1During Jehoiakim’s rule, Nebuchadnezzar marched into the land and attacked it. He was king of Babylon. He became Jehoiakim’s master for three years. But then Jehoiakim decided he didn’t want to remain under Nebuchadnezzar’s control. 2The Lord sent robbers against Jehoiakim from Babylon, Aram, Moab and Ammon. He sent them to destroy Judah. That’s what the Lord had said would happen. He had spoken that message through his servants the prophets. 3These things happened to Judah in keeping with what the Lord had commanded. He brought enemies against his people in order to remove them from his land. He removed them because of all the sins Manasseh had committed. 4Manasseh had spilled the blood of many people who weren’t guilty of doing anything wrong. In fact, he spilled so much of their blood that he filled Jerusalem with it. So the Lord refused to forgive him.
5The other events of the rule of Jehoiakim are written down. Everything he did is written in the official records of the kings of Judah. 6Jehoiakim joined the members of his family who had already died. Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin became the next king after him.
7The king of Egypt didn’t march out from his own country again. That’s because the king of Babylon had taken so much of his territory. It reached from the Wadi of Egypt all the way to the Euphrates River.
Jehoiachin King of Judah
8Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta. She was the daughter of Elnathan. She was from Jerusalem. 9Jehoiachin did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did just as his father Jehoiakim had done.
10At that time the officers of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, marched to Jerusalem. They surrounded it and got ready to attack it. 11Nebuchadnezzar himself came up to the city. He arrived while his officers were attacking it. 12Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, handed himself over to Nebuchadnezzar. Jehoiachin’s mother did the same thing. And so did all his attendants, nobles and officials.
The king of Babylon took Jehoiachin away as his prisoner. It was in the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s rule. 13Nebuchadnezzar removed the treasures from the Lord’s temple. He also removed the treasures from the royal palace. He cut up the gold objects that Solomon, the king of Israel, had made for the temple. That’s what the Lord had announced would happen. 14Nebuchadnezzar took all the people of Jerusalem to the land of Babylon as prisoners. That included all the officers and fighting men. It also included all the skilled workers. The total number of prisoners was 10,000. Only the poorest people were left in the land.
15Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin to Babylon as his prisoner. He also took the king’s mother from Jerusalem to Babylon. And he took Jehoiachin’s wives, his officials and the most important people of the land. 16The king also forced the whole army of 7,000 soldiers to go away to the land of Babylon. Those men were strong and able to go to war. And the king forced 1,000 skilled workers to go to Babylon. 17Nebuchadnezzar made Jehoiachin’s uncle Mattaniah king in his place. And Nebuchadnezzar changed Mattaniah’s name to Zedekiah.
Zedekiah King of Judah
18Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 11 years. His mother’s name was Hamutal. She was the daughter of Jeremiah. She was from Libnah. 19Zedekiah did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did just as Jehoiakim had done. 20The enemies of Jerusalem and Judah attacked them because the Lord was angry. In the end the Lord threw them out of his land.
The Fall of Jerusalem
Zedekiah also refused to remain under the control of Nebuchadnezzar.
1Durante el reinado de Joacim, lo atacó Nabucodonosor, rey de Babilonia, y lo sometió durante tres años, al cabo de los cuales Joacim decidió rebelarse. 2Entonces el Señor envió contra Joacim bandas armadas de babilonios,24:2 Lit. caldeos. arameos, moabitas y amonitas. Las envió contra Judá para destruir el país, según la palabra que el Señor había dado a conocer por medio de sus siervos los profetas. 3De hecho, esto sucedió a Judá por orden del Señor, para apartar al pueblo de su presencia por los pecados de Manasés y por todo lo que hizo, 4incluso por haber derramado sangre inocente, con la cual inundó a Jerusalén. Por lo tanto, el Señor no quiso perdonar.
5Los demás acontecimientos del reinado de Joacim y todo lo que hizo están escritos en el libro de las crónicas de los reyes de Judá. 6Joacim murió y su hijo Joaquín lo sucedió en el trono.
7El rey de Egipto no volvió a hacer campañas militares fuera de su país, pues el rey de Babilonia se había adueñado de todas sus posesiones, desde el río de Egipto hasta el río Éufrates.
Joaquín, rey de Judá
24:8-17 – 2Cr 36:9-10
8Joaquín tenía dieciocho años cuando comenzó a reinar; reinó en Jerusalén tres meses. Su madre era Nejustá hija de Elnatán, oriunda de Jerusalén. 9Joaquín hizo lo malo ante los ojos del Señor, tal como lo había hecho su padre.
10En aquel tiempo, las tropas de Nabucodonosor, rey de Babilonia, marcharon contra Jerusalén y la sitiaron. 11Cuando ya la tenían cercada, Nabucodonosor llegó a la ciudad. 12Joaquín, rey de Judá, se rindió, junto con su madre, sus servidores, oficiales y nobles.
Así, en el año octavo de su reinado, el rey de Babilonia capturó a Joaquín. 13Tal como el Señor lo había anunciado, Nabucodonosor se llevó los tesoros del Templo del Señor y del palacio real, partiendo en pedazos todos los utensilios de oro que Salomón, rey de Israel, había hecho para el Templo del Señor. 14Además, deportó a todo Jerusalén: a todos los oficiales y a todos los mejores soldados, a todos los artesanos y herreros; un total de diez mil personas. No quedó en el país más que la gente pobre.
15Nabucodonosor deportó a Joaquín a Babilonia; también se llevó de Jerusalén a la reina madre, a las mujeres del rey, a sus oficiales y a la flor y nata del país. 16Deportó además a todos los guerreros, que eran siete mil, y a mil artesanos y herreros, todos aptos para la guerra. El rey de Babilonia se los llevó cautivos a Babilonia. 17Luego puso como rey a Matanías, tío de Joaquín, y cambió su nombre a Sedequías.
Sedequías, rey de Judá
24:18-20 – 2Cr 36:11-16; Jer 52:1-3
18Sedequías tenía veintiún años cuando comenzó a reinar; reinó en Jerusalén once años. Su madre se llamaba Jamutal, hija de Jeremías, oriunda de Libná. 19Al igual que Joacim, Sedequías hizo lo malo ante los ojos del Señor, 20a tal grado que el Señor, en su ira, los echó de su presencia. Todo esto sucedió en Jerusalén y en Judá.
La caída de Jerusalén
25:1-12 – Jer 39:1-10
25:1-21 – 2Cr 36:17-20; Jer 52:4-27
25:22-26 – Jer 40:7-9; 41:1-3,16-18
Sedequías se rebeló contra el rey de Babilonia.
