2 Chronicles 36:1-23
36 Then the people of the land took Je·hoʹa·haz+ the son of Jo·siʹah and made him king in the place of his father in Jerusalem.+
2 Twenty-three years old was Je·hoʹa·haz* when he began to reign, and for three months he reigned in Jerusalem.+
3 However, the king of Egypt removed him in Jerusalem+ and fined the land a hundred silver+ talents* and a gold talent.
4 Furthermore, the king+ of Egypt made E·liʹa·kim+ his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem and changed his name to Je·hoiʹa·kim; but his brother Je·hoʹa·haz, Neʹcho+ took and brought to Egypt.+
5 Twenty-five years old was Je·hoiʹa·kim+ when he began to reign, and for eleven years he reigned in Jerusalem;+ and he continued to do what was bad in the eyes of Jehovah his God.+
6 Against him Neb·u·chad·nezʹzar+ the king of Babylon came up+ that he might bind him with two fetters of copper to carry him off to Babylon.+
7 And some of the utensils+ of the house of Jehovah Neb·u·chad·nezʹzar+ brought to Babylon and then put them in his palace* in Babylon.+
8 As for the rest of the affairs+ of Je·hoiʹa·kim and his detestable+ things that he did and what was to be found against* him, there they are written in the Book+ of the Kings of Israel and Judah; and Je·hoiʹa·chin+ his son began to reign in place of him.
9 Eighteen* years old was Je·hoiʹa·chin+ when he began to reign, and for three months+ and ten days he reigned in Jerusalem; and he continued to do what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes.+
10 And at the return+ of the year King Neb·u·chad·nezʹzar sent+ and proceeded to bring him to Babylon+ with desirable articles of the house of Jehovah.+ Further, he made Zed·e·kiʹah+ his [father’s] brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.+
11 Twenty-one years old was Zed·e·kiʹah+ when he began to reign, and for eleven years he reigned in Jerusalem.+
12 And he continued to do what was bad+ in the eyes of Jehovah his God. He did not humble+ himself on account of Jeremiah+ the prophet+ at the order of Jehovah.
13 And even against King Neb·u·chad·nezʹzar he rebelled,+ who had made him swear by God;+ and he kept stiffening+ his neck and hardening+ his heart so as not to return to Jehovah the God of Israel.
14 Even all the chiefs of the priests+ and the people themselves committed unfaithfulness on a large scale, according to all the detestable+ things of the nations, so that they defiled the house of Jehovah which he had sanctified in Jerusalem.+
15 And Jehovah the God of their forefathers kept sending against them by means of his messengers,+ sending again and again,* because he felt compassion for his people+ and for his dwelling.+
16 But they were continually making jest+ at the messengers of the [true] God and despising his words+ and mocking+ at his prophets, until the rage+ of Jehovah came up against his people, until there was no healing.+
17 So he brought up against them the king of the Chal·deʹans,+ who proceeded to kill their young men with the sword+ in the house of their sanctuary,+ neither did he feel compassion for young man or virgin, old or decrepit.+ Everything He gave into his hand.
18 And all the utensils,+ great+ and small, of the house of the [true] God and the treasures+ of the house of Jehovah and the treasures of the king+ and of his princes, everything he brought to Babylon.
19 And he proceeded to burn the house of the [true] God+ and pull down the wall+ of Jerusalem; and all its dwelling towers they burned with fire and also all its desirable articles,+ so as to cause ruin.+
20 Furthermore, he carried off those remaining from the sword captive to Babylon,+ and they came to be servants to him+ and his sons until the royalty of Persia+ began to reign;
21 to fulfill Jehovah’s word by the mouth of Jeremiah,+ until the land had paid off its sabbaths.+ All the days of lying desolated it kept sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.+
22 And in the first year of Cyrus*+ the king of Persia,+ that Jehovah’s word+ by the mouth of Jeremiah+ might be accomplished, Jehovah roused the spirit+ of Cyrus+ the king of Persia, so that he caused a cry to pass through all his kingdom, and also in writing,+ saying:
23 “This is what Cyrus the king of Persia+ has said, ‘All the kingdoms of the earth Jehovah the God of the heavens* has given me,+ and he himself has commissioned me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.+ Whoever there is among YOU of all his people,+ Jehovah his God be with him.+ So let him go up.’”+
Footnotes
^ See App 8A.
^ “In his palace.” Heb., beheh·kha·lohʹ; LXXVg, “in his temple.”
^ Or, “upon.”
^ Lit., “rising up early and sending.” In Heb. these are verbs in the infinitive absolute, indefinite as to time and impersonal.
^ “Of Cyrus.” Heb., leKhohʹresh; Gr., Kyʹrou; Syr., leKu·resh; Lat., Cyʹri.
