1The people of the land went and got Jehoahaz. He was the son of Josiah. The people made Jehoahaz king in Jerusalem in place of his father.
Jehoahaz King of Judah
2Jehoahaz was 23 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for three months. 3The king of Egypt removed him from his throne in Jerusalem. The king of Egypt made the people of Judah pay him a huge tax. The tax was almost four tons of silver and 75 pounds of gold. 4Necho, the king of Egypt, made Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem. Eliakim was a brother of Jehoahaz. Necho changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Necho took Eliakim’s brother Jehoahaz with him to Egypt.
Jehoiakim King of Judah
5Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 11 years. He did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord his God. 6Nebuchadnezzar attacked him. Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon. He put Jehoiakim in bronze chains. And he took him to Babylon. 7Nebuchadnezzar also took to Babylon objects from the Lord’s temple. He put them in his own temple there.
8The other events of Jehoiakim’s rule are written in the records of the kings of Israel and Judah. He did things the Lord hated. Those things and everything that happened to him are also written in those records. Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin became the next king after him.
Jehoiachin King of Judah
9Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for three months and ten days. He did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. 10In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar sent for him. He brought him to Babylon. He also brought things of value from the Lord’s temple. He made Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem. Zedekiah was Jehoiachin’s uncle.
Zedekiah King of Judah
11Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 11 years. 12He did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord his God. He didn’t pay any attention to the message the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet. 13Zedekiah also refused to remain under the control of King Nebuchadnezzar. The king had forced Zedekiah to make a promise in God’s name. But Zedekiah’s heart became very stubborn. He wouldn’t turn to the Lord, the God of Israel. 14And that’s not all. The people and all the leaders of the priests became more and more unfaithful. They followed all the practices of the nations. The Lord hated those practices. The people and leaders made the Lord’s temple “unclean.” The Lord had set the temple in Jerusalem apart in a special way for himself.
The Fall of Jerusalem
15The Lord, the God of Israel, sent word to his people through his messengers. He sent it to them again and again. He took pity on his people. He also took pity on the temple where he lived. 16But God’s people made fun of his messengers. They hated his words. They laughed at his prophets. Finally the Lord’s great anger was stirred up against his people. Nothing could save them. 17The Lord brought the king of the Babylonians against them. The Babylonian army killed their young people with their swords at the temple. They didn’t spare young men or young women. They didn’t spare the old people or weak people either. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar. 18Nebuchadnezzar carried off to Babylon all the objects from God’s temple. Some of those things were large. Others were small. He carried off the treasures of the temple. He also carried off the treasures that belonged to the king and his officials. 19The Babylonians set God’s temple on fire. They broke down the wall of Jerusalem. They burned all the palaces. They destroyed everything of value there.
20Nebuchadnezzar took the rest of the people to Babylon as prisoners. They had escaped from being killed by swords. They served him and those who ruled after him. That lasted until the kingdom of Persia came to power. 21The land of Israel enjoyed its sabbath years. It rested. That deserted land wasn’t farmed for a full 70 years. What the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah came true.
22It was the first year of the rule of Cyrus. He was king of Persia. The Lord inspired him to send a message all through his kingdom. It happened so that what the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah would come true. The message was written down. It said,
23“Cyrus, the king of Persia, says,
“ ‘The Lord is the God of heaven. He has given me all the kingdoms on earth. He has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem. And may the Lord their God be with them.’ ”
Mfalme Yehoahazi Wa Yuda
(2 Wafalme 23:30-35)
136:1 2Fal 23:30; 2Nya 33:25Watu wa nchi wakamchukua Yehoahazi mwana wa Yosia na kumfanya mfalme mahali pa baba yake huko Yerusalemu.
2Yehoahazi alikuwa na umri wa miaka ishirini na mitatu alipoanza kutawala, akatawala huko Yerusalemu kwa miezi mitatu. 3Mfalme wa Misri akamwondoa madarakani huko Yerusalemu na akatoza Yuda kodi ya talanta 10036:3 Talanta 100 za fedha ni sawa na tani 3.75. za fedha na talanta moja36:3 Talanta moja ya dhahabu ni sawa na kilo 34. ya dhahabu. 436:4 Yer 22:10-12; Eze 19:3Mfalme wa Misri akamweka Eliakimu, nduguye Yehoahazi, kuwa mfalme juu ya Yuda na Yerusalemu na kubadili jina la Eliakimu kuwa Yehoyakimu. Lakini Neko akamchukua Yehoahazi, Nduguye Eliakimu akampeleka Misri.
Yehoyakimu Mfalme Wa Yuda
(2 Wafalme 23:35–24:7)
536:5 Yer 25:1; 36:1, 27-32; 2Fal 23:36-37Yehoyakimu alikuwa na umri wa miaka ishirini na mitano alipoanza kutawala, naye akatawala huko Yerusalemu miaka kumi na mmoja. Akafanya maovu machoni pa Bwana Mungu wake. 636:6 Yer 25:9; Eze 29:18; 19:9; 2Fal 24:1-6; Hab 1:6-10Nebukadneza mfalme wa Babeli akamshambulia na kumfunga kwa pingu za shaba akampeleka Babeli. 736:7 2Fal 24:13; Yer 27:16Nebukadneza akachukua pia vyombo kutoka Hekalu la Bwana na kuviweka katika hekalu lake36:7 Au: katika jumba lake la kifalme. huko Babeli.
