1During Jehoiakim’s rule, Nebuchadnezzar marched into the land and attacked it. He was king of Babylon. He became Jehoiakim’s master for three years. But then Jehoiakim decided he didn’t want to remain under Nebuchadnezzar’s control.2The LORD sent robbers against Jehoiakim from Babylon, Aram, Moab and Ammon. He sent them to destroy Judah. That’s what the LORD had said would happen. He had spoken that message through his servants the prophets.3These things happened to Judah in keeping with what the LORD had commanded. He brought enemies against his people in order to remove them from his land. He removed them because of all the sins Manasseh had committed.4Manasseh had spilled the blood of many people who weren’t guilty of doing anything wrong. In fact, he spilled so much of their blood that he filled Jerusalem with it. So the LORD refused to forgive him.5The other events of the rule of Jehoiakim are written down. Everything he did is written in the official records of the kings of Judah.6Jehoiakim joined the members of his family who had already died. Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin became the next king after him.7The king of Egypt didn’t march out from his own country again. That’s because the king of Babylon had taken so much of his territory. It reached from the Wadi of Egypt all the way to the River Euphrates.
Jehoiachin king of Judah
8Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta. She was the daughter of Elnathan. She was from Jerusalem.9Jehoiachin did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD. He did just as his father Jehoiakim had done.10At that time the officers of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, marched to Jerusalem. They surrounded it and got ready to attack it.11Nebuchadnezzar himself came up to the city. He arrived while his officers were attacking it.12Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, handed himself over to Nebuchadnezzar. Jehoiachin’s mother did the same thing. And so did all his attendants, nobles and officials. The king of Babylon took Jehoiachin away as his prisoner. It was in the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s rule.13Nebuchadnezzar removed the treasures from the LORD’s temple. He also removed the treasures from the royal palace. He cut up the gold objects that Solomon, the king of Israel, had made for the temple. That’s what the LORD had announced would happen.14Nebuchadnezzar took all the people of Jerusalem to the land of Babylon as prisoners. That included all the officers and fighting men. It also included all the skilled workers. The total number of prisoners was 10,000. Only the poorest people were left in the land.15Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin to Babylon as his prisoner. He also took the king’s mother from Jerusalem to Babylon. And he took Jehoiachin’s wives, his officials and the most important people of the land.16The king also forced the whole army of 7,000 soldiers to go away to the land of Babylon. Those men were strong and able to go to war. And the king forced 1,000 skilled workers to go to Babylon.17Nebuchadnezzar made Jehoiachin’s uncle Mattaniah king in his place. And Nebuchadnezzar changed Mattaniah’s name to Zedekiah.
Zedekiah king of Judah
18Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 11 years. His mother’s name was Hamutal. She was the daughter of Jeremiah. She was from Libnah.19Zedekiah did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD. He did just as Jehoiakim had done.
The fall of Jerusalem
20The enemies of Jerusalem and Judah attacked them because the LORD was angry. In the end the LORD threw them out of his land. Zedekiah also refused to remain under the control of Nebuchadnezzar.
2 Kings 24
English Standard Version
1In his days, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. (2Ch 36:6; Jer 25:1; Jer 25:9; Da 1:1)2And the Lord sent against him bands of the Chaldeans and bands of the Syrians and bands of the Moabites and bands of the Ammonites, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servants the prophets. (2Ki 20:17; 2Ki 21:12; 2Ki 23:27; 2Ki 25:4; Jer 32:28; Jer 35:11; Eze 19:8)3Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the Lord, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, (2Ki 21:11; 2Ki 23:26)4and also for the innocent blood that he had shed. For he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord would not pardon. (2Ki 21:16)5Now the rest of the deeds of Jehoiakim and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? (2Ch 36:8)6So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers, and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place. (2Ch 36:6; Jer 22:18; Jer 36:30)7And the king of Egypt did not come again out of his land, for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates. (Nu 34:5; Jer 37:5; Jer 46:2; Jer 46:20; Jer 46:24; Jer 46:26)
Jehoiachin Reigns in Judah
8Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. (1Ch 3:16; 2Ch 36:9; Es 2:6; Jer 22:24; Jer 22:28; Jer 24:1; Jer 37:1)9And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father had done. (2Ki 23:37)
Jerusalem Captured
10At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. (Da 1:1)11And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it, (2Ki 24:10)12and Jehoiachin the king of Judah gave himself up to the king of Babylon, himself and his mother and his servants and his officials and his palace officials. The king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign (2Ki 25:27; 2Ch 36:10; Jer 24:1; Jer 29:1; Eze 17:12)13and carried off all the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold in the temple of the Lord, which Solomon king of Israel had made, as the Lord had foretold. (1Ki 7:48; 2Ki 20:17; 2Ch 36:7; Ezr 1:7; Isa 39:6; Jer 20:5; Da 1:2; Da 5:2)14He carried away all Jerusalem and all the officials and all the mighty men of valor, 10,000 captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remained, except the poorest people of the land. (1Sa 13:19; 1Sa 13:22; 2Ki 24:16; 2Ki 25:12; Jer 24:1; Jer 29:2; Jer 52:28)15And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon. The king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officials, and the chief men of the land he took into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. (2Ch 36:10; Es 2:6; Jer 22:24)16And the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon all the men of valor, 7,000, and the craftsmen and the metal workers, 1,000, all of them strong and fit for war. (2Ki 24:14)17And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah. (2Ki 23:34; 1Ch 3:15; 2Ch 36:4; 2Ch 36:10; Jer 37:1)
Zedekiah Reigns in Judah
18Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. (2Ki 23:31; Jer 52:1)19And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. (2Ki 23:37)20For because of the anger of the Lord it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. (Eze 17:18)