UST 2 KI Chapter 24

◄ 2 KI 24 ► ║ ═ ©

24 While Jehoiakim was ruling Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon led his army to invade Judah. They defeated the Judean army, and as a result, Jehoiakim became his subject king. But after three years, Jehoiakim rebelled and depended on Egypt again. 2 Then Yahweh allowed Chaldean that is, Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders to come into the land of Judah and steal the people’s crops and valuable possessions. Yahweh had said through his prophets that he would punish the Judeans, and that is just what happened. 3 These things happened to the people of Judah because Yahweh had decreed that they would. He had decided to allow an enemy to take the people of Judah away to a foreign country because of the many sins that King Manasseh had committed. 4 Manasseh had also had his soldiers kill very many innocent people throughout the city of Jerusalem. Yahweh would not forgive that. 5 The book in which the kings of Judah recorded what happened during their reigns describes further things that Jehoiakim did. 6 When Jehoiakim died, his son Jehoiachin became the next king. 7 The king of Babylon led his soldiers to conquer the whole area that the Egyptians had formerly controlled, from the brook at the boundary of Egypt to the Euphrates River. After that, the king of Egypt did not lead his soldiers anywhere outside of his country.

8 Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he became the king of Judah. He ruled in Jerusalem for only three months. His mother was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan. She was from the city of Jerusalem. 9 Jehoiachin did many things that Yahweh had told the Israelites were evil, just as his father had done.

10 While Jehoiachin was the king, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon ordered his commanders to lead their soldiers to attack Jerusalem. They surrounded the city and tried to conquer it. 11 While they were still doing that, Nebuchadnezzar himself came to the city with even more of his soldiers. 12 Then King Jehoiachin and his mother, advisors, military officers, and palace officials all surrendered to King Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar had been king for eight years when he captured Jehoiachin. 13 Just as Yahweh had said would happen, Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers seized everything that was in the storerooms of Yahweh’s temple and the king’s palace. They also stripped off all the gold with which King Solomon’s workers had overlaid surfaces and furniture in the temple. 14 They forced 10,000 people to leave Jerusalem and go to Babylon. These people included the military officers and the wealthy Judeans. They also included the skilled workers and the metalworkers. The Babylonians left only the poorest people in Judah. 15 They took King Jehoiachin away to Babylon. They also took the queen mother, Jehoiachin’s wives, his royal officials, and many other prominent Judeans. They made them all leave Jerusalem and go to Babylon. 16 In total, they took to Babylon 7,000 wealthy people, 1,000 skilled workers and metalworkers, and 2,000 royal and noble people. In that way, Nebuchadnezzar removed from Judah everyone who could have made a rebellion against him. 17 Then Nebuchadnezzar appointed Jehoiachin’s uncle Mattaniah to be the king of Judah instead of him. He changed Mattaniah’s name to Zedekiah.

18 Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah. She was from the city of Libnah. 19 Zedekiah did many things that Yahweh had told the Israelites were evil, just as his older brother Jehoiakim had done. 20 Yahweh made these things happen to the people who lived in Jerusalem and other parts of Judah because he was very angry with them. He finally allowed the Babylonians to force them to leave their country. That happened when Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

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UST 2 KI Chapter 24

UST 2 KI Chapter 24