Chronological
24 While Jehoiakim was king, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked the land of Judah. So Jehoiakim became Nebu-chadnezzar’s ·servant [vassal] for three years. Then he turned against Nebuchadnezzar and ·broke away from his rule [rebelled]. 2 The Lord sent raiding ·parties [bands] from Babylon, Aram, Moab, and Ammon against Jehoiakim to destroy Judah. This happened ·as the Lord had said it would [L in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken] through his servants the prophets.
3 The Lord commanded this to happen to the people of Judah, to remove them from his ·presence [sight], because of all the sins of Manasseh. 4 He had killed many innocent people and had filled Jerusalem with their blood. And the Lord would not forgive these sins.
5 The other things that happened while Jehoiakim was king and all he did ·are [L are they not…?] written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 1:18] of the kings of Judah. 6 Jehoiakim ·died [L lay down/T slept with his fathers/ancestors], and his son Jehoiachin became king in his place.
7 The king of Egypt did not ·leave [march/venture out from] his land again, because the king of Babylon had captured all that belonged to the king of Egypt, from the brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River.
Jehoiachin King of Judah(A)
8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he ·was king [reigned] three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan from Jerusalem. 9 Jehoiachin did ·what the Lord said was wrong [L evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord], just as his father had done.
10 At that time the officers of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem. When they reached the city, they ·attacked [besieged] it. 11 Nebuchadnezzar himself came to the city while his officers were ·attacking [besieging] it. 12 Jehoiachin king of Judah surrendered to the king of Babylon, along with Jehoiachin’s mother, servants, nobles, and ·officers [officials]. So Nebuchadnezzar made Jehoiachin a prisoner in the eighth year he was king of Babylon. 13 Nebuchadnezzar ·took [carried off] all the treasures from the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and from the ·palace [L king’s house]. He ·cut up [stripped away] all the gold ·objects [vessels; articles] Solomon king of Israel had made for the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. This happened as the Lord had said it would. 14 Nebuchadnezzar took ·away [into exile] all the people of Jerusalem, including all the ·leaders [commanders], all the ·wealthy people [nobles; or warriors], and all the craftsmen and ·metal workers [artisans]. There were ten thousand ·prisoners [captives] in all. Only the poorest people in the land were left. 15 Nebuchadnezzar carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, as well as the king’s mother and his wives, the ·officers [officials], and the ·leading men [elite] of the land. They were taken ·captive [into exile] from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16 The king of Babylon also ·took [exiled] all seven thousand ·soldiers [L men of valor], who were strong and ·able to fight in [fit for] war, and about a thousand craftsmen and ·metal workers [artisans]. Nebuchadnezzar ·took [exiled] them as ·prisoners [captives] to Babylon. 17 Then he made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in Jehoiachin’s place. He also changed Mattaniah’s name to Zedekiah.
Zedekiah King of Judah(B)
18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he ·was king [reigned] in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah [C not the prophet Jeremiah] from Libnah. 19 Zedekiah did ·what the Lord said was wrong [L evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord], just as Jehoiakim had done. 20 All this happened in Jerusalem and Judah because the Lord was angry with them. Finally, he ·threw [banished; cast] them out of his presence.
Zedekiah ·turned [rebelled] against the king of Babylon.
The Fall of Jerusalem(C)
25 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army during Zedekiah’s ninth year as king, on the tenth day of the tenth month [C January 15, 588 bc]. He made a camp around the city and ·piled dirt against the city walls to attack it [built siege walls all around it]. 2 The city was under ·attack [siege] until Zedekiah’s eleventh year as king. 3 By ·the ninth day of the fourth month [C July 18, 586 bc], the ·hunger [famine] was ·terrible [severe] in the city. There was no food for the people to eat. 4 Then the wall of the city was breached, and the whole army ran away at night through the gate between the two walls by the king’s garden. ·While [Though] the Babylonians were still surrounding the city, Zedekiah and his men ran away toward the ·Jordan Valley [L Arabah; C a plain near Jericho, east of Jerusalem]. 5 But the Babylonian army chased King Zedekiah and caught up with him in the plains of Jericho. All of his army ·was scattered from [deserted] him, 6 so they captured Zedekiah and took him to the king of Babylon at Riblah. There he passed sentence on Zedekiah. 7 They ·killed [slaughtered] Zedekiah’s sons as he watched. Then they ·put [gouged] out his eyes and put bronze ·chains [shackles] on him and took him to Babylon.
