2 Kings 24

24 ¹ During Jehoiakim's reign, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded the land, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. But then he turned and rebelled against him. ² Then our Father sent against him raiding bands of Chaldeans, Arameans, Moabites, and Ammonites. He sent them against Judah to destroy it, in keeping with the word our Father had spoken through his servants the prophets. ³ Surely this came upon Judah at the command of our Father, to remove them from his presence because of the sins of Manasseh, for all that he had done, ⁴ and also for the innocent blood he had shed, for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood that our Father would not forgive. ⁵ As for the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

Jehoiachin Reigns in Judah

⁶ So Jehoiakim rested with his ancestors, and Jehoiachin his son became king in his place.

⁷ The king of Egypt did not march out from his land again, for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to him, from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River.

⁸ Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan, from Jerusalem. ⁹ He did what was evil in the eyes of our Father, just as his father had done.

Jerusalem Carried into Exile

¹⁰ At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege. ¹¹ Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon himself came against the city while his servants were besieging it. ¹² Then Jehoiachin king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon — he, his mother, his servants, his officials, and his court attendants — and the king of Babylon took him captive in the eighth year of his reign.

¹³ He carried off from there all the treasures of the house of our Father and the treasures of the royal palace, and he cut to pieces all the gold vessels that Solomon king of Israel had made for the temple, just as our Father had foretold. ¹⁴ He carried all Jerusalem into exile: all the officials and all the mighty warriors, ten thousand captives, along with all the craftsmen and metalworkers. Only the poorest people of the land were left.

¹⁵ He carried Jehoiachin away to Babylon, along with the king's mother, the king's wives, his court officials, and the leading men of the land; he led them into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. ¹⁶ The king of Babylon also brought as captives to Babylon all seven thousand fighting men and the thousand craftsmen and metalworkers, all of them strong and fit for war. ¹⁷ Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's uncle, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

Zedekiah Reigns in Judah

¹⁸ Zedekiah 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. ¹⁹ He did what was evil in the eyes of our Father, just as Jehoiakim had done. ²⁰ Indeed, because of the anger of our Father, all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, until he cast them out from his presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.