1 It was in Y’hoyakim’s time that N’vukhadnetzar king of Bavel invaded. Y’hoyakim became his vassal for three years, but then he turned against him and rebelled.
2 Adonaisent against him raiding parties from the Kasdim, Aram, Mo’av and the people of ‘Amon; he sent them against Y’hudah to destroy it, in keeping with the word ofAdonaiwhich he had spoken through his servants the prophets.
3 Yes, it was atAdonai’s order that this happened to Y’hudah, in order to remove them from his sight because of the sins of M’nasheh and all he had done,
4 and also because of the innocent blood he had shed — for he had flooded Yerushalayim with innocent blood, andAdonaiwas unwilling to forgive.
5 Other activities of Y’hoyakim and all his accomplishments are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Y’hudah.
6 Then Y’hoyakim slept with his ancestors, and Y’hoyakhin his son took his place as king.
7 The king of Egypt did not leave his own land any more, because the king of Bavel had captured all the territory of the king of Egypt between theVadiof Egypt and the Euphrates River.
8 Y’hoyakhin was eighteen years old when he began his reign, and he ruled in Yerushalayim for three months. His mother’s name was N’chushta the daughter of Elnatan, from Yerushalayim.
9 He did what was evil fromAdonai’s perspective, following the example of everything his father had done.
10 It was then that the officers of N’vukhadnetzar king of Bavel marched on Yerushalayim and laid siege to the city.
11 N’vukhadnetzar king of Bavel himself went to the city while it was under siege;
12 and Y’hoyakhin king of Y’hudah went out to meet the king of Bavel — he, his mother, and his servants, princes and officers; and the king of Bavel took him captive in the eighth year of his reign.
13 He also carried away from there all the treasures in the house ofAdonaiand the treasures in the royal palace. He cut in pieces all the articles of gold which Shlomo king of Isra’el had made in the temple ofAdonai, asAdonaihad said would happen.
14 He carried all Yerushalayim away captive — all the princes, all the bravest soldiers — 10,000 captives; also all the craftsmen and metalworkers. No one was left but the poorest people of the land.
15 Y’hoyakhin he carried off to Bavel; likewise he carried off the king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officers and the main leaders of the land from Yerushalayim into captivity in Bavel.
16 All the strong men — 7,000 of them, as well as 1,000 craftsmen and metalsmiths, all of them strong and trained for war — the king of Bavel brought captive to Bavel.
17 The king of Bavel made Matanyah, Y’hoyakhin’s father’s brother, king in place of Y’hoyakhin and changed his name to Tzidkiyahu.
18 Tzidkiyahu was twenty-one years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for eleven years in Yerushalayim. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Yirmeyahu, from Livnah.
19 He did what was evil from the perspective ofAdonai, following the example of everything Y’hoyakim had done.
20 And it was because ofAdonai’s anger that all these things happened to Yerushalayim and Y’hudah, until he had thrown them out of his presence.
Tzidkiyahu rebelled against the king of Bavel;