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2 Kings 23-25
New King James Version

Josiah Restores True Worship(A)

23 Now (B)the king sent them to gather all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to him. 2 The king went up to the house of the Lord with all the men of Judah, and with him all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great. And he (C)read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant (D)which had been found in the house of the Lord.

3 Then the king (E)stood by a pillar and made a (F)covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant. 4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the (G)priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to bring (H)out of the temple of the Lord all the articles that were made for Baal, for [a]Asherah, and for all [b]the host of heaven; and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5 Then he removed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem, and those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the [c]constellations, and to (I)all the host of heaven. 6 And he brought out the (J)wooden[d] image from the house of the Lord, to the Brook Kidron outside Jerusalem, burned it at the Brook Kidron and ground it to (K)ashes, and threw its ashes on (L)the graves of the common people. 7 Then he tore down the ritual [e]booths (M)of the [f]perverted persons that were in the house of the Lord, (N)where the (O)women wove hangings for the wooden image. 8 And he brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from (P)Geba to Beersheba; also he broke down the high places at the gates which were at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were to the left of the city gate. 9 (Q)Nevertheless the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, (R)but they ate unleavened bread among their brethren.

10 And he defiled (S)Topheth, which is in (T)the Valley of the [g]Son of Hinnom, (U)that no man might make his son or his daughter (V)pass through the fire to Molech. 11 Then he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had [h]dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathan-Melech, the officer who was in the court; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. 12 The altars that were (W)on the roof, the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which (X)Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the Lord, the king broke down and pulverized there, and threw their dust into the Brook Kidron. 13 Then the king defiled the [i]high places that were east of Jerusalem, which were on the [j]south of [k]the Mount of Corruption, which (Y)Solomon king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the people of Ammon. 14 And he (Z)broke in pieces the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images, and filled their places with the bones of men.

15 Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the [l]high place (AA)which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he broke down; and he burned the high place and crushed it to powder, and burned the wooden image. 16 As Josiah turned, he saw the tombs that were there on the mountain. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar, and defiled it according to the (AB)word of the Lord which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words. 17 Then he said, “What gravestone is this that I see?”

So the men of the city told him, “It is (AC)the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel.”

18 And he said, “Let him alone; let no one move his bones.” So they let his bones alone, with the bones of (AD)the prophet who came from Samaria.

19 Now Josiah also took away all the [m]shrines of the [n]high places that were (AE)in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke [o]the Lord to anger; and he did to them according to all the deeds he had done in Bethel. 20 (AF)He (AG)executed all the priests of the [p]high places who were there, on the altars, and (AH)burned men’s bones on them; and he returned to Jerusalem.

21 Then the king commanded all the people, saying, (AI)“Keep the Passover to the Lord your God, (AJ)as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 22 (AK)Such a Passover surely had never been held since the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah. 23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was held before the Lord in Jerusalem. 24 Moreover Josiah put away those who consulted mediums and spiritists, the household gods and idols, all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might perform the words of (AL)the law which were written in the book (AM)that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord. 25 (AN)Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him.

Impending Judgment on Judah

26 Nevertheless the Lord did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath, with which His anger was aroused against Judah, (AO)because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. 27 And the Lord said, “I will also remove Judah from My sight, as (AP)I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, (AQ)‘My name shall be there.’ ”

Josiah Dies in Battle(AR)

28 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 29 (AS)In his days Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went [q]to the aid of the king of Assyria, to the River Euphrates; and King Josiah went against him. And Pharaoh Necho killed him at (AT)Megiddo when he (AU)confronted him. 30 (AV)Then his servants moved his body in a chariot from Megiddo, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. And (AW)the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, anointed him, and made him king in his father’s place.

The Reign and Captivity of Jehoahaz(AX)

31 (AY)Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was (AZ)Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. 33 Now Pharaoh Necho put him in prison (BA)at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a tribute of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 34 Then (BB)Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, and (BC)changed his name to (BD)Jehoiakim. And Pharaoh took Jehoahaz (BE)and went to Egypt, and [r]he died there.

Jehoiakim Reigns in Judah(BF)

35 So Jehoiakim gave (BG)the silver and gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give money according to the command of Pharaoh; he exacted the silver and gold from the people of the land, from every one according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Necho. 36 (BH)Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebudah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. 37 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done.