8 Nebuzaradan was the commander of the king’s special guards. This officer of the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem on ·the seventh day of the fifth month [C August 14, 586 bc], in Nebuchadnezzar’s nineteenth year as king of Babylon. 9 Nebuzaradan ·set fire to [burned down] the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and the ·palace [L king’s house] and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building was burned.
10 The whole Babylonian army, led by the commander of the king’s special guards, ·broke down [demolished] the walls around Jerusalem. 11 Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards, ·captured [carried into exile] the people left in Jerusalem, those who had ·surrendered [deserted] to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the people. 12 But the commander of the guard left behind some of the poorest people of the land to ·take care of [work] the vineyards and fields.
13 The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars, the bronze stands, and the large bronze ·bowl [basin] called the Sea [1 Kin. 7:23–45] in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. Then they carried the bronze to Babylon. 14 They also took the pots, shovels, ·wick trimmers [snuffers], dishes, and all the bronze objects used to serve in the ·Temple [L house]. 15 The commander of the king’s special guards took away the ·pans for carrying hot coals [censers], the ·bowls [basins], and everything made of ·pure [fine] gold or silver. 16 There were two pillars and the large bronze Sea and the ·movable stands [water carts] which Solomon had made for the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. There was so much bronze that it could not be weighed. 17 Each pillar was ·about twenty-seven feet [L eighteen cubits; 1 Kin. 7:15–20] high. The bronze capital on top of the pillar was ·about four and one-half feet [L three cubits] high. It was decorated with a ·net design and [latticework/network of] bronze pomegranates all around it. The other pillar also had a ·net design [latticework; network] and was like the first pillar.
Judah Is Taken Prisoner(D)
18 The commander of the guards took some ·prisoners [captives]—Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank, and the three ·doorkeepers [gatekeepers]. 19 Of the people who were still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the ·fighting men [soldiers], as well as five advisors to the king. He took the royal secretary who ·selected [conscripted] people for the army and sixty other men who were in the city. 20 Nebuzaradan, the commander, took all these people and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 21 There at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king had them killed. So the people of Judah were ·led away from their country as captives [sent into exile from their land].
Gedaliah Becomes Governor(E)
22 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon left some people in the land of Judah. He appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, as governor.
23 The army captains and their men heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, so they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. They were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite, and their men. 24 Then Gedaliah ·promised [vowed/swore to] these army captains and their men, “Don’t be afraid of the Babylonian ·officers [officials]. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and everything will go well for you.”
25 In ·the seventh month [mid-autumn] Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama from the king’s family, came with ten men and ·killed [assassinated; murdered] Gedaliah. They also killed the men of Judah and Babylon who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah. 26 Then all the people, ·from the least important to the most important [both great/high and small/low], along with the army leaders, ran away to Egypt, because they were afraid of the Babylonians.
Jehoiachin Is Set Free(F)
27 Jehoiachin king of Judah was ·held [exiled] in Babylon for thirty-seven years. In the thirty-seventh year Evil-Merodach became king of Babylon, and he let Jehoiachin out of prison on ·the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month [C April 2]. 28 Evil-Merodach spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and gave him a seat of honor above the seats of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 So Jehoiachin put ·away [aside] his prison clothes. For ·the rest [L all the days] of his life, he ate ·at [in] the king’s ·table [presence]. 30 Every day, for as long as Jehoiachin lived, the king gave him an allowance.
Jehoahaz King of Judah(A)
36 The people of ·Judah [L the land] ·chose [L took] Josiah’s son Jehoahaz and made him king in Jerusalem in his father’s place.
2 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he ·was king [reigned] in Jerusalem for three months. 3 Then King Neco of Egypt ·removed Jehoahaz from being king [dethroned/deposed him] in Jerusalem. Neco made the people of Judah pay a ·tax [or fine] of ·about seventy-five hundred pounds [L one hundred talents] of silver and ·about seventy-five pounds [L one talent] of gold. 4 The king of Egypt made Jehoahaz’s brother Eliakim the king of Judah and Jerusalem and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took his brother Jehoahaz to Egypt [C as a prisoner].
Jehoiakim King of Judah(B)
5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he ·was king [reigned] in Jerusalem for eleven years. He did ·what the Lord said was wrong [evil in the Lord’s sight/eyes]. 6 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked ·Judah [L him], ·captured Jehoiakim [bound him], put bronze chains on him, and ·took him [carried him away] to Babylon. 7 Nebuchadnezzar removed some of the ·things [articles; vessels] from the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord, took them to Babylon, and put them in his own ·palace [or temple; L house].
