2 Kings 23:26-37

New King James Version

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, ^(A)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 ^(B)I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, ^(C)‘My name shall be there.’ ”

Josiah Dies in Battle^(D)

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 (E)In his days Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went ^[a]to the aid of the king of Assyria, to the River Euphrates; and King Josiah went against him. And Pharaoh Necho killed him at ^(F)Megiddo when he ^(G)confronted him. ^30 (H)Then his servants moved his body in a chariot from Megiddo, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. And ^(I)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^(J)

^31 (K)Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was ^(L)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 ^(M)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 ^(N)Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, and ^(O)changed his name to ^(P)Jehoiakim. And Pharaoh took Jehoahaz ^(Q)and went to Egypt, and ^[b]he died there.

Jehoiakim Reigns in Judah^(R)

³⁵ So Jehoiakim gave ^(S)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 (T)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.