2 Kings 24

While Jehoiakim was ruling Judah, the army of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded Judah. They defeated the Judean army, and as a result, Jehoiakim was required to pay a lot of tribute/taxes to King Nebuchadnezzar. But after three years, Jehoiakim rebelled.

Then God sent raiders from Babylonia and Syria, and from the Moab and Ammon people-groups, to attack the people of Judah and get rid of them, just as God had told his prophets to warn the people would happen.

These things happened to the people of Judah according to what God commanded. He had decided to get rid of the people of Judah because of the many sins that King Manasseh had committed.

Manasseh had even caused many innocent people in Jerusalem to be killed, and God would not forgive that.

The other things that happened while Jehoiakim was king, and all the things that he did, are written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Judah’.

When Jehoiakim died, his son Jehoiachin became the king.

The army of the king of Babylon defeated the army of Egypt, and took control of all the area that the Egyptians formerly controlled, from the brook at the border of Egypt in the south to the Euphrates River in the north. So the army of the king of Egypt did not return to attack Judah again.

Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he became the king of Judah. His mother’s name was Nehushta; she was the daughter of a man from Jerusalem named Elnathan. Jehoiachin ruled in Jerusalem for only three months.

Jehoiachin did many things that God considered to be evil, just as his father had done.

While Jehoiachin was king, some officers of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came along with the whole Babylonian army to Jerusalem, and they surrounded the city.

While they were doing that, Nebuchadnezzar himself came to the city.

Then King Jehoiachin and his mother and his advisors and important officers and palace officials all surrendered to the Babylonian army. These thngs happened when Nebuchadnezzar had been king for eight years. He arrested Jehoiachin and took him to Babylon.

Just as God had said would happen, Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers took to Babylon all the valuable things from God’s temple and from the king’s palace. They cut apart all the gold items that King Solomon had put in the temple.

They took from Jerusalem to Babylon 10,000 people, including the important officials and the best soldiers and the people who made and repaired things that were made of metal. Only the very poor people were left in Judah.

Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers also took to Babylon Jehoiachin’s wives and officials, his mother, and all the important people.

They also took to Babylon 7,000 of the best soldiers and 1,000 men who knew how to make and repair things that are made from metal. All of these people whom they took were strong and able to fight in wars.

Then the king of Babylon appointed Jehoiachin’s uncle, Mattaniah, to be the king of Judah, and he changed Mattaniah’s name to Zedekiah.

When Zedekiah was twenty-one years old, he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal; she was the daughter of a man named Jeremiah from Libnah town.

But Zedekiah did many things that God considered to be evil, just as Jehoiakim had done.

God was very angry. So ◄and finally/after he had been patient a long time► he expelled the people of Jerusalem and the other places in Judah and sent them to Babylon.