Judah Overrun by Enemies

24 In (BI)his days Nebuchadnezzar king of (BJ)Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. 2 (BK)And the Lord sent against him raiding [s]bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the people of Ammon; He sent them against Judah to destroy it, (BL)according to the word of the Lord which He had spoken by His servants the prophets. 3 Surely at the commandment of the Lord this came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight (BM)because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, 4 (BN)and also because of the innocent blood that he had shed; for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the Lord would not pardon.

5 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 6 (BO)So Jehoiakim rested with his fathers. Then Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.

7 And (BP)the king of Egypt did not come out of his land anymore, for (BQ)the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Brook of Egypt to the River Euphrates.

The Reign and Captivity of Jehoiachin(BR)

8 (BS)Jehoiachin[t] was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father had done.

10 (BT)At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city [u]was besieged. 11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, as his servants were besieging it. 12 (BU)Then Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his princes, and his officers went out to the king of Babylon; and the king of Babylon, (BV)in the eighth year of his reign, took him prisoner.

The Captivity of Jerusalem

13 (BW)And he carried out from there all the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house, and he (BX)cut in pieces all the articles of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the Lord, (BY)as the Lord had said. 14 Also (BZ)he carried into captivity all Jerusalem: all the captains and all the mighty men of valor, (CA)ten thousand captives, and (CB)all the craftsmen and smiths. None remained except (CC)the poorest people of the land. 15 And (CD)he carried Jehoiachin captive to Babylon. The king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officers, and the mighty of the land he carried into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16 (CE)All the valiant men, seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths, one thousand, all who were strong and fit for war, these the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.

Zedekiah Reigns in Judah(CF)

17 Then (CG)the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, (CH)Jehoiachin’s[v] uncle, king in his place, and (CI)changed his name to Zedekiah.

18 (CJ)Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was (CK)Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 19 (CL)He also did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 20 For because of the anger of the Lord this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, that He finally cast them out from His presence. (CM)Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

The Fall and Captivity of Judah(CN)

25 Now it came to pass (CO)in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around. 2 So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 3 By the ninth day of the (CP)fourth month the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.

4 Then (CQ)the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled at night by way of the gate between two walls, which was by the king’s garden, even though the Chaldeans were still encamped all around against the city. And (CR)the king[w] went by way of the [x]plain. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his army was scattered from him. 6 So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon (CS)at Riblah, and they pronounced judgment on him. 7 Then they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, (CT)put[y] out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with bronze fetters, and took him to Babylon.

8 And in the fifth month, (CU)on the seventh day of the month (which was (CV)the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), (CW)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 (CX)He burned the house of the Lord (CY)and the king’s house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, (CZ)he burned with fire. 10 And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard (DA)broke down the walls of Jerusalem all around.

11 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive (DB)the rest of the people who remained in the city and the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, with the rest of the multitude. 12 But the captain of the guard (DC)left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers. 13 (DD)The bronze (DE)pillars that were in the house of the Lord, and (DF)the carts and (DG)the bronze Sea that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and (DH)carried their bronze to Babylon. 14 They also took away (DI)the pots, the shovels, the trimmers, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils with which the priests ministered. 15 The firepans and the basins, the things of solid gold and solid silver, the captain of the guard took away. 16 The two pillars, one Sea, and the carts, which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord, (DJ)the bronze of all these articles was beyond measure. 17 (DK)The height of one pillar was [z]eighteen cubits, and the capital on it was of bronze. The height of the capital was three cubits, and the network and pomegranates all around the capital were all of bronze. The second pillar was the same, with a network.

18 (DL)And the captain of the guard took (DM)Seraiah the chief priest, (DN)Zephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers. 19 He also took out of the city an officer who had charge of the men of war, (DO)five men of [aa]the king’s close associates who were found in the city, the chief recruiting officer of the army, who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the city. 20 So Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, took these and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 21 Then the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. (DP)Thus Judah was carried away captive from its own land.

Gedaliah Made Governor of Judah(DQ)

22 Then he made Gedaliah the son of (DR)Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, governor over (DS)the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left. 23 Now when all the (DT)captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Careah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and [ab]Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men. 24 And Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, and said to them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.”

