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 o reinado do rei Joaquim, Nabucodonozor, rei da Babilónia, atacou Jerusalém. Joaquim rendeu-se e teve de pagar-lhe tributo durante três anos; depois rebelou-se. 2O Senhor enviou bandos de caldeus, arameus, moabitas e amonitas contra Judá, a fim de destruir a nação, tal como o Senhor tinha avisado pela boca dos seus profetas que aconteceria. 3Não havia dúvida de que estes ataques caíam sobre Judá mandados pelo Senhor que decidira castigar duramente Judá, varrê-lo para longe da sua vista, devido aos muitos pecados de Manassés. 4Pois tinha enchido Jerusalém de sangue e, por isso, o Senhor não quis perdoá-lo.
5O resto dos acontecimentos da vida de Joaquim está relatado no Livro das Crónicas dos Reis de Judá. 6Quando morreu, o seu filho Jeconias subiu ao trono em seu lugar. 7O Faraó egípcio nunca mais saiu da sua terra, porque o rei da Babilónia ocupou toda a região que tinha sido dominada pelo Egito, toda a terra de Judá, desde o ribeiro do Egito até ao rio Eufrates.
Jeconias rei de Judá
(2 Cr 36.9-10)
8O novo rei de Judá foi Jeconias. Tinha 18 anos quando começou a reinar e reinou 3 meses em Jerusalém. A sua mãe chamava-se Neusta e era filha de Elnatã, de Jerusalém. 9Foi um mau reinado aos olhos do Senhor, tal como o do seu pai.
10Durante o seu reinado, os exércitos do rei da Babilónia cercaram a cidade de Jerusalém. 11O próprio Nabucodonozor chegou a Jerusalém durante o cerco. 12O rei Jeconias, com todo o seu estado maior e os responsáveis pela administração do reino e a rainha mãe tiveram de render-se.
Jeconias foi feito prisioneiro e enviado para a Babilónia, durante o oitavo ano do reinado de Nabucodonozor. 13Os babilónios levaram todos os tesouros do templo e do palácio real. Quebraram os vasos de ouro que o rei Salomão de Israel tinha colocado no templo por indicação do Senhor. 14O rei Nabucodonozor levou 10 000 cativos de Jerusalém, incluindo as altas individualidades, guerreiros de elite, comerciantes e artesãos. Apenas os mais pobres de entre o povo e os que não tinham profissão foram deixados na sua terra.
15Nabucodonozor levou assim o rei Jeconias, as suas mulheres, os chefes da administração pública e a rainha mãe para a Babilónia. 16Também transferiu 7000 dos melhores soldados do exército e 1000 carpinteiros e ferreiros, todos gente capaz e forte para a guerra. 17O rei da Babilónia nomeou como rei o tio de Jeconias, chamado Matanias, mudando o seu nome para Zedequias.
Zedequias rei de Judá
(2 Cr 36.11-14; Jr 52.1-3)
18Zedequias tinha 21 anos quando se tornou rei e reinou 11 anos em Jerusalém. O nome de sua mãe era Hamutal, filha de Jeremias de Libna. 19Fez o que era mau aos olhos do Senhor, conforme os atos anteriormente praticados por Joaquim. 20As coisas tornaram-se muito más em Jerusalém e em Judá, por causa da ira do Senhor, e ele os baniu da sua presença.
A queda de Jerusalém
(2 Cr 36.15-20; Jr 39.1-10; 52.4-27)
Zedequias revoltou-se contra o rei da Babilónia.
