猶大王約哈斯

36 猶大人在耶路撒冷立約西亞的兒子約哈斯接替他父親做王。 約哈斯二十三歲登基,在耶路撒冷執政三個月。 埃及王在耶路撒冷廢掉他,並要求猶大向埃及進貢三點四噸銀子、三十四公斤金子。 埃及王另立約哈斯的兄弟以利雅敬為王統治猶大和耶路撒冷,給他改名為約雅敬,並把約哈斯帶到埃及。

猶大王約雅敬

約雅敬二十五歲登基,在耶路撒冷執政十一年。他做他的上帝耶和華視為惡的事。 巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒起兵攻打他,用銅鏈把他鎖著帶到巴比倫。 尼布甲尼撒把耶和華殿裡的一些器皿帶到巴比倫,放在他在巴比倫的王宮裡[a] 約雅敬其他的事及可憎行徑和惡跡都記在以色列和猶大的列王史上。他兒子約雅斤繼位。

猶大王約雅斤

約雅斤十八歲[b]登基,在耶路撒冷執政三個月零十天。他做耶和華視為惡的事。 10 那年春天,尼布甲尼撒王派人把他和耶和華殿裡的貴重器皿一同帶到巴比倫。尼布甲尼撒另立約雅斤的叔叔[c]西底迦做猶大和耶路撒冷的王。

猶大王西底迦

11 西底迦二十一歲登基,在耶路撒冷執政十一年。 12 他做他的上帝耶和華視為惡的事,耶利米先知向他傳講耶和華的話,他仍不肯在耶利米面前謙卑下來。

耶路撒冷淪陷

13 尼布甲尼撒曾讓他奉上帝的名起誓,他卻背叛了尼布甲尼撒。他頑固不化,不肯歸向以色列的上帝耶和華。 14 所有祭司長和民眾也都仿效外族人的一切可憎行徑,犯了大罪,玷污了耶和華在耶路撒冷使之聖潔的殿。 15 他們祖先的上帝耶和華因為憐愛祂的子民和祂的居所,就不斷派使者來勸告他們。 16 他們卻嘲弄耶和華上帝的使者,藐視祂的話,嘲笑祂的先知,以致祂的憤怒臨到祂的子民身上,無可挽救。

17 耶和華使迦勒底人的王起兵攻打他們,在他們的聖殿裡用刀擊殺他們的壯丁,毫不憐憫少男少女、老人和年高者。耶和華把他們全部交在他的手中。 18 上帝殿裡的大小器皿,以及耶和華殿裡、王宮裡和眾官員的所有珍寶,都被他帶到巴比倫去了。 19 迦勒底人焚燒上帝的殿,拆毀耶路撒冷的城牆,並且焚燒所有的宮殿,毀壞其中所有珍貴的器皿。 20 沒有被殺戮的人都被擄往巴比倫,做他和他子孫的奴隸,直到波斯帝國的時代。 21 這就應驗了耶和華藉耶利米之口所說的話:這片土地享受了安息,它在荒涼中守安息,直到滿了七十年。

塞魯士王准許被擄之民返國

22 波斯王塞魯士元年,耶和華為了應驗祂藉耶利米所說的話,就感動波斯王塞魯士,使他下詔通告全國: 23 「波斯王塞魯士如此說,『天上的上帝耶和華已把天下萬國都賜給我,祂吩咐我在猶大的耶路撒冷為祂建造殿宇。你們當中凡屬耶和華的子民,都可以去那裡。願你們的上帝耶和華與你們同在!』」

Footnotes

  1. 36·7 王宮裡」或譯「神廟裡」。
  2. 36·9 十八歲」希伯來文是「八歲」,七十士譯本、敘利亞譯本和列王紀下24·8是「十八歲」。
  3. 36·10 叔叔」參考列王紀下24·17

Judah’s King Jehoahaz

36 Then(A) the common people[a] took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father.

Jehoahaz[b] was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem. The king of Egypt deposed him in Jerusalem and fined the land 3.5 tonnes[c] of silver and 35 kilograms[d] of gold.

Judah’s King Jehoiakim

Then King Neco of Egypt made Jehoahaz’s brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem and changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took his brother Jehoahaz and brought him to Egypt.(B)

Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God.(C) Now King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked him(D) and bound him in bronze(E) shackles to take him to Babylon.(F) Also Nebuchadnezzar took some of the articles of the Lord’s temple to Babylon and put them in his temple in Babylon.(G)

The rest of the deeds of Jehoiakim,(H) the detestable actions he committed, and what was found against him, are written in the Book of Israel’s Kings. His son Jehoiachin became king in his place.

Judah’s King Jehoiachin

Jehoiachin was eighteen[e] years old(I) when he became king, and he reigned for three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. 10 In the spring[f](J) Nebuchadnezzar sent for him and brought him to Babylon along with the valuable articles of the Lord’s temple. Then he made Jehoiachin’s brother Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.(K)

Judah’s King Zedekiah

11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old(L) when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. 12 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God and did not humble himself(M) before the prophet Jeremiah at the Lord’s command.(N) 13 He also rebelled against(O) King Nebuchadnezzar who had made him swear allegiance by God. He became obstinate[g](P) and hardened his heart against returning to the Lord, the God of Israel. 14 All the leaders of the priests and the people multiplied their unfaithful deeds, imitating all the detestable practices of the nations, and they defiled the Lord’s temple that he had consecrated in Jerusalem.

The Destruction of Jerusalem

15 But the Lord, the God of their ancestors sent word against them by the hand of his messengers, sending them time and time again,(Q) for he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 But they kept ridiculing God’s messengers,(R) despising his words,(S) and scoffing at his prophets, until the Lord’s wrath was so stirred up against his people that there was no remedy.(T) 17 So he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans,(U) who killed their fit young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary. He had no pity on young men or young women, elderly or aged; he handed them all over to him. 18 He took everything to Babylon – all the articles of God’s temple, large and small, the treasures of the Lord’s temple, and the treasures of the king and his officials. 19 Then the Chaldeans burned God’s temple.(V) They tore down Jerusalem’s wall, burned all its palaces, and destroyed all its valuable articles.

20 He deported those who escaped from the sword to Babylon, and they became servants to him and his sons until the rise of the Persian[h] kingdom.(W) 21 This fulfilled the word of the Lord through Jeremiah,(X) and the land enjoyed its Sabbath rest all the days of the desolation(Y) until seventy years were fulfilled.

The Decree of Cyrus

22 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia,(Z) in order to fulfil the word of the Lord spoken through[i] Jeremiah,(AA) the Lord roused the spirit of King Cyrus(AB) of Persia to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and also to put it in writing:

23 This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: The Lord, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build him a temple at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up, and may the Lord his God be with him.

Footnotes

  1. 36:1 Lit the people of the land
  2. 36:2 = Joahaz, also in v. 4
  3. 36:3 Lit 100 talents
  4. 36:3 Lit one talent
  5. 36:9 Some Hb mss, LXX; 2Kg 24:8; other Hb mss read eight
  6. 36:10 Lit At the return of the year
  7. 36:13 Lit He stiffened his neck
  8. 36:20 LXX reads Median
  9. 36:22 Lit Lord by the mouth of