Chronological
Jehoiakim Serves Nebuchadnezzar
24 During his lifetime, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Jehoiakim, who became his vassal for three years, after which he turned against Nebuchadnezzar[a] and rebelled. 2 The Lord sent raiding parties from the Chaldeans, Arameans, Moabites, and Ammonites against Jehoiakim. He sent them against Judah to destroy it, in keeping with the message from the Lord that he had spoken through his servants, the prophets. 3 It was truly by the command of the Lord against Judah that it came, in order to remove them from his sight, because of every sin that Manasseh had committed, 4 as well as for the innocent blood that he had shed. He had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord would not forgive them.[b] 5 Now the rest of Jehoiakim’s actions, and everything that he undertook, are recorded in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah, are they not? 6 Jehoiakim died, as did[c] his ancestors, and his son Jehoiachin became king in his place. 7 The king of Egypt did not leave his territory again, because the king of Babylon had taken everything that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Wadi[d] of Egypt to the Euphrates River.
Jehoiachin Becomes King
8 Jehoiachin became king at the age of eighteen years, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem. His mother was named Hausa. She was the daughter of Elzaphan of Jerusalem. 9 He practiced what the Lord considered to be evil, just as his ancestors had done. 10 At that time, the servants of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Jerusalem and the city was placed under siege. 11 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came up against the city, along with his servants, who besieged it. 12 King Jehoiachin of Judah surrendered to the king of Babylon (as did his mother, his servants, his princes, and his officers) during the eighth year of his reign.
Jerusalem’s Citizens are Sent into Exile
13 Nebuchadnezzar[e] carried off from there all of the treasures of the Lord’s Temple, along with the treasures in the king’s palace. He cut into pieces all the gold vessels in the Lord’s Temple that King Solomon of Israel had made, just as the Lord had said would happen.[f] 14 Then Nebuchadnezzar sent away into exile all of Jerusalem—all the captains, all the valiant soldiers, 10,000 captives, and all of the craftsmen and ironworkers. Nobody remained except the poorest people of the land. 15 He sent Jehoiachin into exile to Babylon, along with the king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officials, and the leading men of the land. He took them into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16 All 7,000 of the most valiant soldiers and 1,000 of the craftsmen and ironworkers—all physically fit and trained for battle—were brought by the king of Babylon into exile in Babylon.
Zedekiah is Installed as King
17 The king of Babylon installed Jehoiachin’s[g] uncle Mattaniah as king in his place and then changed his name to Zedekiah. 18 Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king. He reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother was named Hamutal. She was the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 19 Zedekiah practiced what the Lord considered to be evil, just as Jehoiakim had done, 20 because through the Lord’s anger these things happened[h] to Jerusalem and Judah until he threw them from his presence.
Nebuchadnezzar Captures Jerusalem
20 Zedekiah then rebelled against the king of Babylon, 25 1 so on the tenth day of the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah’s[i] reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and his entire army approached Jerusalem, attacked it, encamped against it, and built a siege wall that surrounded the city. 2 The city remained under siege until the eleventh year of the reign of[j] King Zedekiah. 3 By the ninth day of the fourth[k] month, the resulting[l] famine had become so severe in the city that no food remained for the people who lived in the land. 4 The city was breached, and the entire army left during the night through the gate that stood between the two walls beside the royal garden, even though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city. They escaped through the Arabah, 5 but the Chaldean army pursued the king and overtook him in the Jericho plains, where his entire army was scattered. 6 The Chaldeans captured the king and brought him to Riblah, where the king of Babylon determined his sentence. 7 They executed Zedekiah’s sons in his presence, blinded Zedekiah, bound him with bronze chains, and transported him to Babylon.
Jerusalem is Burned and the Temple Demolished
8 On the seventh[m] day of the fifth month, which was during the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign as king of Babylon, captain of the guard Nebuzaradan, a servant of the king of Babylon, arrived in Jerusalem 9 and set fire to the Lord’s Temple, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem. He even incinerated the lavish[n] homes. 10 The Chaldean army that accompanied the captain of the guard demolished the walls that surrounded Jerusalem. 11 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, carried the survivors of the people who remained in the city, those who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude into exile. 12 However, the captain of the guard left some of the poor people of the land to work as vinedressers and farmers.
13 The Chaldeans also broke into pieces and carried back to Babylon the bronze pillars that stood in the Lord’s Temple, along with the stands and the bronze sea[o] that used to be in the Lord’s Temple. 14 They also confiscated[p] the pots, shovels, snuffers, spoons, and the rest of the bronze vessels that were used in ministry. 15 The captain of the guard also confiscated[q] the fire pans, basins, and whatever had been crafted of pure gold and pure silver. 16 The bronze contained in the two pillars, the one sea, and the stands that Solomon had crafted for the Lord’s Temple could not be inventoried for weight. 17 The height of one of the pillars was eighteen cubits,[r] and the capital on top of it was three cubits[s] high.[t] A latticework carved in the form of pomegranates encircled the capital, crafted completely out of brass. The second pillar was identical to the first.[u]
Judah’s Leaders are Executed
18 The captain of the guard arrested Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, three temple officials,[v] 19 one overseer from the city who supervised the soldiers, five of the king’s advisors who had been discovered in the city, the scribe who served the army captain who mustered the army of the land, and 60 men of the land who were discovered in the city. 20 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took them to the king of Babylon at Riblah, 21 where the king of Babylon executed them in the land of Hamath. And so Judah was transported into exile from the land.
