2 Chronicles 36

1 And the people of the land took Jehoahaz, son of Josiah, —and made him king instead of his father, in Jerusalem.

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

2 Twenty-three years old, was Joahaz when he began to reign, —and, three months, reigned he in Jerusalem.

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

3 And the king of Egypt deposed him in Jerusalem, —and condemned the land, in a hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold.

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.

4 And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim, —but Neco took, Joahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.

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.

5 Twenty-five years old, was Jehoiakim when he began to reign, and, eleven years, reigned he in Jerusalem, —and he did the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh his God.

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.

6 Against him, came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, —and bound him in fetters of bronze, to carry him to Babylon.

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

7 And, some of the utensils of the house of Yahweh, did Nebuchadnezzar carry to Babylon, —and put them in his own temple in Babylon.

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

8 But, the rest of the story of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he made, and that which was found upon him, there they are, written in the book of the Kings of Israel and Judah, —and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.

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.

9 Eight years old, was Jehoiachin when he began to reign, and, three months and ten days, reigned he in Jerusalem, and he did the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh;

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.

10 and, when the year came round, King Nebuchadnezzar sent, and carried him to Babylon, with the precious utensils of the house of Yahweh, —and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.

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.

11 Twenty-one years old, was Zedekiah when he began to reign, —and, eleven years, reigned he in Jerusalem.

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

12 And he did the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh his God, -he humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet, from the mouth of Yahweh.

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.

13 Moreover also—against King Nebuchadnezzar, he rebelled, who had made him swear by God, -and he stiffened his neck, and emboldened his heart, from turning unto Yahweh, God of Israel.

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.

14 Also, all the rulers of the priests and of the people, abounded in committing treachery, according to all the abominable ways of the nations, —and polluted the house of Yahweh, which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.

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.

15 And, though Yahweh God of their fathers sent unto them through his messengers, zealously sending them, —because he had compassion upon his people and upon his habitation,

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.

16 yet became they mockers of the messengers of God, and despisers of his words, and mimics of his prophets, —until the mounting up of the wrath of Yahweh against his people, until there was no healing.

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.

17 So 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 upon young man or virgin, elder or ancient, -all, delivered he into his hand.

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.

18 And, all the utensils of the house of God, both great and small, and the treasures of the house of Yahweh, and the treasures of the king and of his rulers, the whole, carried he to Babylon;

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.

19 and they burned the house of God, and threw down the wall of Jerusalem, —and, all the palaces thereof, burned they with fire, and, all the precious vessels thereof, he destroyed;

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.

20 and he exiled the remnant left from the sword, into Babylon, —where they became his and his sons, as servants, until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:

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.

21 to fulfil the word of God, by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had paid off her sabbaths, —all the days of her lying desolate, she kept sabbath, to fulfil seventy years.

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.

22 But, in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to accomplish the word of God by the mouth of Jeremiah, Yahweh aroused the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made proclamation throughout all his kingdom, moreover also in writing, saying:

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,

23 Thus, saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth, hath Yahweh God of the heavens, given unto me, and, he himself, hath laid charge upon me, to build to him a house, in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people with whom is Yahweh his God? Then let him go up.

“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.’”