Font Size
2 Chronicles 36
International Children’s Bible
2 Chronicles 36
International Children’s Bible
Jehoahaz King of Judah
36 The people of Judah chose Josiah’s son Jehoahaz. They made him king in Jerusalem in his father’s place.
2 Jehoahaz was 23 years old when he became king. And he was king in Jerusalem for three months. 3 Then King Neco of Egypt made Jehoahaz no longer a king in Jerusalem. Neco made the people of Judah pay about 7,500 pounds of silver and about 75 pounds of gold. 4 The king of Egypt made Jehoahaz’s brother Eliakim the king of Judah and Jerusalem. Then Neco changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Eliakim’s brother Jehoahaz to Egypt.
Jehoiakim King of Judah
5 Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he became king. And he was king in Jerusalem for 11 years. He did what the Lord his God said was wrong. 6 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Judah. He captured Jehoiakim and put bronze chains on him. Then Nebuchadnezzar took him to Babylon. 7 Nebuchadnezzar took some of the things from the Temple of the Lord. And he took them to Babylon and put them in his own palace.
8 The other things Jehoiakim did as king are written down. The hated things he did and everything he was guilty of doing are recorded. They are in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin became king in his place.
Jehoiachin King of Judah
9 Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he became king of Judah. And he was king in Jerusalem for three months and ten days. He did what the Lord said was wrong. 10 In the spring King Nebuchadnezzar sent some servants to get Jehoiachin. They took him and some valuable treasures from the Temple of the Lord to Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar made Jehoiachin’s relative Zedekiah the king of Judah and Jerusalem.
Zedekiah King of Judah
11 Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king of Judah. And he was king in Jerusalem for 11 years. 12 Zedekiah did what the Lord his God said was wrong. The prophet Jeremiah spoke messages from the Lord. But Zedekiah did not obey.
Jerusalem Is Destroyed
13 Zedekiah turned against King Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar had forced Zedekiah to promise to be loyal to him. And Zedekiah had promised, using God’s name. But Zedekiah became stubborn. He refused to obey the Lord, the God of Israel. 14 Also, all the leaders of the priests and the people of Judah became more wicked. They followed the evil example of the other nations. The Lord had made the Temple in Jerusalem holy. But the leaders made the Temple unholy.
The Fall of Jerusalem
15 The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent prophets again and again to warn his people. He did this because he had pity for them and for his Temple. 16 But they made fun of God’s prophets. They hated God’s messages. So they refused to listen to the prophets. Finally God became so angry with his people that he could not be stopped. 17 So God brought the king of Babylon to attack them. The king killed the young men even when they were in the Temple. He did not have mercy on the people. He killed both young men and women. He even killed the old men and those who were sick. God permitted Nebuchadnezzar to punish the people of Judah and Jerusalem. 18 Nebuchadnezzar carried away to Babylon all the things from the Temple of God, both large and small. He took all the treasures from the Temple of the Lord and from the king and his officers. 19 Nebuchadnezzar and his army set fire to God’s Temple. They broke down Jerusalem’s wall. And they burned all the palaces. They took or destroyed every valuable thing in Jerusalem.
20 Nebuchadnezzar took captive to Babylon the people who were left alive. And he forced them to be slaves for him and his descendants. They remained there as slaves until the Persian kingdom defeated Babylon. 21 And so what the Lord had told Israel through the prophet Jeremiah happened. The Lord had said that place would be an empty wasteland for 70 years. This happened to make up for the years of Sabbath rests[a] that the people had not kept.
22 It was the first year Cyrus was king of Persia. The Lord caused Cyrus to write an announcement and send it everywhere in his kingdom. This happened so the Lord’s message spoken by Jeremiah would come true.
23 This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:
“The Lord, the God of heaven, has given all the kingdoms of the earth to me. And he has appointed me to build a Temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Now all of you who are God’s people are free to go to Jerusalem. May the Lord your God be with you.”
Footnotes
- 36:21 Sabbath rests The Law said that every seventh year the land was not to be farmed. See Leviticus 25:1–7.
2 Chronicles 36
New King James Version
2 Chronicles 36
New King James Version
The Reign and Captivity of Jehoahaz(A)
36 Then (B)the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father’s place in Jerusalem. 2 [a]Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. 3 Now the king of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a tribute of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 4 Then the king of Egypt made [b]Jehoahaz’s brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took [c]Jehoahaz his brother and carried him off to Egypt.
The Reign and Captivity of Jehoiakim(C)
5 (D)Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did (E)evil in the sight of the Lord his God. 6 (F)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him, and bound him in [d]bronze fetters to (G)carry him off to Babylon. 7 (H)Nebuchadnezzar also carried off some of the articles from the house of the Lord to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon. 8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, the abominations which he did, and what was found against him, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. Then [e]Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.
The Reign and Captivity of Jehoiachin(I)
9 (J)Jehoiachin was [f]eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord. 10 At the turn of the year (K)King Nebuchadnezzar summoned him and took him to Babylon, (L)with the costly articles from the house of the Lord, and made (M)Zedekiah,[g] [h]Jehoiakim’s brother, king over Judah and Jerusalem.
