Jehoahaz's reign
1And the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father.
2Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months.
Jehoiakim's reign
5Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God.
6Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked him and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.
7Nebuchadnezzar also took to Babylon articles from the temple of the Lord and put them in his temple there.
Jehoiachin's reign
9Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
Fall of Jerusalem
11Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years.
12He did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the Lord.
13He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him take an oath in God`s name. He became stiff-necked and hardened his heart and would not turn to the Lord, the God of Israel.
14Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful, following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the Lord, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.
15The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place.
16But they mocked God`s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.
17He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and did not spare young men or young women, the elderly or the infirm. God gave them all into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar.
18He carried to Babylon all the articles from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the Lord`s temple and the treasures of the king and his officials.
19They set fire to God`s temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there.
20He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his successors until the kingdom of Persia came to power.
21The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah.
