1 Then the people of the land took Yehowahaz the son of Josiyah, and made him king in his father’s place in Yeruwshalaim. 2 Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Yeruwshalaim. 3 The king of Egypt deposed him at Yeruwshalaim, and fined the land one hundred talents of silver and a talent*A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds or 965 Troy ounces of gold. 4 The king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Yehudah and Yeruwshalaim, and changed his name to Yehowiakim. Neco took Joahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt. 5 Yehowiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Yeruwshalaim: and he did that which was evil in Yehowah his Elohim’s sight. 6 Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon. 7 Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of Yehowah’s house to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon. 8 Now the rest of the acts of Yehowiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Yehudah: and Yehowiachin his son reigned in his place. 9 Yehowiachin was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months and ten days in Yeruwshalaim: and he did that which was evil in Yehowah’s sight. 10 At the return of the year king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of Yehowah’s house, and made Zedekiyah his brother king over Yehudah and Yeruwshalaim. 11 Zedekiyah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Yeruwshalaim: 12 and he did that which was evil in Yehowah his Elohim’s sight; he didn’t humble himself before Jeremiyah the prophet speaking from the mouth of Yehowah. 13 He also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by Elohim: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart against turning to Yehowah, the Elohim of Israel. 14 Moreover all the chiefs of the priests, and the people, trespassed very greatly after all the abominations of the nations; and they polluted Yehowah’s house which he had made holy in Yeruwshalaim. 15 Yehowah, the Elohim of their fathers, sent to them by his messengers, rising up early and sending, because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: 16 but they mocked the messengers of Elohim, and despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until Yehowah’s wrath arose against his people, until there was no remedy. 17 Therefore he brought on them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or gray-headed: he gave them all into his hand. 18 All the vessels of Elohim’s house, great and small, and the treasures of Yehowah’s house, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon. 19 They burnt Elohim’s house, and broke down the wall of Yeruwshalaim, and burnt all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels of it. 20 He carried those who had escaped from the sword away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: 21 to fulfill Yehowah’s word by the mouth of Jeremiyah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. As long as it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years. 22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that Yehowah’s word by the mouth of Jeremiyah might be accomplished, Yehowah stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, 23 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘Yehowah, the Elohim of heaven, has given all the kingdoms of the earth to me; and he has commanded me to build him a house in Yeruwshalaim, which is in Yehudah. Whoever there is among you of all his people, Yehowah his Elohim be with him, and let him go up.’”