King Jehoahaz of Judah
(2 Kings 23.30-35)1 After the death of Josiah, the people of Judah crowned his son Jehoahaz their new king. 2 He was 23 years old at the time, and he ruled only 3 months from Jerusalem. 3 King Neco of Egypt captured Jehoahaz and forced Judah to pay 3.4 tons of silver and 34 kilograms of gold as taxes. 4 Then Neco appointed Jehoahaz's brother Eliakim king of Judah and changed his name to Jehoiakim. He led Jehoahaz away to Egypt as his prisoner.
King Jehoiakim of Judah
(2 Kings 23.36—24.7)5 Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he was appointed king, and he ruled 11 years from Jerusalem. Jehoiakim disobeyed the Lord his God by doing evil.
6 During Jehoiakim's rule, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia invaded Judah. He arrested Jehoiakim and put him in chains, and he sent him to the capital city of Babylon. 7 Nebuchadnezzar also carried off many of the valuable things in the Lord's temple, and he put them in his palace in Babylon.
8 Everything else Jehoiakim did while he was king, including all the disgusting and evil things, is written in The History of the Kings of Israel and Judah. His son Jehoiachin then became king.
King Jehoiachin of Judah
(2 Kings 24.8-17)9 Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled only 3 months and 10 days from Jerusalem. Jehoiachin also disobeyed the Lord by doing evil. 10 In the spring of the year, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia had Jehoiachin arrested and taken to Babylon, along with more of the valuable items in the temple. Then Nebuchadnezzar appointed Zedekiah king of Judah.
King Zedekiah of Judah
(2 Kings 24.18-20Jeremiah 52.1-3)11 Zedekiah was 21 years old when he was appointed king of Judah, and he ruled from Jerusalem for 11 years. 12 He disobeyed the Lord his God and refused to change his ways, even after a warning from Jeremiah, the Lord's prophet.
13 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia had forced Zedekiah to promise in God's name that he would be loyal. Zedekiah was stubborn and refused to turn back to the Lord God of Israel, so he rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. 14 The people of Judah and even the priests who were their leaders became more unfaithful. They followed the disgusting example of the nations around them and made the Lord's holy temple unfit for worship. 15 But the Lord God felt sorry for his people, and instead of destroying the temple, he sent prophets who warned the people over and over about their sins. 16 But the people only laughed and insulted these prophets. They ignored what the Lord God was trying to tell them, until he finally became so angry that nothing could stop him from punishing Judah and Jerusalem.
Jerusalem Is Destroyed
(2 Kings 25.1-21Jeremiah 52.3-30)17 The Lord sent King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia to attack Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar killed the young men who were in the temple, and he showed no mercy to anyone, whether man or woman, young or old. God let him kill everyone in the city. 18 Nebuchadnezzar carried off everything that was left in the temple; he robbed the treasury and the personal storerooms of the king and his officials. He took everything back to Babylon.
19 Nebuchadnezzar's troops burned down the temple and destroyed every important building in the city. Then they broke down the city wall. 20 The survivors were taken to Babylonia as prisoners, where they were slaves of the king and his sons, until Persia became a powerful nation.
21 Judah was an empty desert, and it stayed that way for 70 years, to make up for all the years it was not allowed to rest. These things happened just as Jeremiah the Lord's prophet had said.
Cyrus Lets the Jews Return Home
(Ezra 1.1-4)22 In the first year that Cyrus was king of Persia, the Lord had Cyrus send a message to all parts of his kingdom. This happened just as Jeremiah the Lord's prophet had promised. 23 The message said:
I am King Cyrus of Persia.
The Lord God of heaven has made me the ruler of every nation on earth. He has also chosen me to build a temple for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. The Lord God will watch over any of his people who want to go back to Judah.
1 Then the people of the lande tooke Iehoahaz the sonne of Iosiah, and made him king in his fathers steade in Ierusalem. 2 Iehoahaz was three and twentie yeere old when he began to reigne, and he reigned three moneths in Ierusalem. 3 And the King of Egypt tooke him away at Ierusalem, and condemned the lande in an hundreth talents of siluer, and a talent of gold. 4 And the King of Egypt made Eliakim his brother King ouer Iudah and Ierusalem, and turned his name to Iehoiakim: and Necho tooke Iehoahaz his brother, and caryed him to Egypt. 5 Iehoiakim was fiue and twentie yeere old, when he began to reigne, and he reigned eleuen yeere in Ierusalem, and did euill in the sight of the Lord his God. 6 Against him came vp Nebuchadnezzar King of Babel, and bounde him with chaines to cary him to Babel. 7 Nebuchadnezzar also caryed of the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babel, and put them in his temple at Babel. 8 Concerning the rest of the actes of Iehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was founde vpon him, behold, they are written in the booke of the Kings of Israel and Iudah, and Iehoiachin his sonne reigned in his stead. 9 Iehoiachin was eight yeere olde when he beganne to reigne, and he reigned three moneths and ten dayes in Ierusalem, and did euill in the sight of the Lord. 10 And when the yeere was out, King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babel with the precious vessels of the house of the Lord, and he made Zedekiah his brother King ouer Iudah and Ierusalem. 11 Zedekiah was one and twentie yeere olde, when he beganne to reigne, and reigned eleuen yeere in Ierusalem. 12 And he did euill in the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled not himselfe before Ieremiah the Prophet at the commandement of the Lord, 13 But he rebelled moreouer against Nebuchadnezzar, which had caused him to sweare by God: and he hardened his necke and made his heart obstinate that he might not returne to the Lord God of Israel. 14 All the chiefe of the Priestes also and of the people trespassed wonderfully, according to all the abominations of the heathen, and polluted the house of the Lord which he had sanctified in Ierusalem. 15 Therefore the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising earely and sending: for he had compassion on his people, and on his habitation. 16 But they mocked the messengers of God and despised his wordes, and misused his Prophets, vntill the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, and till there was no remedie. 17 For he brought vpon them the King of the Caldeans, who slewe their yong men with the sworde in the house of their Sanctuarie, and spared neither yong man, nor virgin, ancient, nor aged. God gaue all into his hande, 18 And all the vessels of the house of God great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the King, and of his princes: all these caryed he to Babel. 19 And they burnt the house of God, and brake downe the wall of Ierusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and all the precious vessels thereof, to destroy all. 20 And they that were left by the sworde, caryed he away to Babel, and they were seruants to him and to his sonnes, vntill the kingdome of the Persians had rule, 21 To fulfill the worde of the Lord by the mouth of Ieremiah, vntill the lande had her fill of her Sabbaths: for all the dayes that she lay desolate, she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seuentie yeeres. 22 But in the first yeere of Cyrus King of Persia (when the worde of the Lord, spoken by the mouth of Ieremiah, was finished) the Lord stirred vp the spirit of Cyrus King of Persia, and he made a proclamation through all his kingdome, and also by writing, saying, 23 Thus saith Cyrus King of Persia, All the kingdomes of the earth hath the Lord God of heauen giuen me, and hath commanded me to build him an house in Ierusalem, that is in Iudah. Who is among you of all his people, with whom the Lord his God is? let him goe vp.