King Jehoahaz of Judah
(2 Kings 23.30-35)1 After the death of Josiah, the people of Judah crowned his son Jehoahaz their new king. 2 He was 23 years old at the time, and he ruled only 3 months from Jerusalem. 3 King Neco of Egypt captured Jehoahaz and forced Judah to pay 3.4 tons of silver and 34 kilograms of gold as taxes. 4 Then Neco appointed Jehoahaz's brother Eliakim king of Judah and changed his name to Jehoiakim. He led Jehoahaz away to Egypt as his prisoner.
King Jehoiakim of Judah
(2 Kings 23.36—24.7)5 Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he was appointed king, and he ruled 11 years from Jerusalem. Jehoiakim disobeyed the Lord his God by doing evil.
6 During Jehoiakim's rule, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia invaded Judah. He arrested Jehoiakim and put him in chains, and he sent him to the capital city of Babylon. 7 Nebuchadnezzar also carried off many of the valuable things in the Lord's temple, and he put them in his palace in Babylon.
8 Everything else Jehoiakim did while he was king, including all the disgusting and evil things, is written in The History of the Kings of Israel and Judah. His son Jehoiachin then became king.
King Jehoiachin of Judah
(2 Kings 24.8-17)9 Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled only 3 months and 10 days from Jerusalem. Jehoiachin also disobeyed the Lord by doing evil. 10 In the spring of the year, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia had Jehoiachin arrested and taken to Babylon, along with more of the valuable items in the temple. Then Nebuchadnezzar appointed Zedekiah king of Judah.
King Zedekiah of Judah
(2 Kings 24.18-20Jeremiah 52.1-3)11 Zedekiah was 21 years old when he was appointed king of Judah, and he ruled from Jerusalem for 11 years. 12 He disobeyed the Lord his God and refused to change his ways, even after a warning from Jeremiah, the Lord's prophet.
13 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia had forced Zedekiah to promise in God's name that he would be loyal. Zedekiah was stubborn and refused to turn back to the Lord God of Israel, so he rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. 14 The people of Judah and even the priests who were their leaders became more unfaithful. They followed the disgusting example of the nations around them and made the Lord's holy temple unfit for worship. 15 But the Lord God felt sorry for his people, and instead of destroying the temple, he sent prophets who warned the people over and over about their sins. 16 But the people only laughed and insulted these prophets. They ignored what the Lord God was trying to tell them, until he finally became so angry that nothing could stop him from punishing Judah and Jerusalem.
Jerusalem Is Destroyed
(2 Kings 25.1-21Jeremiah 52.3-30)17 The Lord sent King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia to attack Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar killed the young men who were in the temple, and he showed no mercy to anyone, whether man or woman, young or old. God let him kill everyone in the city. 18 Nebuchadnezzar carried off everything that was left in the temple; he robbed the treasury and the personal storerooms of the king and his officials. He took everything back to Babylon.
19 Nebuchadnezzar's troops burned down the temple and destroyed every important building in the city. Then they broke down the city wall. 20 The survivors were taken to Babylonia as prisoners, where they were slaves of the king and his sons, until Persia became a powerful nation.
21 Judah was an empty desert, and it stayed that way for 70 years, to make up for all the years it was not allowed to rest. These things happened just as Jeremiah the Lord's prophet had said.
Cyrus Lets the Jews Return Home
(Ezra 1.1-4)22 In the first year that Cyrus was king of Persia, the Lord had Cyrus send a message to all parts of his kingdom. This happened just as Jeremiah the Lord's prophet had promised. 23 The message said:
I am King Cyrus of Persia.
The Lord God of heaven has made me the ruler of every nation on earth. He has also chosen me to build a temple for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. The Lord God will watch over any of his people who want to go back to Judah.
Jehoāhāza valdīšana
(2Ķēn 23:31–33)1 Ļaudis ņēma Jošijāhu dēlu Jehoāhāzu un iecēla tēva vietā par ķēniņu Jeruzālemē. 2 Jehoāhāzs sāka valdīt divdesmit trīs gadu vecumā. Viņš valdīja Jeruzālemē trīs mēnešus. 3 Ēģiptes ķēniņš aizveda viņu no Jeruzālemes un uzlika zemei nodevas – simts mērus sudraba un mēru zelta. 4 Ēģiptes ķēniņš Neho iecēla viņa brāli Eljākīmu par Jūdas un Jeruzālemes ķēniņu un pārdēvēja viņu par Jehojākīmu, bet viņa brāli Jehoāhāzu aizveda uz Ēģipti.
