36 Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's stead in Jerusalem.

Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.

And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerusalem, and condemned the land in an hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.

And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.

Jehoiakim was twenty and 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 his God.

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

Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.

Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.

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

10 And when the year was expired, king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the Lord, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.

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

12 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord.

13 And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel.

14 Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.

15 And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place:

16 But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy.

17 Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand.

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

19 And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.

20 And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:

21 To fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.

22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,

23 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The Lord his God be with him, and let him go up.

Judah's Decline

36 (A)The people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah and made him king in his father's place in Jerusalem. Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. Then the king of Egypt deposed him in Jerusalem and (B)laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent[a] of gold. And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Jehoahaz his brother and carried him to Egypt.

(C)Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God. (D)Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon (E)and bound him in chains (F)to take him to Babylon. (G)Nebuchadnezzar also carried part of the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon and put them in his palace in Babylon. (H)Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and the abominations that he did, and what was found against him, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.

(I)Jehoiachin was eighteen[b] years old when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. 10 In (J)the spring of the year King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon, (K)with the precious vessels of the house of the Lord, and made his brother (L)Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.

11 (M)Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. 12 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God. He did not humble himself before (N)Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the Lord. 13 (O)He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. (P)He stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord, the God of Israel. 14 All the officers of the priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. And they polluted the house of the Lord that he had made holy in Jerusalem.

15 The Lord, the God of their fathers, (Q)sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 (R)But they kept mocking the messengers of God, (S)despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, (T)until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy.

Jerusalem Captured and Burned

17 (U)Therefore he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or aged. He gave them all into his hand. 18 (V)And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon. 19 (W)And they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its precious vessels. 20 He (X)took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, (Y)and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had (Z)enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate (AA)it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.

The Proclamation of Cyrus

22 (AB)Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, (AC)that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, (AD)the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: 23 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the Lord his God be with him. Let him go up.’”

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 36:3 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
  2. 2 Chronicles 36:9 Septuagint (compare 2 Kings 24:8); most Hebrew manuscripts eight

Joahaz, Jehoiakim, Then Jehoiachin Rule

36 (A)Then the people of the land took [a](B)Joahaz the son of Josiah and made him king in place of his father in Jerusalem. Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem. Then the king of Egypt deposed him in Jerusalem, and imposed a fine on the land of [b]a hundred talents of silver and [c]one talent of gold. The king of Egypt made [d]Joahaz’s brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But (C)Neco took his brother Joahaz and brought him to Egypt.

(D)Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord his God. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up (E)against him and (F)bound him with bronze chains to take him to Babylon. (G)Nebuchadnezzar also brought some of the articles of the house of the Lord to Babylon, and he put them in his temple in Babylon. (H)Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim and [e]the abominations which he committed, and what was found against him, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And his son Jehoiachin became king in his place.

(I)Jehoiachin was [f]eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned for three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight of the Lord.

Captivity in Babylon Begun

10 (J)At the turn of the year King Nebuchadnezzar sent men and had him brought to Babylon with the valuable articles of the house of the Lord; and he made his relative (K)Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.

Zedekiah Rules in Judah

11 (L)Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. 12 He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God; (M)he did not humble himself (N)before Jeremiah the prophet [g]who spoke for the Lord. 13 (O)He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear allegiance by God. But (P)he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord God of Israel. 14 Furthermore, all the officials of the priests and the people were very unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations; and they defiled the house of the Lord which He had sanctified in Jerusalem.

15 Yet the Lord, the God of their fathers, (Q)sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; 16 but they continually (R)mocked the messengers of God, (S)despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, (T)until the wrath of the Lord rose against His people, until there was no remedy. 17 (U)So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or frail; He handed them all over to him. 18 (V)He brought all the articles of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and his officers, to Babylon. 19 Then (W)they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its fortified buildings with fire and destroyed all its valuable articles. 20 He (X)took into exile those who had escaped from the sword to Babylon; and (Y)they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, 21 (Z)to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until (AA)the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. (AB)All the days of its desolation it kept the Sabbath [h](AC)until seventy years were complete.

Cyrus Permits Return

22 (AD)Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—in order to fulfill the word of the Lord (AE)by the mouth of Jeremiah—the Lord (AF)stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia so that he sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, 23 “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may the Lord his God be with him; [i]go up then!’”

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 36:1 I.e., short form of Jehoahaz
  2. 2 Chronicles 36:3 About 3.75 tons or 3.4 metric tons
  3. 2 Chronicles 36:3 About 75 lb. or 34 kg
  4. 2 Chronicles 36:4 Lit his
  5. 2 Chronicles 36:8 Lit his
  6. 2 Chronicles 36:9 As in LXX and some Heb mss; MT eight years
  7. 2 Chronicles 36:12 Lit from the mouth of the Lord
  8. 2 Chronicles 36:21 Lit to fulfill seventy years
  9. 2 Chronicles 36:23 Lit and he is to go up; i.e., go to Jerusalem

36 Awo abantu b’ensi eyo ne balonda Yekoyakaazi mutabani wa Yosiya, n’asikira kitaawe mu Yerusaalemi.

Yekoyakaazi Kabaka wa Yuda

Yekoyakaazi yali wa myaka amakumi abiri mu esatu bwe yalya obwakabaka, n’afugira mu Yerusaalemi emyezi esatu. Kabaka w’e Misiri yamugoba ku ntebe ey’obwakabaka mu Yerusaalemi, n’asalira Yuda obusuulu obwa ttani ssatu n’obutundu buna obwa ffeeza ne kilo amakumi asatu mu nnya eza zaabu. (A)Kabaka w’e Misiri n’afuula Eriyakimu muganda wa Yekoyakaazi okuba kabaka wa Yuda ne Yerusaalemi, n’akyusa n’erinnya lye, n’amutuuma Yekoyakimu, naye n’atwala Yekoyakaazi muganda we nga musibe e Misiri.