25 But (DU)it happened in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck and killed Gedaliah, the Jews, as well as the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. 26 And all the people, small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose (DV)and went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

Jehoiachin Released from Prison(DW)

27 (DX)Now it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that [ac]Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, (DY)released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. 28 He spoke kindly to him, and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, and he (DZ)ate [ad]bread regularly before the king all the days of his life. 30 And as for his [ae]provisions, there was a [af]regular ration given him by the king, a portion for each day, all the days of his life.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 23:4 A Canaanite goddess
  2. 2 Kings 23:4 The gods of the Assyrians
  3. 2 Kings 23:5 Of the Zodiac
  4. 2 Kings 23:6 Heb. Asherah, a Canaanite goddess
  5. 2 Kings 23:7 Lit. houses
  6. 2 Kings 23:7 Heb. qedeshim, those practicing sodomy and prostitution in religious rituals
  7. 2 Kings 23:10 Kt. Sons
  8. 2 Kings 23:11 given
  9. 2 Kings 23:13 Places for pagan worship
  10. 2 Kings 23:13 Lit. right of
  11. 2 Kings 23:13 The Mount of Olives
  12. 2 Kings 23:15 A place for pagan worship
  13. 2 Kings 23:19 Lit. houses
  14. 2 Kings 23:19 Places for pagan worship
  15. 2 Kings 23:19 So with LXX, Syr., Vg.; MT, Tg. omit the Lord
  16. 2 Kings 23:20 Places for pagan worship
  17. 2 Kings 23:29 Or to attack, Heb. al can mean together with or against
  18. 2 Kings 23:34 Jehoahaz
  19. 2 Kings 24:2 troops
  20. 2 Kings 24:8 Jeconiah, 1 Chr. 3:16; Jer. 24:1; or Coniah, Jer. 22:24, 28
  21. 2 Kings 24:10 Lit. came into siege
  22. 2 Kings 24:17 Lit. his
  23. 2 Kings 25:4 Lit. he
  24. 2 Kings 25:4 Or Arabah, the Jordan Valley
  25. 2 Kings 25:7 blinded
  26. 2 Kings 25:17 About 27 feet
  27. 2 Kings 25:19 Lit. those seeing the king’s face
  28. 2 Kings 25:23 Jezaniah, Jer. 40:8
  29. 2 Kings 25:27 Lit. Man of Marduk
  30. 2 Kings 25:29 Food
  31. 2 Kings 25:30 Lit. allowance
  32. 2 Kings 25:30 Lit. allowance
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2 Kings 23-25
New International Version

Josiah Renews the Covenant(A)(B)(C)(D)

23 Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 2 He went up to the temple of the Lord with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read(E) in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant,(F) which had been found in the temple of the Lord. 3 The king stood by the pillar(G) and renewed the covenant(H) in the presence of the Lord—to follow(I) the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.

4 The king ordered Hilkiah the high priest, the priests next in rank and the doorkeepers(J) to remove(K) from the temple of the Lord all the articles made for Baal and Asherah and all the starry hosts. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron Valley and took the ashes to Bethel. 5 He did away with the idolatrous priests appointed by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the towns of Judah and on those around Jerusalem—those who burned incense(L) to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations and to all the starry hosts.(M) 6 He took the Asherah pole from the temple of the Lord to the Kidron Valley(N) outside Jerusalem and burned it there. He ground it to powder(O) and scattered the dust over the graves(P) of the common people.(Q) 7 He also tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes(R) that were in the temple of the Lord, the quarters where women did weaving for Asherah.

8 Josiah brought all the priests from the towns of Judah and desecrated the high places, from Geba(S) to Beersheba, where the priests had burned incense. He broke down the gateway at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua, the city governor, which was on the left of the city gate. 9 Although the priests of the high places did not serve(T) at the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, they ate unleavened bread with their fellow priests.

10 He desecrated Topheth,(U) which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom,(V) so no one could use it to sacrifice their son(W) or daughter in the fire to Molek. 11 He removed from the entrance to the temple of the Lord the horses that the kings of Judah(X) had dedicated to the sun. They were in the court[a] near the room of an official named Nathan-Melek. Josiah then burned the chariots dedicated to the sun.(Y)

12 He pulled down(Z) the altars the kings of Judah had erected on the roof(AA) near the upper room of Ahaz, and the altars Manasseh had built in the two courts(AB) of the temple of the Lord. He removed them from there, smashed them to pieces and threw the rubble into the Kidron Valley.(AC) 13 The king also desecrated the high places that were east of Jerusalem on the south of the Hill of Corruption—the ones Solomon(AD) king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the vile goddess of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the vile god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable(AE) god of the people of Ammon.(AF) 14 Josiah smashed(AG) the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles and covered the sites with human bones.(AH)

15 Even the altar(AI) at Bethel, the high place made by Jeroboam(AJ) son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin—even that altar and high place he demolished. He burned the high place and ground it to powder, and burned the Asherah pole also. 16 Then Josiah(AK) looked around, and when he saw the tombs that were there on the hillside, he had the bones removed from them and burned on the altar to defile it, in accordance(AL) with the word of the Lord proclaimed by the man of God who foretold these things.