836:8 1Nya 3:16Matukio mengine ya utawala wa Yehoyakimu, machukizo aliyoyafanya na yote yaliyoonekana dhidi yake, yameandikwa katika kitabu cha wafalme wa Israeli na Yuda. Naye Yehoyakini mwanawe akawa mfalme baada yake.
Yehoyakini Mfalme Wa Yuda
(2 Wafalme 24:8-17)
936:9 2Fal 24:8; Yer 24:1; 27:16Yehoyakini alikuwa na miaka kumi na minane alipoanza kutawala, naye akatawala huko Yerusalemu miezi mitatu na siku kumi. Akafanya yaliyo maovu machoni pa Bwana. 1036:10 Isa 52:11; Dan 5:2Mnamo majira ya vuli, Mfalme Nebukadneza akatuma watu, nao wakamleta Babeli, pamoja na vyombo vya thamani kutoka Hekalu la Bwana. Naye akamfanya Sedekia, ndugu yake Yehoyakimu kuwa mfalme wa Yuda na Yerusalemu.
Mfalme Sedekia Wa Yuda
(2 Wafalme 24:18-20; Yeremia 52:1-3)
1136:11 2Fal 24:17; Yer 39:1Sedekia alikuwa na umri wa miaka ishirini na mmoja alipoanza kutawala, naye akatawala huko Yerusalemu kwa miaka kumi na mmoja. 1236:12 Yer 39:18; Kum 8:3; Yer 21:3-7Alifanya maovu machoni pa Bwana Mungu wake, wala hakujinyenyekeza mbele ya nabii Yeremia, ambaye alinena neno la Bwana. 1336:13 Eze 17:13; Kut 32:9; 2Fal 17:14; Neh 8:16-17; Yer 52:3; Kut 17:15Pia alimwasi Mfalme Nebukadneza, ambaye alikuwa amemwapisha kwa jina la Mungu. Akashupaza shingo na akafanya moyo wake kuwa mgumu wala hakutaka kumgeukia Bwana, Mungu wa Israeli. 1436:14 1Nya 5:25Zaidi ya hayo viongozi wote wa makuhani pamoja na watu wakazidi kukosa uaminifu zaidi na zaidi, wakafanya machukizo yote kama walivyofanya mataifa wakinajisi Hekalu la Bwana alilokuwa amelitakasa huko Yerusalemu.
Kuanguka Kwa Yerusalemu
(2 Wafalme 25:1-21; Yeremia 52:3-11)
1536:15 Hag 1:13; Yer 11:7; 44:4-6; Hos 11:8; Yer 25:3Bwana, Mungu wa baba zao, akawapelekea neno kupitia wajumbe wake tena na tena, kwa sababu alikuwa anawahurumia watu wake pamoja na mahali pa maskani yake. 1636:16 Mit 1:25-31; Mik 2:11; Yer 7:26; Dan 9:6; Lk 16:14Lakini waliwadhihaki wajumbe wa Bwana wakayadharau maneno yake na kuwacheka manabii wake mpaka ghadhabu ya Bwana ikawa kubwa dhidi ya watu wake na hakukuwa na namna ya kuituliza. 1736:17 Yer 9:21; 18:21; Mao 2:21; Eze 9:6Mungu akamwinua dhidi yao mfalme wa Wakaldayo, aliyewaua vijana wao wa kiume kwa upanga ndani ya mahali patakatifu, ambaye hakumbakiza kijana mwanaume wala kijana mwanamke, wazee wala vikongwe. Mungu akawatia wote mikononi mwa Nebukadneza. 1836:18 Yer 17:20; 2Fal 25:13Akavichukua kwenda Babeli vyombo vyote kutoka Hekalu la Mungu, vikubwa na vidogo, hazina za Hekalu la Bwana pamoja na hazina za mfalme na za maafisa wake. 1936:19 Amo 2:5; 1Fal 9:8-9; 14:13; Mao 2:6; Za 79:1-3Wakalichoma Hekalu la Mungu na kuzibomoa kuta za Yerusalemu, wakachoma moto majumba yote ya kifalme na kuharibu kila kitu chake cha thamani.
2036:20 Ezr 2:1; Neh 7:6; Yer 27:7Wale watu walionusurika kuuawa kwa upanga wakachukuliwa kwenda uhamishoni Babeli. Nao wakawa watumishi wake na wa wanawe mpaka wakati wa utawala wa ufalme wa Uajemi ulifika. 2136:21 Law 25:4; 26:34Nchi ikaendelea kufurahia pumziko lake la Sabato, wakati wote wa kufanywa kwake ukiwa ilipumzika mpaka ile miaka sabini ilipotimia katika kutimiza neno la Bwana lililonenwa na Yeremia.
Koreshi Atangaza Uhuru Kwa Waliokuwa Uhamishoni
(Ezra 1:1-4)
2236:22 Yer 29:10; Isa 44:28Katika mwaka wa kwanza wa utawala wa Koreshi mfalme wa Uajemi, ili kulitimiza neno la Bwana lililosemwa na nabii Yeremia, Bwana aliusukuma moyo wa Koreshi mfalme wa Uajemi kutangaza katika himaya yake yote kwa maandishi:
23“Hili ndilo asemalo Koreshi mfalme wa Uajemi:
“ ‘Bwana, Mungu wa mbinguni, amenipa falme zote duniani, na ameniagiza kumjengea Hekalu huko Yerusalemu katika Yuda. Yeyote wa watu wake miongoni mwenu, Mungu wake na awe pamoja naye, wacha huyo mtu na apande.’ ”