Yekoyakimu Kabaka wa Yuda

(B)Yekoyakimu yali wa myaka amakumi abiri mu etaano bwe yalya obwakabaka, n’afugira emyaka kkumi na gumu mu Yerusaalemi. N’akola ebitali bya butuukirivu mu maaso ga Mukama Katonda we. (C)Awo lumu Nebukadduneeza kabaka w’e Babulooni n’amulumba, n’amusiba mu masamba, n’amutwala e Babulooni. (D)Nebukadduneeza n’atwala n’ebintu ebyali mu yeekaalu ya Mukama e Babulooni, n’abiteeka mu ssabo lye. Ebyafaayo ebirala ebyabaawo ku mulembe gwa Yekoyakimu, eby’ekivve bye yakola, ne byonna bye yavunaanibwa, byawandiikibwa mu kitabo kya bassekabaka ba Isirayiri ne Yuda. Yekoyakini mutabani we n’amusikira.

Yekoyakini Kabaka wa Yuda

(E)Yekoyakini yali wa myaka munaana bwe yalya obwakabaka, n’afugira emyezi esatu n’ennaku kkumi mu Yerusaalemi. N’akola ebitali bya butuukirivu mu maaso ga Mukama. 10 (F)Awo omwaka bwe gwali nga gunaatera okuggwaako, kabaka Nebukadduneeza n’amutumya, n’aleetebwa e Babulooni n’ebintu byonna eby’omuwendo okuva mu yeekaalu ya Mukama. Nebukadduneeza n’afuula Zeddekiya kitaawe omuto okuba kabaka wa Yuda ne Yerusaalemi.

11 (G)Zeddekiya yali wa myaka amakumi abiri mu gumu bwe yalya obwakabaka, n’afugira emyaka kkumi na gumu mu Yerusaalemi. 12 (H)N’akola ebitali bya butuukirivu mu maaso ga Mukama Katonda we, n’ateetoowaza mu maaso ga nnabbi Yeremiya, eyayogeranga ekigambo kya Mukama. 13 (I)N’ajeemera ne kabaka Nebukadduneeza eyamulayiza mu maaso ga Katonda. N’akakanyaza ensingo ye n’omutima gwe, n’atakyuka kudda eri Mukama Katonda wa Isirayiri. 14 (J)Ate ne bakabona abakulu bonna n’abantu, ne bataba beesigwa ne bagoberera eby’obukaafiiri eby’amawanga amalala, ne bagwagwawaza yeekaalu ya Mukama, gye yali atukuzizza mu Yerusaalemi.

Okugwa kwa Yerusaalemi

15 (K)Awo Mukama Katonda wa bajjajjaabwe n’ayogera nabo ng’ayita mu babaka be, ng’asaasira abantu be n’ekifo mu abeera. 16 (L)Naye ne baduuliranga ababaka ba Katonda, ne banyoomanga n’ebigambo bye, ne basekereranga bannabbi be, okutuusa obusungu bwa Katonda bwe bwabuubuukira ku bantu be awatali kubasaasira. 17 (M)Kyeyava aweereza kabaka w’Abakaludaaya okubalumba, n’atta n’ekitala abavubuka baabwe mu nnyumba awasinzizibwa, n’atalekaawo muvubuka n’omu newaakubadde abawala abato, newaakubadde abasajja abakulu wadde abakadde ennyo. Bonna Katonda yabawaayo mu mukono gwa Nebukadduneeza. 18 (N)Ne yeetikka ebintu ebinene n’ebitono byonna okuva mu yeekaalu ya Katonda, n’eby’obugagga eby’omu yeekaalu ya Mukama, n’amawanika ga kabaka n’abakungu be. 19 (O)Ne bookya yeekaalu ya Katonda ne bamenyaamenya ne bbugwe wa Yerusaalemi, ne bookya n’embiri zonna, ne bazikiriza n’ebintu eby’omuwendo byonna.

20 (P)N’abo abaawona ekitala, n’abatwala mu buwaŋŋanguse e Babulooni, ne babeera baddu be n’aba batabani be okutuusa ku kufuga kw’obwakabaka bw’Obuperusi. 21 (Q)Ensi n’ekuuma ssabbiiti zaayo, ekiseera kyonna kye yamala mu kubonaabona kwayo okutuusa emyaka ensanvu bwe gyagwako, ng’ekyo kituukiriza ekigambo Mukama kye yayogera mu Yeremiya.

22 (R)Mu mwaka ogw’olubereberye ogwa Kuulo kabaka wa Buperusi, Mukama n’akoma ku mutima gwa Kuulo kabaka wa Buperusi ng’ekigambo Mukama kye yayogerera mu Yeremiya bwe kyali, okulangirira mu bwakabaka bwe bwonna, n’okuwandiika nti,

23 (S)“Bw’atyo bw’ayogera Kuulo kabaka wa Buperusi nti,

“ ‘Mukama Katonda w’eggulu ampadde obwakabaka bwonna obw’omu nsi, era annonze okumuzimbira yeekaalu e Yerusaalemi mu Yuda. Bwe wabaawo omuntu yenna mu mmwe ow’oku bantu be, Mukama Katonda abeere naye, ayambuke.’ ”