2 Chronicles 36

36 ¹ The people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in his father's place in Jerusalem. ² Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. ³ Then the king of Egypt removed him from the throne in Jerusalem and imposed a fine of about seven thousand five hundred pounds of silver and seventy-five pounds of gold on the land. ⁴ The king of Egypt made his brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem and changed his name to Jehoiakim; but Neco took his brother Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt.

Jehoiakim Does Evil Before the Father

⁵ Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the eyes of our Father. ⁶ Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched up against him and bound him in bronze chains to take him to Babylon. ⁷ Nebuchadnezzar also carried some of the articles from the house of our Father to Babylon and put them in his temple in Babylon. ⁸ The rest of the deeds of Jehoiakim, the detestable things he did, and what was charged against him—they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And his son Jehoiachin reigned in his place.

Jehoiachin's Brief and Evil Reign

⁹ Jehoiachin was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the eyes of our Father. ¹⁰ In the spring of the year King Nebuchadnezzar had him brought to Babylon, along with the precious articles from the house of our Father, and he made Zedekiah, Jehoiachin's relative, king over Judah and Jerusalem.

Zedekiah Hardens His Heart Against the Father

¹¹ Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. ¹² He did what was evil in the eyes of our Father, and he did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of our Father. ¹³ He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by our Father. He was stubborn and hardened his heart, refusing to turn back to our Father, the God of Israel. ¹⁴ Moreover, all the leaders of the priests and the people grew more and more unfaithful, following all the detestable practices of the nations, and they defiled the house of our Father, which he had made holy in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem Falls by the Father's Judgment

¹⁵ Our Father, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again through his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on the place where he dwelt. ¹⁶ But they kept mocking the messengers of our Father, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of our Father rose against his people, and there was no remedy. ^a a v16 Our Father's anger here is the grief of rejected love, not a quick temper—judgment fell only after he sent messenger after messenger, sparing his people as long as there was any hope they would turn home.

¹⁷ So he brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who struck down their young men with the sword in their own sanctuary and spared neither young man nor young woman, neither old man nor the elderly. Our Father handed them all over to him. ¹⁸ All the articles from the house of our Father, great and small, the treasures of the house of our Father, and the treasures of the king and his officials—all of these he brought to Babylon. ¹⁹ They burned the house of our Father and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all its palaces and destroyed every precious thing in it. ²⁰ Those who survived the sword he carried into exile to Babylon, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power, ²¹ to fulfill the word of our Father spoken through Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbath rest. Through all the days of its desolation it kept its sabbath rest, until the seventy years were fulfilled. ^b b v21 The law required the land to rest every seventh year, but Israel had long neglected this; the years of exile made up the full count.

The Father Stirs the Heart of Cyrus

²² Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of our Father spoken through Jeremiah, our Father stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and to put it in writing: ²³ This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: "The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has appointed me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever among you is one of his people, may the LORD his God be with him—let him go up."