17 The king asked, “What is that tombstone I see?”

The people of the city said, “It marks the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and pronounced against the altar of Bethel the very things you have done to it.”

18 “Leave it alone,” he said. “Don’t let anyone disturb his bones(AM).” So they spared his bones and those of the prophet(AN) who had come from Samaria.

19 Just as he had done at Bethel, Josiah removed all the shrines at the high places that the kings of Israel had built in the towns of Samaria and that had aroused the Lord’s anger. 20 Josiah slaughtered(AO) all the priests of those high places on the altars and burned human bones(AP) on them. Then he went back to Jerusalem.

21 The king gave this order to all the people: “Celebrate the Passover(AQ) to the Lord your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.”(AR) 22 Neither in the days of the judges who led Israel nor in the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah had any such Passover been observed. 23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was celebrated to the Lord in Jerusalem.(AS)

24 Furthermore, Josiah got rid of the mediums and spiritists,(AT) the household gods,(AU) the idols and all the other detestable(AV) things seen in Judah and Jerusalem. This he did to fulfill the requirements of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had discovered in the temple of the Lord. 25 Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned(AW) to the Lord as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.(AX)

26 Nevertheless, the Lord did not turn away from the heat of his fierce anger,(AY) which burned against Judah because of all that Manasseh(AZ) had done to arouse his anger. 27 So the Lord said, “I will remove(BA) Judah also from my presence(BB) as I removed Israel, and I will reject(BC) Jerusalem, the city I chose, and this temple, about which I said, ‘My Name shall be there.’[b]”

28 As for the other events of Josiah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?

29 While Josiah was king, Pharaoh Necho(BD) king of Egypt went up to the Euphrates River to help the king of Assyria. King Josiah marched out to meet him in battle, but Necho faced him and killed him at Megiddo.(BE) 30 Josiah’s servants brought his body in a chariot(BF) from Megiddo to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and anointed him and made him king in place of his father.

Jehoahaz King of Judah(BG)

31 Jehoahaz(BH) was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Hamutal(BI) daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. 32 He did evil(BJ) in the eyes of the Lord, just as his predecessors had done. 33 Pharaoh Necho put him in chains at Riblah(BK) in the land of Hamath(BL) so that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and he imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents[c] of silver and a talent[d] of gold. 34 Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim(BM) son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah and changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt, and there he died.(BN) 35 Jehoiakim paid Pharaoh Necho the silver and gold he demanded. In order to do so, he taxed the land and exacted the silver and gold from the people of the land according to their assessments.(BO)

Jehoiakim King of Judah(BP)

36 Jehoiakim(BQ) was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Zebidah daughter of Pedaiah; she was from Rumah. 37 And he did evil(BR) in the eyes of the Lord, just as his predecessors had done.

24 During Jehoiakim’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar(BS) king of Babylon invaded(BT) the land, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. But then he turned against Nebuchadnezzar and rebelled.(BU) 2 The Lord sent Babylonian,[e](BV) Aramean,(BW) Moabite and Ammonite raiders(BX) against him to destroy(BY) Judah, in accordance with the word of the Lord proclaimed by his servants the prophets.(BZ) 3 Surely these things happened to Judah according to the Lord’s command,(CA) in order to remove them from his presence(CB) because of the sins of Manasseh(CC) and all he had done, 4 including the shedding of innocent blood.(CD) For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was not willing to forgive.(CE)

5 As for the other events of Jehoiakim’s reign,(CF) and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 6 Jehoiakim rested(CG) with his ancestors. And Jehoiachin(CH) his son succeeded him as king.

7 The king of Egypt(CI) did not march out from his own country again, because the king of Babylon(CJ) had taken all his territory, from the Wadi of Egypt to the Euphrates River.

Jehoiachin King of Judah(CK)

8 Jehoiachin(CL) was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta(CM) daughter of Elnathan; she was from Jerusalem. 9 He did evil(CN) in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father had done.

10 At that time the officers of Nebuchadnezzar(CO) king of Babylon advanced on Jerusalem and laid siege to it, 11 and Nebuchadnezzar himself came up to the city while his officers were besieging it. 12 Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his attendants, his nobles and his officials all surrendered(CP) to him.

