2 Chronicles Chapter 36

Jehoahaz Rules Judah

¹ The people took Joahaz Ben-Josiah and made him king. ² He was 23 and ruled for 3 months in Jerusalem. ³ The king of Egypt deposed him and imposed on the land a fine of 7550 lbs ^{100 talents} of silver and 75.5 lbs ^{a talent} of gold. ⁴ The king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Joahaz to Egypt. ⁵ Jehoiakim was 25. He eHeHeruled for 11 years in Jerusalem and did evil. ⁶ Nebuchadnezzar came up against him, bound him with bronze chains, and took him to Babylon. ⁷ He took some articles from the^Y Temple to Babylon and put them in his temple. ⁸ The rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, his disgusting deeds, and the charges against him are recorded in The Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. His son Jehoiachin became king.                 2 Ch 36:1-8

Jehoiachin Rules Judah

⁹ Jehoiachin was 8 and ruled for 3 months and 10 days in Jerusalem. He did evil. ¹⁰ At the beginning of the new year, King Nebuchadnezzar sent and took him to Babylon with the valuable articles from the^Y Temple. He made his relative Zedekiah king of Judah and Jerusalem.

Zedekiah Rules Judah

¹¹ Zedekiah was 21 and ruled for 11 years in Jerusalem. ¹² He did evil and didn’t humble himself toward Jeremiah Yahveh’s prophet. ¹³ He also revolted against Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. He stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to Yahveh God of Israel. ¹⁴ In addition, the officials of the priests and the people were unfaithful and followed the detestable things of the nations. They defiled Yahveh’s Temple that he’d sanctified in Jerusalem.

¹⁵ Yahveh God of their ancestors sent word to them repeatedly by his messengers, because he had mercy on them and the place where he lived. ¹⁶ But they despised his messages and scoffed at his prophets till his wrath rose up against them without remedy.  2 Ch 36:9-16

The Fall of Jerusalem

¹⁷ So he brought up the king of the Babylonians against them. He killed their young men with the sword in their sanctuary. He didn’t show mercy to young man or virgin, old man or infirm. Yahveh delivered them all to him. ¹⁸ He took to Babylon the articles from the Temple, large and small, the treasures in the Temple, and the treasures the king and his officers had. ¹⁹ They burned God’s Temple, tore down the wall around Jerusalem, burned its fortified buildings, and destroyed its valuable articles. ²⁰ The ones that escaped the sword he took as servants to himself and his sons till the kingdom of Persia. ²¹ That fulfilled Jeremiah’s message that the land would keep sabbath for 70 years, the days of its desolation.         2 Ch 36:17-21

Cyrus Lets the Exiles Return

²² In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, in fulfillment of Yahveh’s message through Jeremiah, Yahveh stirred up Cyrus. He sent a written proclamation everywhere in his kingdom:

²³ “Cyrus, king of Persia, says, ‘Yahveh God of heaven has given me the kingdoms of the world, and has appointed me to build him a temple in Jerusalem, in Judah. Whoever there is among you from his people, Yahveh your God be with you! Go up!’”                                                                                                                2 Ch 36:22-23

Version by Virgil Warren: christir.org