2 Chronicles 36

1 The people of the land took Jehoahaz, son of Josiah, and made him king in Jerusalem in succession to his father.

And the people of the land took Joachaz the son of Josias, and anointed him, and made him king over Jerusalem in the room of his father.

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

Joachaz [was] twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Amital, daughter of Jeremias of Lobna. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. And Pharao Nechao bound him in Deblatha in the land of Aemath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem.

3 Then the king of Egypt removed him from the throne in Jerusalem and imposed a tax on Judah of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.

And the king brought him over to Egypt; and imposed a tribute on the land, a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.

4 Neco, king of Egypt, made Eliakim, Jehoahaz's brother, king over Judah and Jerusalem, and he changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim. Neco took Eliakim's brother Jehoahaz back with him to Egypt.

And Pharao Nechao made Eliakim the son of Josias king over Juda in the room of his father Josias, and changed his name [to] Joakim. And Pharao Nechao took his brother Joachaz and brought him into Egypt, and he died there: but [he] had given the silver and gold to Pharao. At that time the land began to be taxed to give the money at the command of Pharao; and every one as he could borrowed the silver and the gold of the people of the land, to give to Pharao Nechao.

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

Joachim 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 the Lord.

6 Then Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, attacked Jehoiakim. He captured him and put bronze shackles on him, and brought him to Babylon.

And Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon came up against him, and bound him with brazen fetters, and carried him away to Babylon.

7 Nebuchadnezzar also took some items from the Lord's Temple, and he put them in his temple in Babylon.

And he carried away a part of the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon, and put them in his temple in Babylon.

8 The rest of what Jehoiakim, the disgusting sins he committed, and all the evidence against him, are written down in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. His son Jehoiachin took over as king.

And the rest of the acts of Joakim, and all that he did, behold, [are] not these things written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Juda? And Joakim slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in Ganozae: and Jechonias his son reigned in his stead.

9 Jehoiachin was eighteen when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for three months and ten days. He did evil in the Lord's sight.

Jechonias [was] eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem, and did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.

10 In the spring of the year, King Nebuchadnezzar summoned him and brought him to Babylon, along with valuable items from the Lord's Temple, and he made Jehoiachin's uncle Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.

And at the turn of the year, king Nabuchodonosor sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the precious vessels of the house of the Lord, and made Sedekias his father's brother king over Juda and Jerusalem.

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

Sedekias [was] twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and be reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.

12 He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and he refused to admit his pride when the prophet Jeremiah warned him directly from the Lord.

And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God: he was not ashamed before the prophet Jeremias, nor because of the word of the Lord;

13 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear an oath of loyalty by God. Zedekiah was arrogant and hard-hearted, and refused to come back to the Lord, the God of Israel.

in that he rebelled against king Nabuchodonosor, which he adjured him by God [not to do]: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart, so as not to return to the Lord God of Israel.

14 All the leaders of the priests and the people were also totally faithless and sinful, following all the disgusting practices of the heathen nations. They defiled the Lord's Temple that he had set apart as holy in Jerusalem.

And all the great men of Juda, and the priests, and the people of the land transgressed abundantly in the abominations of the heathen, and polluted the house of the Lord which [was] in Jerusalem.

15 Again and again the Lord, the God of their fathers, warned his people through his prophets, because he wanted to show mercy to them and to his Temple.

And the Lord God of their fathers sent by the hand of his prophets; rising early and sending his messengers, for he spared his people, and his sanctuary.

16 But they ridiculed God's messengers, they despised his warnings and mocked his prophets, until the Lord's anger against his people was provoked to such an extent it couldn't be stopped.

Nevertheless they sneered at his messengers, and set at nothing his words, and mocked his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose up against his people, till there was no remedy.

17 So the Lord brought the king of Babylon to attack them. His army killed by the sword their best young men even in the sanctuary. The Babylonians did not spare young men or young women, the sick or the elderly. God handed them all over to Nebuchadnezzar.

And he brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, and killed their young men with the sword in the house of his sanctuary, and did not spare Sedekias, and had no mercy upon their virgins, and they led away their old men: he delivered all things into their hands.

18 He took back to Babylon all the articles, large and small, from God's Temple, and from the Temple treasury, and from the king and from his officials.

And all the vessels of the house of God, the great and the small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and all the treasures of the king and the great men; he brought all to Babylon.

19 Then the Babylonians burned down God's Temple and demolished Jerusalem's walls. They set fire to all the palaces and destroyed everything that had any value.

And he burnt the house of the Lord, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt its palaces with fire, and [utterly destroyed] every beautiful vessel.

20 Nebuchadnezzar took into exile in Babylon those who had not been killed. They were slaves for himself and his sons, until the kingdom of Persia took over.

And he carried away the remnant to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until [the establishment of] the kingdom of the Medes.

21 So to fulfill the Lord's prophecy given through Jeremiah, the land enjoyed its Sabbaths as rest all the time it was left desolate, keeping the Sabbath until seventy years were completed.

That the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremias might be fulfilled, until the land should enjoy its sabbaths in resting [and] sabbath keeping all the days of its desolation, till the accomplishment of seventy years.

22 In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, to fulfill the Lord's prophecy given through Jeremiah, the Lord encouraged Cyrus, king of Persia, to issue a proclamation throughout his kingdom and also to put it in writing, saying,

In the first year of Cyrus king of the Persians, after the fulfilment of the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremias, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of the Persians, and told him to make proclamation in writing throughout all his kingdom, saying,

23 “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, who has given to me all the kingdoms of the earth, has given me the responsibility to build a Temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone among you who belongs to his people can go there. May the Lord your God be with you.’”

Thus says Cyrus king of the Persians to all the kingdoms of the earth, The Lord God of heaven has given me [power], and he has commanded me to build a house to him in Jerusalem, in Judea. Who [is there] of you of all his people? His God shall be with him, and let him go up.