1 The people of the land took Josiah's son Jehoahaz and made him king in Jerusalem after his father.
2 Jehoahaz was twenty-three when he became king, and he ruled three months in Jerusalem.
3 The king of Egypt removed him from the throne in Jerusalem and laid on the land a levy of a hundred talents of silver and one talent of gold.
4 The king of Egypt made Jehoahaz's brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Neco took his brother Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt.
5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five when he became king, and he ruled eleven years in Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight of the LORD his God.
6 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against him and put him in bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.
7 Nebuchadnezzar also took some of the vessels of the house of the LORD to Babylon and placed them in his temple there.
8 The rest of Jehoiakim's deeds, the abominations he committed, and what was found against him, are recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And his son Jehoiachin became king after him.
9 Jehoiachin was eight when he became king, and he ruled three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did evil in the LORD's sight.
10 At the turn of the year King Nebuchadnezzar sent for him and had him brought to Babylon, together with the valuable vessels of the house of the LORD, and he made his brother Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.
11 Zedekiah was twenty-one when he became king, and he ruled eleven years in Jerusalem.
12 He did evil in the sight of the LORD his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the LORD's word.
13 He 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 God of Israel.
14 All the leaders of the priests and the people, too, became more and more unfaithful, following all the abominable practices of the nations, and they defiled the house of the LORD that he had made holy in Jerusalem.
15 The LORD God of their fathers sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling.
16 But they ridiculed God's messengers, scorned his words, and mocked his prophets, until the LORD's wrath rose up against his people and there was no healing.
17 So he brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who put their young men to the sword in their sanctuary and spared no one, young man or young woman, old or gray-haired. God handed them all over to him.
18 He carried off to Babylon all the vessels of God's house, large and small, the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and his officials.
19 They set fire to God's house, tore down Jerusalem's wall, burned all its palaces, and destroyed everything of value in it.
20 He took into exile in Babylon the survivors of the sword, and they became slaves to him and his sons until the Persian kingdom came to power.
21 This fulfilled the LORD's word spoken through Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the time it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, until seventy years were complete.
22 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the LORD's word spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and to put it in writing as well:
23 "This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: 'The LORD God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has appointed me to build him a house in Jerusalem, in Judah. Whoever among you belongs to his people, may the LORD his God be with him; let him go up.'"