2 Chronicles

36 And the populace took Josiah’s son Jehoahaz and installed him as his father’s successor at Jerusalem. 2 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old at his accession to the throne, and reigned three months at Jerusalem. 3 And the king of Egypt removed him at Jerusalem, and gave the country a fine of a hundred hundredweight of silver and a hundredweight of gold; 4 and the king of Egypt installed his brother Eljakim as king over Judah and Jerusalem, and renamed him Jehojakim. And Neco took his brother Jehoahaz and brought him to Egypt.

5 Jehojakim was twenty-five years old at his accession to the throne, and reigned eleven years at Jerusalem; and he did what displeased his God Jehovah. 6 Against him King Nebucadnessar of Babylon came up, and put him in fetters to take him to Babylon; 7 and Nebucadnessar brought some of the vessels of Jehovah’s house to Babylon and put them in his palace in Babylon. 8 And as to the rest of the history of Jehojakim and his detestable deeds that he committed, and what is to be found about him, it is recorded in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. And his son Jehojakin succeeded him.

9* Jehojakin was eight years old at his accession to the throne, and reigned three months and ten days at Jerusalem; and he did what displeased Jehovah. 10 And at the return of the year King Nebucadnessar sent and brought him to Babylon, with the choice vessels of Jehovah’s house, and installed his brother Sidkijah as king over Judah and Jerusalem.

11 Sidkijah was twenty-one years old at his accession to the throne, and reigned eleven years at Jerusalem; 12* and he did what displeased his God Jehovah; he did not humble himself before the prophet Jeremiah, who prophesied from Jehovah’s mouth. 13 And he also rebelled against King Nebucadnessar, who had had him swear by God; and he was too hard-necked and obdurate-hearted to turn back to Israel’s God Jehovah. 14* Also all the generals of Judah and the priests and the people were in many ways unfaithful, doing like all the detestable doings of the nations, and defiled Jehovah’s house which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. 15 And their fathers’ God Jehovah sent to them by his messengers, each one early, because he did not want his people and his dwelling hurt; 16 but they made jokes on God’s messengers and despised his words and put derisive indignities on his prophets till Jehovah’s ire rose unappeasably against his people, 17 and he brought the king of the Chaldeans up against them, who killed their young men with the sword in their holy house and did not spare young man or maiden, elder nor graybeard; he gave all into his hands. 18 And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of Jehovah’s house and the treasures of the king and the generals, all he brought to Babylon. 19 And he burned the house of God, and tore down the wall of Jerusalem and burned down its palaces, and let all its choice furniture be spoiled. 20 And he deported to Babylon the remnant that was left from the swords, and they became subjects to him and his sons till the rise of the Persian empire, 21 to fulfill Jehovah’s word by the mouth of Jeremiah, till the country had paid up its sabbaths: all the time of its desolation it kept sabbath, filling out seventy years.

22 And in the year one of King Cyrus of Persia, for the finishing of Jehovah’s prediction by the mouth of Jeremiah, Jehovah stirred the spirit of King Cyrus of Persia and he had proclamation made by criers throughout his empire, and also in writing, 23* “Cyrus king of Persia says: Jehovah, God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. Whoever of all his people among you will volunteer to go, be his God with him and let him go up.”