1The people <05971> of the land <0776> took <03947> Jehoahaz <03059> son <01121> of Josiah <02977> and made <04427> him king <04427> in his father’s <01> place <08478> in Jerusalem <03389>.
2Jehoahaz <03099> was twenty-three <06242> <07969> years <08141> old <01121> when he became king, and he reigned <04427> three <07969> months <02320> in Jerusalem <03389>.
3The king <04428> of Egypt <04714> prevented <05493> him from ruling in Jerusalem <03389> and imposed <06064> on the land <0776> a special tax <06064> of one hundred <03967> talents <03603> of silver <03701> and a talent <03603> of gold <02091>.
4The king <04428> of Egypt <04714> made Jehoahaz’s brother <0251> Eliakim <0471> king <04427> over <05921> Judah <03063> and Jerusalem <03389>, and changed <05437> his name <08034> to Jehoiakim <03079>. Necho <05224> seized <0935> his brother <0251> Jehoahaz <03099> and took <03947> him to Egypt <04714>.
5Jehoiakim <03079> was twenty-five <02568> <06242> years <08141> old <01121> when he became king, and he reigned <04427> for eleven <06240> years <08141> in Jerusalem <03389>. He did <06213> evil <07451> in the sight <05869> of the Lord <03068> his God <0430>.
6King <04428> Nebuchadnezzar <05019> of Babylon <0894> attacked <05927> him, bound <0631> him with bronze chains <05178>, and carried <01980> him away <01980> to Babylon <0894>.
7Nebuchadnezzar <05019> took <0935> some of the items <03627> in the Lord’s <03068> temple <01004> to Babylon <0894> and put <05414> them in his palace <01964> there <0894>.
8The rest <03499> of the events <01697> of Jehoiakim’s <03079> reign, including the horrible <08441> sins he committed <06213> and his shortcomings, are recorded <03789> in <05921> the Scroll <05612> of the Kings <04428> of Israel <03478> and Judah <03063>. His son <01121> Jehoiachin <03078> replaced <08478> him as king <04427>.
9Jehoiachin <03078> was eighteen <08083> years <08141> old <01121> when he became king, and he reigned <04427> three <07969> months <02320> and ten <06235> days <03117> in Jerusalem <03389>. He did <06213> evil <07451> in the sight <05869> of the Lord <03068>.
10At the beginning <08666> of the year <08141> King <04428> Nebuchadnezzar <05019> ordered <07971> him to be brought <0935> to Babylon <0894>, along with <05973> the valuable <02532> items <03627> in the Lord’s <03068> temple <01004>. In his place he made <04427> his relative <0251> Zedekiah <06667> king over <05921> Judah <03063> and Jerusalem <03389>.
11Zedekiah <06667> was twenty-one <0259> <06242> years <08141> old <01121> when he became king <04427>, and he ruled <04427> for eleven <06240> <0259> years <08141> in Jerusalem <03389>.
12He did <06213> evil <07451> in the sight <05869> of the Lord <03068> his God <0430>. He did not <03808> humble <03665> himself before <06440> Jeremiah <03414> the prophet <05030>, the Lord’s <03068> spokesman <06310>.
13He also <01571> rebelled <04775> against King <04428> Nebuchadnezzar <05019>, who <0834> had made him vow allegiance <07650> in the name of God <0430>. He was stubborn <06203> <07185> and obstinate <03824> <0553>, and refused to return <07725> to <0413> the Lord <03068> God <0430> of Israel <03478>.
14All <03605> the leaders <08269> of the priests <03548> and <01571> people <05971> became more <07235> unfaithful <04603> and committed <04603> the same <03605> horrible sins <08441> practiced by the nations <01471>. They defiled <02930> the Lord’s <03068> temple <01004> which <0834> he had consecrated <06942> in Jerusalem <03389>.
15The Lord <03068> God <0430> of their ancestors <01> continually <07971> <07925> warned <07971> them through <03027> his messengers <04397>, for <03588> he felt compassion <02550> for <05921> his people <05971> and his dwelling place <04583>.
16But they mocked <03931> God’s <0430> messengers <04397>, despised <0959> his warnings <01697>, and ridiculed <08591> his prophets <05030>. Finally <05704> the Lord <03068> got <05927> very angry <02534> at his people <05971> and there was no one <0369> who could prevent his judgment <04832>.
17He brought <05927> against <05921> them <0853> the king <04428> of the Babylonians <03778>, who slaughtered <02026> their young men <0970> in their temple <04720> <01004>. He did not <03808> spare <02550> young men <0970> or women <01330>, or even the old <02205> and aging <03486>. God handed <03027> <05414> everyone <03605> over <05414> to him.
18He carried away <0935> to Babylon <0894> all <03605> the items <03627> in God’s <0430> temple <01004>, whether large <01419> or small <06996>, as well as what was in the treasuries <0214> of the Lord’s <03068> temple <01004> and in the treasuries <0214> of the king <04428> and his officials <08269>.
19They burned down <08313> the Lord’s <0430> temple <01004> and tore down <05422> the wall <02346> of Jerusalem <03389>. They burned <08313> all <03605> its fortified buildings <0759> and destroyed <07843> all <03605> its valuable <04261> items <03627>.
20He deported <01540> to <0413> Babylon <0894> all who escaped <07611> the sword <02719>. They served <05650> him and his sons <01121> until <05704> the Persian <06539> kingdom <04438> rose to power <04427>.
21This took place to fulfill <04390> the Lord’s <03068> message <01697> delivered <06310> through <05704> Jeremiah <03414>. The land <0776> experienced <07521> its sabbatical <07676> years; it remained <07673> desolate <08074> for seventy <07657> years <08141>, as prophesied <04390>.
22In the first <0259> year <08141> of the reign of King <04428> Cyrus <03566> of Persia <06539>, in fulfillment <03615> of the promise <01697> he delivered through Jeremiah <03414>, the Lord <03068> moved <07307> <05782> King <04428> Cyrus <03566> of Persia <06539> to issue <06963> a written decree <04385> throughout <03605> his kingdom <04438>.
23It read: “This is what <03541> King <04428> Cyrus <03566> of Persia <06539> says <0559>: ‘The Lord <03068> God <0430> of the heavens <08064> has given <05414> to me all <03605> the kingdoms <04467> of the earth <0776>. He <01931> has appointed <06485> me to build <01129> for <05921> him a temple <01004> in Jerusalem <03389> in Judah <03063>. May the Lord <03068> your God <0430> energize you who <04310> belong to his people <05971>, so you may be able to go back <05927> there!”