Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah, and made him king in his father’s place in Jerusalem. 2Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. 3The king of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem, and fined the land one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 4The king of Egypt made Eliakim, the brother of Jehoahaz, king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Neco took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.
5Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of YAHWEH1 his God. 6Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon. 7Nebuchadnezzar also carried some of the vessels of the House of YAHWEH to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon. 8Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in 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: and he did that which was evil in the sight of YAHWEH. 10At the return of the year, King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon, with the valuable vessels of the House of YAHWEH, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.
11Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: 12and he did that which was evil in the sight of YAHWEH his God. He did not humble himself before Armiya2 the prophet who spoke from the mouth of YAHWEH. 13He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart against turning to YAHWEH, the God of Israel. 14Moreover all the chiefs of the priests, and the people, trespassed very greatly after all the abominations of the nations; and they polluted the House of YAHWEH which he had made holy in Jerusalem.
15YAHWEH, the God of their fathers, sent word to them by his messengers, time and time again, because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling-place. 16But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until the wrath of YAHWEH arose against his people, until there was no remedy.
17Therefore he brought on 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 gray-headed: he gave them all into his hand. 18All 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 princes, all these he brought to Babylon. 19They burned the House of God, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its valuable vessels. 20Those who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: 21to fulfill the Word of YAHWEH by the mouth of Armiya, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths: for as long as it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.
22Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the Word of YAHWEH by the mouth of Armiya might be accomplished, YAHWEH stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also 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 charged me to build him a House in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all his people, YAHWEH his God be with him, and let him go up.'”
- 36:5 YAHWEH, God’s personal Name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15: ‘God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”’ ↩︎
- 36:12 Armiya, or Jeremiah, from the Hebrew name Yirmeyah, which means “YAHWEH will exalt.” ↩︎