Gedaliah is Appointed Governor
22 Now as for the people who remained in the land of Judah whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had left behind, he appointed Ahikam’s son Gedaliah, the grandson of Shaphan, to rule. 23 When all the captains of the armies, along with their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah, these men visited Gedaliah at Mizpah: Nethaniah’s son Ishmael, Kareah’s son Johanan, Tanhumeth the Netophathite’s son Seraiah, and Jaazaniah, who was descended from the Maacathites. 24 Gedaliah made this promise to them and to their men: “Don’t be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and things will go well with you.” 25 Nevertheless, seven months later, Nethaniah’s son Ishmael, the grandson of Elishama from the royal family, came with ten men and attacked Gedaliah. As a result, he died along with the Jews and Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. 26 Then all the people, including those who were insignificant and those who were important, fled with the captains of the armed forces to Egypt, because they were afraid of the Chaldeans.
Jehoiachin Leaves Prison
27 Later on, after King Jehoiachin of Judah had been in exile for 37 years, on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month, during the first year of his reign, King Evil-merodach of Babylon released King Jehoiachin of Judah from prison. 28 He spoke kindly to him and elevated his position[w] above the thrones of the kings with him in Babylon. 29 Jehoiachin changed out of his prison clothes and had regular meals in the king’s presence every day for the rest of his life, 30 and a regular stipend was provided to him by the king in accordance with his needs for as long as he lived.
Jehoahaz Becomes King(A)
36 After this, the people of the land installed Josiah’s son Jehoahaz in Jerusalem as king to take his father’s place. 2 Jehoahaz was 23 years old when he became king, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem, 3 after which the king of Egypt dethroned him and imposed a fine on the land of 100 talents[a] of silver and one talent[b] of gold. 4 King Neco of Egypt installed Jehoahaz’s[c] brother Eliakim as king over Judah and Jerusalem, changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim, and took his brother Joahaz back to Egypt.
Jehoiakim’s Reign; Nebuchadnezzar’s First Capture of Jerusalem
5 Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem, but he practiced what the Lord his God considered to be evil. 6 As a result, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked him, bound him in bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon. 7 Nebuchadnezzar also took articles from the Lord’s Temple to Babylon and placed them in his temple in Babylon. 8 The rest of Jehoiakim’s accomplishments—along with the detestable things that he did that were recorded in his disfavor—are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. His son Jehoiachin became king to replace him.
Jechoiachin’s Reign; Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Capture of Jerusalem
9 Jehoiachin was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned for three months and ten days in Jerusalem, all the while doing what the Lord considered to be evil. 10 At the beginning of the next year, King Nebuchadnezzar sent for him and brought him to Babylon, along with valuable articles from the Lord’s Temple, and he installed Jehoiachin’s relative Zedekiah as king over Judah and Jerusalem.
Zedekiah Rules in Judah(B)
11 Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. 12 He practiced what the Lord his God considered to be evil and never humbled himself before Jeremiah the prophet who spoke for the Lord. 13 Zedekiah rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear allegiance in the name of[d] God. Instead, he stiffened his resolve,[e] and hardened his heart, and would not return to the Lord God of Israel.
Nebuchadnezzar’s Third Capture of Jerusalem(C)
14 Meanwhile, all the officials who supervised the priests and the people remained unfaithful, following the detestable example of the surrounding nations. They polluted the Lord’s Temple that he had consecrated in Jerusalem. 15 The Lord God of their ancestors pleaded with them time and again through his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on the place of his residence, 16 but they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until there was no remedy for the wrath of the Lord that arose to punish[f] his people. 17 Therefore he brought up the king of the Chaldeans against them, who executed their young men in the holy Temple, showing no compassion on young man or young virgin, adult men or the aged. God gave them all into the king’s control, 18 who took back to Babylon every article in God’s Temple, whether large or small, including the treasuries of the Lord’s Temple, the king’s assets, and those of his officers. 19 After this, they set fire to God’s Temple, demolished the wall around Jerusalem, burned all of its fortified buildings, and destroyed everything of value. 20 Nebuchadnezzar[g] carried off to Babylon those who survived the executions, and they served him and his descendants until the kingdom of Persia came to power. 21 All of this fulfilled what the Lord had predicted through Jeremiah. And so the land enjoyed its Sabbaths, and the length of the land’s desolation lasted until a 70-year long Sabbath had been completed.
An Edict to Rebuild the Temple(D)
22 During the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, in fulfillment of the message from the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord prompted[h] Cyrus, king of Persia, to make this proclamation throughout his entire kingdom, which was also released in written form:
23 An Official Statement
from[i] Cyrus, King of Persia
All of the kingdoms of the earth have been given to me by the Lord God of Heaven, and he specifically charged me to build a temple[j] for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Therefore, who among the Lord’s[k] people trusts in his God? Whoever among this group wishes to do so may travel to Jerusalem.[l]
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