1 During Jehoiakim's reign Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. Then he turned against him and rebelled.
2 The LORD sent Chaldean, Syrian, Moabite and Ammonite raiding bands against him. He sent them against Judah to destroy it, as the LORD had said through his servants the prophets.
3 It was certainly by the LORD's command that this happened to Judah, to remove them from his presence for the sins of Manasseh and all he had done,
4 and also for the innocent blood he had shed. He had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the LORD would not forgive.
5 As for the rest of the deeds of Jehoiakim and all he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
6 Jehoiakim lay down with his fathers, and his son Jehoiachin became king in his place.
7 The king of Egypt did not march out of his own country again, because the king of Babylon had taken everything that had belonged to the king of Egypt, from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River.
8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
9 He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father had done.
10 At that time the officers of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.
11 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon himself came to the city while his officers were besieging it.
12 Jehoiachin king of Judah surrendered to the king of Babylon, together with his mother, his servants, his officers and his officials. In the eighth year of his reign the king of Babylon took him prisoner.
13 As the LORD had declared, he removed from there all the treasures of the LORD's house and of the palace, and he cut up all the gold articles Solomon king of Israel had made for the LORD's temple.
14 He deported all Jerusalem: all the officers and all the fighting men, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths. Only the poorest people of the land were left.
15 He deported Jehoiachin to Babylon. He also took into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon the king's mother, his wives, his officials and the leading men of the land.
16 The king of Babylon also deported to Babylon all seven thousand fighting men and a thousand craftsmen and smiths, all of them strong men fit for war.
17 The king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.
18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
19 He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done.
20 It was because of the LORD's anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, until in the end he thrust them out of his presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.