2 Chronicles 36

1  The rest of the history of Josiah, his exemplary and devout life, conformed to The Revelation of God. The whole story, from start to finish, is written in the Royal Annals of the Kings of Israel and Judah . By popular choice, Jehoahaz son of Josiah was made king at Jerusalem, succeeding his father.
The rest of the history of Josiah, his exemplary and devout life, conformed to The Revelation of God. The whole story, from start to finish, is written in the Royal Annals of the Kings of Israel and Judah . By popular choice, Jehoahaz son of Josiah was made king at Jerusalem, succeeding his father.

King Jehoahaz

2-3 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to rule.
He was king in Jerusalem for a mere three months. The king of Egypt dethroned him and forced the country to pay him nearly four tons of silver and seventy-five pounds of gold.

King Jehoiakim

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

5  Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to rule; he was king for eleven years in Jerusalem. In God's opinion he was an evil king.

6-7  Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made war against him, and bound him in bronze chains, intending to take him prisoner to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar also took things from The Temple of God to Babylon and put them in his royal palace.

8  The rest of the history of Jehoiakim, the outrageous sacrilege he committed and what happened to him as a consequence, is all written in the Royal Annals of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
Jehoiachin his son became the next king.

King Jehoiachin

9-10 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king. But he ruled for only three months and ten days in Jerusalem. In God's opinion he was an evil king. In the spring King Nebuchadnezzar ordered him brought to Babylon along with the valuables remaining in The Temple of God. Then he made his uncle Zedekiah a puppet king over Judah and Jerusalem.

King Zedekiah

11-13 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he started out as king. He was king in Jerusalem for eleven years. As far as God was concerned, he was just one more evil king; there wasn't a trace of contrition in him when the prophet Jeremiah preached God's word to him. Then he compounded his troubles by rebelling against King Nebuchadnezzar, who earlier had made him swear in God's name that he would be loyal. He became set in his own stubborn ways—he never gave God a thought; repentance never entered his mind.

14  The evil mindset spread to the leaders and priests and filtered down to the people—it kicked off an epidemic of evil, repeating the abominations of the pagans and polluting The Temple of God so recently consecrated in Jerusalem.

15-17  God, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent warning messages to them. Out of compassion for both his people and his Temple he wanted to give them every chance possible. But they wouldn't listen; they poked fun at God's messengers, despised the message itself, and in general treated the prophets like idiots. God became more and more angry until there was no turning back—God called in Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who came and killed indiscriminately—and right in The Temple itself; it was a ruthless massacre: young men and virgins, the elderly and weak—they were all the same to him.

18-20  And then he plundered The Temple of everything valuable, cleaned it out completely; he emptied the treasuries of The Temple of God, the treasuries of the king and his officials, and hauled it all, people and possessions, off to Babylon. He burned The Temple of God to the ground, knocked down the wall of Jerusalem, and set fire to all the buildings—everything valuable was burned up. Any survivor was taken prisoner into exile in Babylon and made a slave to Nebuchadnezzar and his family. The exile and slavery lasted until the kingdom of Persia took over.

21  This is exactly the message of God that Jeremiah had preached: the desolate land put to an extended sabbath rest, a seventy-year Sabbath rest making up for all the unkept Sabbaths.

King Cyrus

22-23 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—this fulfilled the message of God preached by Jeremiah—God moved Cyrus king of Persia to make an official announcement throughout his kingdom; he wrote it out as follows: "From Cyrus king of Persia a proclamation: God, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has also assigned me to build him a Temple of worship at Jerusalem in Judah. All who belong to God's people are urged to return—and may your God be with you! Move forward!"

2 Chronicles 36

Jehoahaz’s Reign

1 The people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in his father’s place in Jerusalem.s2 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.3 The king of Egypt prevented him from ruling in Jerusalem and imposed on the land a special taxt of one hundred talentst of silver and a talent of gold.

4 The king of Egypt made Jehoahaz’st brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Necho seized his brother Jehoahaz and took him to Egypt.

Jehoiakim’s Reign

5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem.s He did evil in the sight oft the Lord his God.6 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked him,t bound him with bronze chains, and carried him awayt to Babylon.

7 Nebuchadnezzar took some of the items in the Lord’s temple to Babylon and put them in his palacet there.t

8 The rest of the events of Jehoiakim’s reign, including the horrible sins he committed and his shortcomings, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Israel and Judah.t His son Jehoiachin replaced him as king.

Jehoiachin’s Reign

9 Jehoiachin was eighteens years old when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem.s He did evil in the sight oft the Lord.

10 At the beginning of the year King Nebuchadnezzar ordered him to be broughtt to Babylon, along with the valuable items in the Lord’s temple. In his place he made his relativet Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.

Zedekiah’s Reign

11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he ruled for eleven years in Jerusalem.s12 He did evil in the sight oft the Lord his God. He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, the Lord’s spokesman.13 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him vow allegiancet in the name of God. He was stubborn and obstinate, and refused to returnt to the Lord God of Israel.

14 All the leaders of the priests and people became more unfaithful and committed the same horrible sins practiced by the nations.t They defiled the Lord’s temple which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.

The Babylonians Destroy Jerusalem

15 The Lord God of their ancestorst continually warned them through his messengers,t for he felt compassion for his people and his dwelling place.16 But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his warnings,t and ridiculed his prophets.t Finally the Lord got very angry at his people and there was no one who could prevent his judgment.t17 He brought against them the king of the Babylonians, who slaughteredt their young men in their temple.t He did not sparet young men or women, or even the old and aging. Godt handed everyone over to him.18 He carried away to Babylon all the items in God’s temple, whether large or small, as well as what was in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the king and his officials.19 They burned down the Lord’s temple and tore down the wall of Jerusalem.s They burned all its fortified buildings and destroyed all its valuable items.20 He deported to Babylon all who escaped the sword. They served him and his sons until the Persian kingdom rose to power.

21 This took place to fulfill the Lord’s message delivered through Jeremiah.t The land experiencedt its sabbatical years;s it remained desolate for seventy years,s as prophesied.ts

Cyrus Allows the Exiles to Go Home

22 In the first year of the reign oft King Cyrus of Persia, in fulfillment of the promise he delivered through Jeremiah,ts the Lord movedt King Cyrus of Persia to issue a written decree throughout his kingdom.

23 It read: “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: ‘The Lord God of the heavens has given to me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build for him a temple in Jerusalems in Judah. May the Lord your God energize you who belong to his people, so you may be able to go back there!”t