24 约雅敬执政期间,巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒进犯,约雅敬臣服于他,三年后又背叛了他。 耶和华差遣迦勒底人、亚兰人、摩押人和亚扪人来攻打约雅敬,毁灭犹大,正如祂借着祂的仆人——众先知所说的。 这些灾祸临到犹大是出自耶和华的命令。耶和华要把犹大人从自己面前赶走,是因为玛拿西所犯的一切罪。 玛拿西滥杀无辜,使耶路撒冷血流遍地,耶和华不会赦免这些罪行。 约雅敬其他的事及其一切所作所为都记在犹大的列王史上。 约雅敬与祖先同眠后,他儿子约雅斤继位。 埃及王不再迈出国境,因为巴比伦王夺取了从埃及小河至幼发拉底河之间的埃及领土。

约雅斤做犹大王

约雅斤十八岁登基,在耶路撒冷执政三个月。他母亲叫尼护施她,是耶路撒冷人以利拿单的女儿。 他像他父亲一样做耶和华视为恶的事。 10 那时,巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒派将领围攻耶路撒冷。 11 围城期间,尼布甲尼撒亲自来到耶路撒冷。 12 犹大王约雅斤及其母亲、臣仆和文官武将向尼布甲尼撒投降。巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒在他执政第八年俘虏了约雅斤, 13 拿走了耶和华殿里和王宫里的宝物,以及所罗门王为耶和华的殿所造的金器,正如耶和华所言。 14 他又掳走住在耶路撒冷的所有将领、勇士、工匠和铁匠共一万人,只留下了境内最贫穷的人。 15 他把约雅斤及其母亲、妃嫔、臣仆和国中政要从耶路撒冷掳到巴比伦。 16 此外被掳的还有能征善战的勇士七千人,工匠和铁匠一千人。

17 巴比伦王让约雅斤的叔叔玛探雅代替约雅斤做王,给玛探雅改名叫西底迦。

西底迦做犹大王

18 西底迦二十一岁登基,在耶路撒冷执政十一年。他母亲叫哈慕她,是立拿人耶利米的女儿。 19 西底迦像约雅敬一样做耶和华视为恶的事。 20 因此,耶和华向耶路撒冷和犹大的人发怒,把他们从祂面前赶走。

耶路撒冷陷落

后来,西底迦背叛了巴比伦王。

24 ¶ In his time Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came up, and Jehoiakim became his slave three years; then he turned and rebelled against him.

And the LORD sent against him armies of the Chaldees and armies of the Syrians and armies of the Moabites and armies of the sons of Ammon and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by his slaves the prophets.

Surely at the commandment of the LORD this came upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did

and also for the innocent blood that he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the LORD would not pardon.

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?

So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers, and Jehoiachin, his son, reigned in his stead.

And the king of Egypt never came out of his land again, for the king of Babylon had taken all that pertained to the king of Egypt from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates.

¶ Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.

And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.

10 At that time the slaves of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.

11 Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, also came against the city when his slaves had besieged it.

12 So Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, went out to the king of Babylon, he and his mother and his slaves and his princes and his eunuchs; and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.

13 And he carried out of there all the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon, king of Israel, had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said.

14 And he carried away all Jerusalem and all the princes and all the mighty men of valour, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths; none remained except the poorest sort of the people of the land.

15 He likewise carried Jehoiachin away to Babylon and the king’s mother and the king’s wives and his officers, and the mighty of the land; he carried them all into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.

16 All the men of might, which were seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths which were one thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.

17 And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, his father’s brother, king in his stead and changed his name to Zedekiah.

18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

19 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

20 For the anger of the LORD was against Jerusalem and Judah until he cast them out from his presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.