Jehojākīma valdīšana un gūsts
(2Ķēn 23:34–24:7)5 Jehojākīms sāka valdīt divdesmit piecu gadu vecumā. Viņš valdīja Jeruzālemē vienpadsmit gadus un darīja to, kas netīkams Kungam, viņa Dievam. 6 Bābeles ķēniņš Nebūkadnecars devās pret viņu, saistīja vara važās un aizveda uz Bābeli. 7 Nebūkadnecars aizveda uz Bābeli arī daudzus Kunga nama traukus un novietoja tos savā templī Bābelē. 8 Pārējie Jehojākīma darbi un preteklības, ko viņš darījis, un viss, kas atrodams pret viņu, – par to rakstīts Israēla un Jūdas ķēniņu grāmatā. Pēc tam sāka valdīt viņa dēls Jehojāhīns.
Jehojāhīna valdīšana un gūsts
(2Ķēn 24:8–17)9 Jehojāhīns sāka valdīt astoņpadsmit gadu vecumā. Viņš valdīja Jeruzālemē trīs mēnešus un desmit dienas. Viņš darīja to, kas netīkams Kungam. 10 Gadu mijā ķēniņš Nebūkadnecars sūtīja pēc viņa un aizveda kopā ar skaistākajiem Kunga nama traukiem uz Bābeli, bet viņa brāli Cedekiju iecēla par ķēniņu Jūdā un Jeruzālemē.
Cedekijas valdīšana
(2Ķēn 24:18–20; Jer 52:1–3a)11 Cedekija sāka valdīt divdesmit viena gada vecumā. Viņš valdīja Jeruzālemē vienpadsmit gadus. 12 Viņš darīja to, kas netīkams Kungam, viņa Dievam, un nepakļāvās pravieša Jeremijas teiktajiem Kunga vārdiem.
Jeruzālemes krišana
(2Ķēn 25:1–21Jer 52:3b–30)13 Viņš sacēlās pat pret ķēniņu Nebūkadnecaru, kurš bija viņu nozvērinājis pie Dieva, – nocietinājis sirdi, viņš spītīgi neatgriezās pie Kunga, Israēla Dieva. 14 Arī galvenie priesteri un tauta kļuva arvien nodevīgāki un darīja tāpat kā visas pretīgās tautas, apgānīdami Kunga namu, kas viņam bija svēts Jeruzālemē.
15 Kungs, viņu tēvu Dievs, atkal un atkal sūtīja pie tiem savus vēstnešus, jo gribēja taupīt savu tautu un mājokli. 16 Bet tie izsmēja Dieva sūtņus, nicināja viņa vārdus un ņirgājās par viņa praviešiem, līdz Kunga dusmas nāca pār tautu – nekas vairs nebija glābjams! 17 Viņš uzsūtīja tiem kaldiešu ķēniņu, un tas svētnīcā kāva jaunekļus ar zobenu – nežēloja ne jaunekļus, ne jaunavas, ne vecus, ne vārgus, visus Dievs atdeva viņam. 18 Arī visus Dieva nama piederumus, gan lielus, gan mazus, un Kunga nama dārgumus, ķēniņa un augstmaņu dārgumus – visu viņš aizveda uz Bābeli. 19 Dieva namu nodedzināja, un Jeruzālemes mūrus sagrāva. Visas pilis nodedzināja, ar uguni un izpostīja visu, kas tur bija vērtīgs. 20 Kurš bija paglābies no zobena, to aizveda trimdā uz Bābeli par vergu sev un saviem dēliem – tā bija līdz Persijas valdīšanai, 21 lai piepildītos Jeremijas teiktais Kunga vārds: līdz zeme būs guvusies sabata gadus, visu laiku tā dusēs izdeldēta, līdz būs apritējuši septiņdesmit gadi.
Kīrs atlaiž jūdus no trimdas
(Ezr 1:1–4)22 Persijas ķēniņa Kīra pirmajā valdīšanas gadā, lai piepildītos Jeremijas teiktais Kunga vārds, Kungs mudināja Persijas ķēniņa Kīra garu, un tas lika izziņot pa visu savu valsti rakstiski un mutiski šādu rīkojumu:
23 “Tā saka Persijas ķēniņš Kīrs: Kungs, debesu Dievs, man ir devis visas zemes valstis un izvēlējies mani, lai es uzceļu viņam templi Jeruzālemē, kas ir Jūdā. Tie, kas no viņa tautas mīt pie jums, lai dodas turp, – Kungs, viņu Dievs, ir ar tiem!”