In the eighth year of the reign of the king of Babylon, he took Jehoiachin prisoner. 13 As the Lord had declared,(CQ) Nebuchadnezzar removed the treasures(CR) from the temple of the Lord and from the royal palace, and cut up the gold articles(CS) that Solomon(CT) king of Israel had made for the temple of the Lord. 14 He carried all Jerusalem into exile:(CU) all the officers and fighting men,(CV) and all the skilled workers and artisans—a total of ten thousand. Only the poorest(CW) people of the land were left.

15 Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin(CX) captive to Babylon. He also took from Jerusalem to Babylon the king’s mother,(CY) his wives, his officials and the prominent people(CZ) of the land. 16 The king of Babylon also deported to Babylon the entire force of seven thousand fighting men, strong and fit for war, and a thousand skilled workers and artisans.(DA) 17 He made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.(DB)

Zedekiah King of Judah(DC)

18 Zedekiah(DD) was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal(DE) daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. 19 He did evil(DF) in the eyes of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done. 20 It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust(DG) them from his presence.(DH)

The Fall of Jerusalem(DI)(DJ)(DK)

Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

25 So in the ninth(DL) year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar(DM) king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. He encamped outside the city and built siege works(DN) all around it. 2 The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

3 By the ninth day of the fourth[f] month the famine(DO) in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat. 4 Then the city wall was broken through,(DP) and the whole army fled at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians[g] were surrounding(DQ) the city. They fled toward the Arabah,[h] 5 but the Babylonian[i] army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered,(DR) 6 and he was captured.(DS)

He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah,(DT) where sentence was pronounced on him. 7 They killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.(DU)

8 On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, an official of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 He set fire(DV) to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down.(DW) 10 The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the imperial guard broke down the walls(DX) around Jerusalem. 11 Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile(DY) the people who remained in the city, along with the rest of the populace and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon.(DZ) 12 But the commander left behind some of the poorest people(EA) of the land to work the vineyards and fields.

13 The Babylonians broke(EB) up the bronze pillars, the movable stands and the bronze Sea that were at the temple of the Lord and they carried the bronze to Babylon. 14 They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes(EC) and all the bronze articles(ED) used in the temple service. 15 The commander of the imperial guard took away the censers and sprinkling bowls—all that were made of pure gold or silver.(EE)

16 The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the movable stands, which Solomon had made for the temple of the Lord, was more than could be weighed. 17 Each pillar(EF) was eighteen cubits[j] high. The bronze capital on top of one pillar was three cubits[k] high and was decorated with a network and pomegranates of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its network, was similar.

18 The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah(EG) the chief priest, Zephaniah(EH) the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers.(EI) 19 Of those still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the fighting men, and five royal advisers. He also took the secretary who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land and sixty of the conscripts who were found in the city. 20 Nebuzaradan the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 21 There at Riblah,(EJ) in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed.(EK)

So Judah went into captivity,(EL) away from her land.(EM)

22 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah(EN) son of Ahikam,(EO) the son of Shaphan, to be over the people he had left behind in Judah. 23 When all the army officers and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, Jaazaniah the son of the Maakathite, and their men. 24 Gedaliah took an oath to reassure them and their men. “Do not be afraid of the Babylonian officials,” he said. “Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.”

25 In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood, came with ten men and assassinated(EP) Gedaliah and also the men of Judah and the Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah.(EQ) 26 At this, all the people from the least to the greatest, together with the army officers, fled to Egypt(ER) for fear of the Babylonians.

Jehoiachin Released(ES)

27 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin(ET) king of Judah from prison. He did this on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month. 28 He spoke kindly(EU) to him and gave him a seat of honor(EV) higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king’s table.(EW) 30 Day by day the king gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance as long as he lived.(EX)

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 23:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  2. 2 Kings 23:27 1 Kings 8:29
  3. 2 Kings 23:33 That is, about 3 3/4 tons or about 3.4 metric tons
  4. 2 Kings 23:33 That is, about 75 pounds or about 34 kilograms
  5. 2 Kings 24:2 Or Chaldean
  6. 2 Kings 25:3 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text (see Jer. 52:6); Masoretic Text does not have fourth.
  7. 2 Kings 25:4 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 13, 25 and 26
  8. 2 Kings 25:4 Or the Jordan Valley
  9. 2 Kings 25:5 Or Chaldean; also in verses 10 and 24
  10. 2 Kings 25:17 That is, about 27 feet or about 8.1 meters
  11. 2 Kings 25:17 That is, about 4 1/2 feet or about 1.4 meters
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2 Kings 22
1 Chronicles 1
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