2 ChroniclesChapter 36

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¹Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah. They made him king in Jerusalem in his father's place. ²Jehoahaz was 23 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for three months. ³Then the king of Egypt took his throne away from him in Jerusalem. He made Judah pay a tax of about 3 3/4 tons of silver and about 75 pounds of gold.a ⁴Neco king of Egypt made Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem. Eliakim was the brother of Jehoahaz. Neco changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Eliakim's brother Jehoahaz away to Egypt. ⁵Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. He did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD his God. ⁶Then Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to attack Jehoiakim. He tied him up with bronze chains to take him to Babylon. ⁷Nebuchadnezzar also took some of the things from the house of the LORD to Babylon. He put them in his temple there. ⁸The rest of what Jehoiakim did is written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. So are the hateful things he did and all the wrong found against him. His son Jehoiachin became king in his place. ⁹Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for three months and ten days. He did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD. ¹⁰In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar sent for Jehoiachin. He brought him to Babylon. He also took the valuable things from the house of the LORD. He made Jehoiachin's relative Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem. ¹¹Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. ¹²He did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD his God. Jeremiah the prophet spoke for the LORD. But Zedekiah would not humble himself before him. ¹³He also turned against King Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar had made him make a promise in God's name. But Zedekiah was stubborn. He hardened his heart and would not turn to the LORD, the God of Israel. ¹⁴Also, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful. They copied all the hateful things the nations did. They made the house of the LORD unclean. The LORD had set it apart as holy in Jerusalem. ¹⁵The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to his people again and again. He sent it through his messengers. He did this because he cared for his people and for the place where he lived. ¹⁶But they made fun of God's messengers. They hated his words and laughed at his prophets. At last the LORD's anger rose up against his people. Nothing could stop it. ¹⁷So he brought the king of the Chaldeans against them. He killed their young men with the sword in the holy place. He did not spare young men or young women. He did not spare the old or the weak. God handed them all over to Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁸Nebuchadnezzar carried everything off to Babylon. He took all the things from God's house, both large and small. He took the treasures of the LORD's house. He took the treasures of the king and his officials. ¹⁹Then the Chaldeans set God's house on fire. They broke down the wall of Jerusalem. They burned down all the palaces. They destroyed everything of value. ²⁰Nebuchadnezzar took the people who lived through the killing away to Babylon. They became servants to him and his sons. This lasted until the kingdom of Persia came to power. ²¹So the land got to rest on its Sabbaths. It rested all the time it lay empty, until seventy years were over. This came true just as the LORD had said through Jeremiah. ²²It was the first year of Cyrus king of Persia. The LORD wanted to make his word through Jeremiah come true. So the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia. Cyrus sent a message through his whole kingdom. He also put it in writing. It said: ²³"This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has chosen me to build a house for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of you who are his people may go up there. May the LORD your God be with you.'"