1 In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. 2 The LORD sent Chaldean raiding parties against him, along with Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiding parties. He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word the LORD had spoken through his servants the prophets. 3 Surely this came upon Judah at the LORD’s command, to remove them from his presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all that he had done, 4 and also because of the innocent blood he had shed, filling Jerusalem with innocent blood. The LORD was not willing to forgive. 5 As for 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 Jehoiakim rested with his ancestors, and his son Jehoiachin reigned in his place. 7 The king of Egypt did not again come out of his own land, for the king of Babylon had taken everything that 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’s name was Nehushta, daughter of Elnathan, from Jerusalem. 9 He did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done. 10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city came under siege. 11 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city while his servants were besieging it. 12 Jehoiachin king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, along with his mother, his servants, his officials, and his court officers. The king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign. 13 He carried away all the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s palace. He cut in pieces all the gold articles Solomon king of Israel had made for the LORD’s temple, just as the LORD had said. 14 He carried all Jerusalem into exile, all the officials and all the mighty warriors, ten thousand exiles, along with all the craftsmen and metalworkers. No one remained except the poorest people of the land. 15 He carried Jehoiachin into exile to Babylon. He also took the king’s mother, the king’s wives, his court officers, and the leading men of the land into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16 The king of Babylon took all the men of valor, seven thousand, and the craftsmen and metalworkers, one thousand, into exile to Babylon. All were 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’s name was Hamutal, daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah. 19 He did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 20 This happened in Jerusalem and Judah because of the LORD’s anger, until he cast them out of his presence. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.