2 Kings 24

Revised Geneva Translation

24 In his days, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came up. And Jehoiakim became his servant for three years. Afterward, he turned and rebelled against him.

² And the LORD sent bands of the Chaldeans against him, and bands of the Aramites, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the Ammonites. And he sent them against Judah, to destroy it, according to the Word of the LORD, which He spoke by His servants, the Prophets.

³ Surely by the Commandment of the LORD this came upon Judah, so that He might put them out of His sight for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did,

⁴ and for the innocent blood that he shed (for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood). Therefore, the LORD would not pardon it.

⁵ Concerning the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

⁶ So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers. And Jehoiachin, his son, reigned in his place.

⁷ And the king of Egypt no longer came out of his land. For the king of Babylon had captured all that pertained to the king of Egypt, from the river of Egypt to the river Perath.

⁸ Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign and reigned in Jerusalem for three months. Also, his mother’s name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.

⁹ And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.

¹⁰ In that time, the servants of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came up against Jerusalem. So the city was besieged.

¹¹ And Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came against the city. And his servants besieged it.

¹² Then Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, came out against the king of Babylon, he and his mother and his servants and his princes and his eunuchs. And the king of Babylon took him, in the eighth year of his reign.

¹³ And he carried away all the treasures of the House of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and broke all the vessels of gold which Solomon, king of Israel, had made in the Temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said.

¹⁴ And he carried away all of Jerusalem and all the princes and all the strong men of war (ten thousand into captivity) and all the workmen and cunning men. So no one remained except the poor people of the land.

¹⁵ And he carried Jehoiachin away into Babylon, and the king’s mother, and the king’s wives, and his eunuchs. And he carried away the mighty of the land into captivity—from Jerusalem to Babylon—

¹⁶ and all the men of war (seven thousand) and carpenters and locksmiths (a thousand). All who were strong and apt for war the king of Babylon brought to Babylon as captives.

¹⁷ And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, his uncle, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

¹⁸ Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign. And he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. Also, his mother’s name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

¹⁹ And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

²⁰ Therefore, the wrath of the LORD was certainly against Jerusalem and Judah, until He cast them out of His sight. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.