Chapter 36

Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, then Jehoiachin Rule

1 aThen the people of the land took 1bJoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in place of his father in Jerusalem.

2 Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.

3 Then the king of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem, and imposed on the land a fine of one hundred talents of silver and one talent of gold.

4 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.

5 aJehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord his God.

6 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up aagainst him and bbound him with bronze chains to take him to Babylon.

7 aNebuchadnezzar also brought some of the articles of the house of the Lord 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.

9 aJehoiachin was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem, and he did evil in the sight of the Lord.

Captivity in Babylon Begun

10 aAt the turn of the year King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon with the valuable articles of the house of the Lord, and he made his kinsman bZedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.

Zedekiah Rules in Judah

11 aZedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.

12 He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God; ahe did not humble himself bbefore Jeremiah the prophet 1who spoke for the Lord.

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 the Lord God of Israel.

14 Furthermore, 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.

15 The Lord, the God of their fathers, asent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place;

16 but they continually amocked the messengers of God, bdespised His words and scoffed at His prophets, cuntil the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, until there was no remedy.

17 aTherefore He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or infirm; He gave them all into his hand.

18 aAll 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 of his officers, he brought them all to Babylon.

19 Then athey 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.

20 Those who had escaped from the sword he acarried away to Babylon; and bthey were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia,

21 ato fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until bthe land had enjoyed its sabbaths. cAll the days of its desolation it kept sabbath 1duntil seventy years were complete.

Cyrus Permits Return

22 aNow in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—in order to fulfill the word of the Lord bby the mouth of Jeremiah—the Lord cstirred 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 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘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, and let him go up!’ ”