2 Chronicles 36

1Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father.

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

3And the king of Egypt deposed him in Jerusalem and imposed on the land a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.

4And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Neco took his brother Jehoahaz and brought him to Egypt.

5Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh his God.

6Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him and bound him with bronze chains to take him to Babylon.

7Nebuchadnezzar also brought some of the vessels of the house of Yahweh to Babylon, and put them in his temple in Babylon.

8The rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and the abominations that 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 reigned in his place.

9Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh.

10At the turn of the year, King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon, along with the precious vessels of the house of Yahweh, and made his brother Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.

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

12He did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh his God, and he did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of Yahweh.

13He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God; he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart from turning to Yahweh, the God of Israel.

14Also all the leaders of the priests and the people increased in unfaithfulness, according to all the abominations of the nations, and they defiled the house of Yahweh, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.

15And Yahweh, the God of their fathers, sent word to them by the hand of his messengers, rising early and sending, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place.

16But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of Yahweh rose against his people, until there was no remedy.

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

18And all the vessels 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—all this he brought to Babylon.

19They burned the house of God, tore down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious vessels.

20He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant who had escaped the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia.

21to fulfill the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Yirmeyahu, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.

22In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, so that the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, and he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also in writing, saying:

23Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: Yahweh, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build for him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may Yahweh his God be with him, and let him go up.