Zedekiah Reigns in Judah(N)
11 (O)Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. 12 He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and (P)did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the Lord. 13 And he also (Q)rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear an oath by God; but he (R)stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord God of Israel. 14 Moreover all the leaders of the priests and the people transgressed more and more, according to all the abominations of the nations, and defiled the house of the Lord which He had consecrated in Jerusalem.
The Fall of Jerusalem(S)
15 (T)And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. 16 But (U)they mocked the messengers of God, (V)despised His words, and (W)scoffed at His prophets, until the (X)wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy.
17 (Y)Therefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who (Z)killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand. 18 (AA)And all the articles from the house of God, great and small, the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his leaders, all these he took to Babylon. 19 (AB)Then they burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious possessions. 20 And (AC)those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, (AD)where they became servants to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of (AE)Jeremiah, until the land (AF)had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay desolate (AG)she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.
The Proclamation of Cyrus(AH)
22 (AI)Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of (AJ)Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of (AK)Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,
23 (AL)Thus says Cyrus king of Persia:
All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a [i]house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up!
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 36:2 MT Joahaz
- 2 Chronicles 36:4 Lit. his
- 2 Chronicles 36:4 MT Joahaz
- 2 Chronicles 36:6 chains
- 2 Chronicles 36:8 Or Jeconiah
- 2 Chronicles 36:9 Heb. mss., LXX, Syr. eighteen and 2 Kin. 24:8
- 2 Chronicles 36:10 Or Mattaniah
- 2 Chronicles 36:10 Lit. his brother, 2 Kin. 24:17
- 2 Chronicles 36:23 Temple
2 Chronicles 36
New International Version
2 Chronicles 36
New International Version
36 1 And the people(A) of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father.
Jehoahaz King of Judah(B)
2 Jehoahaz[a] was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. 3 The king of Egypt dethroned him in Jerusalem and imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents[b] of silver and a talent[c] of gold. 4 The king of Egypt made Eliakim, a brother of Jehoahaz, king over Judah and Jerusalem and changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Necho(C) took Eliakim’s brother Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt.(D)
Jehoiakim King of Judah(E)
5 Jehoiakim(F) was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God. 6 Nebuchadnezzar(G) king of Babylon attacked him and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.(H) 7 Nebuchadnezzar also took to Babylon articles from the temple of the Lord and put them in his temple[d] there.(I)
8 The other events of Jehoiakim’s reign, the detestable things he did and all that was found against him, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son succeeded him as king.
Jehoiachin King of Judah(J)
9 Jehoiachin(K) was eighteen[e] years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. 10 In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar sent for him and brought him to Babylon,(L) together with articles of value from the temple of the Lord, and he made Jehoiachin’s uncle,[f] Zedekiah, king over Judah and Jerusalem.
Zedekiah King of Judah(M)
11 Zedekiah(N) was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. 12 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord(O) his God and did not humble(P) himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the Lord. 13 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him take an oath(Q) in God’s name. He became stiff-necked(R) and hardened his heart and would not turn to the Lord, the God of Israel. 14 Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful,(S) following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the Lord, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.
The Fall of Jerusalem(T)(U)
15 The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers(V) again and again,(W) because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed(X) at his prophets until the wrath(Y) of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.(Z) 17 He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians,[g](AA) who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and did not spare young men(AB) or young women, the elderly or the infirm.(AC) God gave them all into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar.(AD) 18 He carried to Babylon all the articles(AE) from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the Lord’s temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. 19 They set fire(AF) to God’s temple(AG) and broke down the wall(AH) of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed(AI) everything of value there.(AJ)
20 He carried into exile(AK) to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants(AL) to him and his successors until the kingdom of Persia came to power. 21 The land enjoyed its sabbath rests;(AM) all the time of its desolation it rested,(AN) until the seventy years(AO) were completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah.
22 In the first year of Cyrus(AP) king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:
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(AQ) me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up, and may the Lord their God be with them.’”
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 36:2 Hebrew Joahaz, a variant of Jehoahaz; also in verse 4
- 2 Chronicles 36:3 That is, about 3 3/4 tons or about 3.4 metric tons
- 2 Chronicles 36:3 That is, about 75 pounds or about 34 kilograms
- 2 Chronicles 36:7 Or palace
- 2 Chronicles 36:9 One Hebrew manuscript, some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac (see also 2 Kings 24:8); most Hebrew manuscripts eight
- 2 Chronicles 36:10 Hebrew brother, that is, relative (see 2 Kings 24:17)
- 2 Chronicles 36:17 Or Chaldeans
2 Chronicles 36
English Standard Version
2 Chronicles 36
English Standard Version
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. 2 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. 3 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. 4 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.
5 (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. 6 (D)Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon (E)and bound him in chains (F)to take him to Babylon. 7 (G)Nebuchadnezzar also carried part of the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon and put them in his palace in Babylon. 8 (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.
9 (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
- 2 Chronicles 36:3 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
- 2 Chronicles 36:9 Septuagint (compare 2 Kings 24:8); most Hebrew manuscripts eight
International Children’s Bible (ICB) 
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.