2 Kings 24

1In his days Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, advanced, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years before turning back and rebelling against him.

2Yahweh sent bands of Chaldeans, bands of Arameans, bands of Moabites, and bands of the Ammonites against him, and dispatched them against Judah to destroy it, fulfilling the word of Yahweh that he spoke through his servants the prophets.

3Indeed, at Yahweh's command this befell Judah, to banish them from his presence because of Manasseh's sins, according to everything he did.

4And also the innocent blood that he shed—for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood—which Yahweh would not pardon.

5The rest of Jehoiakim's deeds and all that he did—are they not recorded in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?

6Jehoiakim lay down with his fathers, and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.

7The king of Egypt did not venture from his land again, because the king of Babylon had seized from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River everything belonging to the king of Egypt.

8Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king; he reigned three months in Jerusalem, and his mother's name was Nehushta, daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.

9He did evil in the sight of Yahweh, in every way that his father had done.

10At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, advanced on Jerusalem, and the city came under siege.

11Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came against the city while his servants besieged it.

12Jehoiachin king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon—he, his mother, his servants, his princes, and his eunuchs—and the king of Babylon captured him in the eighth year of his reign.

13He removed from there all the treasures of Yahweh's house and the treasures of the king's house, and cut apart all the gold vessels that Solomon, king of Israel, had made in Yahweh's temple, just as Yahweh had declared.

14He exiled all Jerusalem, all the officers, and all the army's warriors—ten thousand captives—along with all the craftsmen and smiths; none remained except the land's poorest people.

15He exiled Jehoiachin to Babylon along with the king's mother, the king's wives, his eunuchs, and the powerful men of the land, leading them into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.

16The king of Babylon brought all the soldiers—seven thousand—and the craftsmen and smiths, one thousand, all mighty men of war, into exile to Babylon.

17The king of Babylon made Mattaniah his uncle king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.

18Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal, daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah.

19He did evil in the sight of Yahweh, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

20For because of Yahweh's anger, it occurred in Jerusalem and Judah until he thrust them from his presence. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.