8 The ·other things Jehoiakim did as king [rest of the events/acts/history of Jehoiakim], the ·hateful [detestable; abominable] things he did, and everything ·he was guilty of doing [found against him], ·are [L are they not…?] written in the ·book [scroll] of the kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin became king in his place.
Jehoiachin King of Judah(C)
9 Jehoiachin was ·eight [or eighteen; 2 Kin. 24:8] years old when he became king of Judah, and he ·was king [reigned] in Jerusalem for three months and ten days. He did ·what the Lord said was wrong [L evil in the Lord’s sight/eyes]. 10 ·In the spring [L At the turn of the year] King Nebuchadnezzar sent for Jehoiachin and brought him and some valuable ·treasures [articles; vessels] from the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord to Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar made Jehoiachin’s ·uncle [relative; L brother] Zedekiah the king of Judah and Jerusalem.
Zedekiah King of Judah(D)
11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king of Judah, and he ·was king [reigned] in Jerusalem for eleven years. 12 Zedekiah did ·what the Lord said was wrong [L evil in the Lord’s sight/eyes]. The prophet Jeremiah spoke ·messages from [L from the mouth of] the Lord, but Zedekiah did not ·obey [L humble himself]. 13 Zedekiah turned against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had forced him to ·swear [vow; take an oath] in God’s name to be loyal to him. But Zedekiah ·became stubborn [L stiffened his neck] and ·refused to obey [L hardened his heart against seeking] the Lord, the God of Israel. 14 Also, all the ·leaders [officials] of the priests and the people of Judah became more ·wicked [unfaithful], following the ·evil example [detestable/abominable practices] of the other nations. The Lord had ·made holy [consecrated; sanctified] the ·Temple [L house] in Jerusalem, but the leaders ·made it unholy [defiled/polluted it].
The Fall of Jerusalem
15 The Lord, the God of their ·ancestors [fathers], sent ·prophets [L messengers] again and again to warn his people, because he had ·pity [compassion] on them and on his ·Temple [dwelling place]. 16 But they ·made fun of [mocked] God’s ·prophets [L messengers] and hated God’s ·messages [L words]. They ·refused to listen to the [ridiculed/scoffed at his] prophets until, finally, the Lord became so angry with his people that ·he could not be stopped [there was no remedy/L healer]. 17 So God brought the king of ·Babylon [the Chaldeans] to attack them. The king ·killed [slaughtered; L killed with the sword] the young men even when they were in the ·Temple [L house of their sanctuary]. He had no ·mercy [pity; compassion] on the young men or women, the old men or those who were ·sick [infirm]. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar. 18 Nebuchadnezzar carried away to Babylon all the ·things [articles; vessels] from the ·Temple [L house] of God, both large and small, and all the treasures from the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and from the king and his ·officers [officials]. 19 Nebuchadnezzar and his army ·set fire to [burned down] God’s ·Temple [L house] and broke down Jerusalem’s wall and burned all the ·palaces [or fortifications; L houses]. They destroyed every valuable thing in Jerusalem.
20 Nebuchadnezzar took ·captive [into exile] to Babylon the people who ·were left alive [L escaped the sword], and he forced them to be ·slaves [servants] for him and his descendants. They remained there as ·slaves [servants] until the Persian kingdom ·defeated Babylon [L came/rose to power]. 21 And so ·what the Lord had told Israel through the prophet Jeremiah happened [L the word of the Lord through the mouth of Jeremiah was fulfilled; C he prophesied the fall of Jerusalem]: The country ·was an empty wasteland [lay desolate/fallow] for seventy years ·to make up for the years of Sabbath rest [Lev. 25:1–7] that the people had not kept [or enjoying its sabbath rest; C a bitter observation that the land experienced an ironic “rest” while the Israelites were in exile; Lev. 25:4, 26:33–35].
The Return from Exile(E)
22 In the first year Cyrus was king of Persia [539–38 bc], the Lord ·had Cyrus [L stirred the heart/spirit of Cyrus to] send an ·announcement to [decree/proclamation throughout] his whole kingdom. This happened ·so the Lord’s message spoken by Jeremiah would come true [to fulfill the word of the Lord in the mouth of Jeremiah]. He wrote:
23 ·This is what Cyrus king of Persia says [T Thus says Cyrus king of Persia]:
The Lord, the God of ·heaven [the heavens], has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has appointed me to build a ·Temple [L house] for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Now may the Lord your God ·be with [accompany; fill] all of you who are his people. You are free to go [C back to Jerusalem at the end of the exile; Ezra 1].
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.