King Joahaz of Judah
(2 Kings 23.30-35)1 The people of Judah chose Josiah's son Joahaz and anointed him king in Jerusalem. 2 Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for three months. 3 King Neco of Egypt took him prisoner and made Judah pay 7,500 pounds of silver and 75 pounds of gold as tribute. 4 Neco made Joahaz' brother Eliakim king of Judah and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Joahaz was taken to Egypt by Neco.
King Jehoiakim of Judah
(2 Kings 23.36—24.7)5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. He sinned against the Lord his God. 6 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia invaded Judah, captured Jehoiakim, and took him to Babylonia in chains. 7 Nebuchadnezzar carried off some of the treasures of the Temple and put them in his palace in Babylon. 8 Everything that Jehoiakim did, including his disgusting practices and the evil he committed, is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel and Judah. His son Jehoiachin succeeded him as king.
King Jehoiachin of Judah
(2 Kings 24.8-17)9 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for three months and ten days. He too sinned against the Lord. 10 When spring came, King Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin to Babylonia as a prisoner and carried off the treasures of the Temple. Then Nebuchadnezzar made Jehoiachin's uncle Zedekiah king of Judah and Jerusalem.
King Zedekiah of Judah
(2 Kings 24.18-20Jeremiah 52.1-3a)11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. 12 He sinned against the Lord and did not listen humbly to the prophet Jeremiah, who spoke the word of the Lord.
The Fall of Jerusalem
(2 Kings 25.1-21Jeremiah 52.3b-11)13 Zedekiah rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had forced him to swear in God's name that he would be loyal. He stubbornly refused to repent and return to the Lord, the God of Israel. 14 In addition, the leaders of Judah, the priests, and the people followed the sinful example of the nations around them in worshiping idols, and so they defiled the Temple, which the Lord himself had made holy. 15 The Lord, the God of their ancestors, had continued to send prophets to warn his people, because he wanted to spare them and the Temple. 16 But they made fun of God's messengers, ignoring his words and laughing at his prophets, until at last the Lord's anger against his people was so great that there was no escape.
17 So the Lord brought the king of Babylonia to attack them. The king killed the young men of Judah even in the Temple. He had no mercy on anyone, young or old, man or woman, sick or healthy. God handed them all over to him. 18 The king of Babylonia looted the Temple, the Temple treasury, and the wealth of the king and his officials, and took everything back to Babylon. 19 He burned down the Temple and the city, with all its palaces and its wealth, and broke down the city wall. 20 He took all the survivors to Babylonia, where they served him and his descendants as slaves until the rise of the Persian Empire. 21 And so what the Lord had foretold through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: “The land will lie desolate for seventy years, to make up for the Sabbath rest that has not been observed.”
Cyrus Commands the Jews to Return
(Ezra 1.1-4)22 In the first year that Cyrus of Persia was emperor, the Lord made what he had said through the prophet Jeremiah come true. He prompted Cyrus to issue the following command and send it out in writing to be read aloud everywhere in his empire:
23 “This is the command of Cyrus, Emperor of Persia. The Lord, the God of Heaven, has made me ruler over the whole world and has given me the responsibility of building a temple for him in Jerusalem in Judah. Now, all of you who are God's people, go there, and may the Lord your God be with you.”
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.