דברי הימים ב ל״ו:ט״ז

^aCf. 2 Kings 23.28–37; 24.1–20. The people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king instead of his father in Jerusalem. Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. The king of Egypt deposed him in Jerusalem and laid a fine on the land of 100 silver talents and one gold talent. The king of Egypt made his brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim; Necho took his brother Joahaz and brought him to Egypt. Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; he did what was displeasing to the ETERNAL his God. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon marched against him; he bound him in fetters to convey him to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar also brought some vessels of the House of GOD to Babylon, and set them in his palace in Babylon. The other events of Jehoiakim’s reign, and the abominable things he did, and what was found against him, are recorded in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. His son Jehoiachin succeeded him as king. Jehoiachin was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem; he did what was displeasing to GOD. At the turn of the year, King Nebuchadnezzar sent to have him brought to Babylon with the precious vessels of the House of GOD, and he made his kinsman Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem. Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was displeasing to the ETERNAL his God; he did not humble himself before the prophet Jeremiah, who spoke for GOD. He also rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, who made him take an oath^ban oath A vassal oath; cf. Ezek. 17.11–21. by God; he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart so as not to turn to the ETERNAL God of Israel. All the officers of the priests and the people committed many trespasses, following all the abominable practices of the nations. They polluted the House of GOD that had been consecrated in Jerusalem. The ETERNAL God of their ancestors had sent word to them through messengers daily without fail, having taken pity on the people and on the temple.^cthe temple Lit. “His habitation.” But they mocked the messengers of God and disdained those words and taunted those prophets until GOD’s wrath against this people grew beyond remedy. [God] therefore brought the king of the Chaldeans upon them, who killed their youths by the sword in their sanctuary; neither youth nor maiden, elder, or graybeard were spared—all were delivered into his hands. All the vessels of the House of God, large and small, and the treasures of the House of GOD and the treasures of the king and his officers were all brought to Babylon. They burned the House of God and tore down the wall of Jerusalem, burned down all its mansions, and consigned all its precious objects to destruction. Those who survived the sword he exiled to Babylon, and they became his and his sons’ servants till the rise of the Persian kingdom, in fulfillment of the word of GOD spoken by Jeremiah, until the land paid back its sabbaths; as long as it lay desolate it kept sabbath, till seventy years were completed. And in the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, when the word of GOD spoken by Jeremiah was fulfilled, GOD roused the spirit of King Cyrus of Persia to issue a proclamation throughout his realm by word of mouth and in writing, as follows: “Thus said King Cyrus of Persia: The ETERNAL God of Heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and has charged me with building a house [of God] in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. May the ETERNAL God be with those of you among this people who wish to go up.”