ⁸Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, the abominations which he did, and what was found against him, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. Then ⁵Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.

The Reign and Captivity of Jehoiachin

^9gJehoiachin was ⁶eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord. ¹⁰At the turn of the year ^hKing Nebuchadnezzar summoned him and took him to Babylon, ⁱwith the costly articles from the house of the Lord, and made ^jZedekiah, ⁷⁸Jehoiakim’s brother, king over Judah and Jerusalem.

Zedekiah Reigns in Judah

^11kZedekiah 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, and ^ldid not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the Lord. ¹³And he also ^mrebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear an oath by God; but he ⁿstiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord God of Israel. ¹⁴Moreover all the leaders of the priests and the people transgressed more and more, according to all the abominations of the nations, and defiled the house of the Lord which He had consecrated in Jerusalem.

The Fall of Jerusalem

^15oAnd the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. ¹⁶But ^pthey mocked the messengers of God, ^qdespised His words, and ^rscoffed at His prophets, until the ^swrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy.

^17tTherefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who ^ukilled their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand. ^18vAnd all the articles from the house of God, great and small, the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his leaders, all these he took to Babylon. ^19wThen they burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious possessions. ²⁰And ^xthose who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, ^ywhere they became servants to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, ²¹to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of ^zJeremiah, until the land ^ahad enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay desolate ^bshe kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.

The Proclamation of Cyrus

^22cNow in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of ^dJeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of ^eCyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,

^23fThus says Cyrus king of Persia:

All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a ⁹house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up!