2Ki 18-19, 2Ki 24-25, 2Ch 32, 2Ch 36, Jer 4:7, 39:1-3 | ESV | STEP | In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah , king of Israel , Hezekiah the son of Ahaz , king of Judah , began to reign .

1 ^aIn the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, ^bHezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 He was ^ctwenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was ^dAbi the daughter of Zechariah. 3 ^eAnd he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. 4 ^fHe removed the high places and broke the ^gpillars and cut down ^hthe Asherah. And he broke in pieces ⁱthe bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan). ^{▼▼ Nehushtan sounds like the Hebrew for both bronze and serpent} 5 ^kHe trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, ^lso that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. 6 ^mFor he held fast to the Lord. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses. 7 ⁿAnd the Lord was with him; wherever he went out, ^ohe prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him. 8 ^pHe struck down the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, ^qfrom watchtower to fortified city.

9 In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, ^rShalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it, 10 and at the end of three years he took it. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken. 11 The king of Assyria carried the Israelites away to Assyria and put them in ^sHalah, and on the ^tHabor, ^uthe river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, 12 because they did not obey the voice of the Lord their God but transgressed his covenant, even all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded. They neither listened nor obeyed.

Sennacherib Attacks Judah

13 ^vIn the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. 14 And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; withdraw from me. Whatever you impose on me I will bear.” ^wAnd the king of Assyria required of Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents ^{▼▼A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms} of silver and thirty talents of gold. 15 And Hezekiah ^ygave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king’s house. 16 At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord and from the doorposts that Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid and gave it to the king of Assyria. 17 And the king of Assyria sent the ^zTartan, the Rab-saris, and the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. When they arrived, they came and stood by ^aathe conduit of the upper pool, which is on the highway to the Washer’s Field. 18 And when they called for the king, there came out to them ^abEliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and ^acShebnah the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder.

19 And the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours? 20 Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? In whom do you now trust, that you have rebelled against me? 21 Behold, you are trusting now in Egypt, that broken reed of ^ada staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 22 But if you say to me, “We trust in the Lord our God,” is it not he ^aewhose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, “You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem”? 23 Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them. 24 How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master’s servants, when you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 25 Moreover, is it without the Lord that I have come up against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, "Go up against this land, and destroy it."’”

26 Then ^afEliakim the son of Hilkiah, and ^agShebnah, and Joah, said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in ^ahAramaic, for we understand it. Do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 27 But the Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and to drink their own urine?”

28 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29 Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my ^{▼▼Hebrew his} hand. 30 Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’ 31 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make your peace with me ^{▼▼Hebrew Make a blessing with me} and come out to me. Then ^akeach one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern, 32 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, ^ala land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and ^amhoney, that you may live, and not die. And do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you by saying, “The Lord will deliver us.” 33 ^anHas any of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 ^aoWhere are the gods of ^apHamath and ^aqArpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and ^arIvvah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? 35 Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, ^asthat the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’”

36 But the people were silent and answered him not a word, for the king’s command was, “Do not answer him.” 37 Then ^atEliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah ^auwith their clothes torn and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.

2 Kings 19

Isaiah Reassures Hezekiah

1 ^avAs soon as King Hezekiah heard it, ^awhe tore his clothes and ^axcovered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord. 2 And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, ^aycovered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz. 3 They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. 4 ^azIt may be that the Lord your God heard all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent ^bato mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the Lord your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for ^bbthe remnant that is left.” 5 When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which ^bcthe servants of the king of Assyria have ^bdreviled me. 7 Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that ^behe shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him ^bffall by the sword in his own land.’”

Sennacherib Defies the Lord

8 The Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria fighting against ^bgLibnah, for he heard that the king had left ^bhLachish. 9 ^biNow the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, “Behold, he has set out to fight against you.” So he sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God ^bjin whom you trust deceive you by promising that ^bkJerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 11 Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered? 12 ^blHave the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations that my fathers destroyed, ^bmGozan, ^bnHaran, Rezeph, and the people of ^boEden who were in Telassar? 13 ^bpWhere is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?’”

Hezekiah’s Prayer

14 Hezekiah received ^bqthe letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: “O Lord, the God of Israel, ^brenthroned above the cherubim, ^bsyou are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. 16 ^btIncline your ear, O Lord, and hear; ^buopen your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent ^bvto mock the living God. 17 Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands 18 and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, ^bwbut the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. 19 So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, ^bxthat all the kingdoms of the earth may know that ^byyou, O Lord, are God alone.”

Isaiah Prophesies Sennacherib’s Fall

20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Your prayer to me about Sennacherib king of Assyria ^bzI have heard. 21 This is the word that the Lord has spoken concerning him:

“She despises you, she scorns you—
^cathe virgin daughter of Zion;
she ^cbwags her head behind you—
the daughter of Jerusalem.
22 “Whom have you ^ccmocked and ^cdreviled?
Against whom have you raised your voice
and lifted your eyes to the heights?
Against ^cethe Holy One of Israel!
23 ^cfBy your messengers you have mocked the Lord,
and you have said, ^cg‘With my many chariots
I have gone up the heights of the mountains,
to the far recesses of ^chLebanon;
I felled its tallest cedars,
its choicest cypresses;
I entered its farthest lodging place,
its most ^cifruitful forest.
24 I dug wells
and drank foreign waters,
and I dried up with the sole of my foot
all the streams ^cjof Egypt.’
25 “Have you not heard
that ^ckI determined it long ago?
I planned from days of old
what ^clnow I bring to pass,
that you should turn fortified cities
into heaps of ruins,
26 while their inhabitants, shorn of strength,
are dismayed and confounded,
and have become ^cmlike plants of the field
and like tender grass,
like grass on the housetops,
blighted before it is grown.
27 “But I know your sitting down
^cnand your going out and coming in,
and your raging against me.
28 Because you have raged against me
and your complacency has come into my ears,
I will ^coput my hook in your nose
and my bit in your mouth,
and ^cpI will turn you back on the way
by which you came.
29 “And this shall be ^cqthe sign for you: this year eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs of the same. Then in the third year sow and reap and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 30 ^crAnd the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. 31 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion ^csa band of survivors. ^ctThe zeal of the Lord will do this.

32 “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield or ^cucast up a siege mound against it. 33 ^cvBy the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the Lord. 34 ^cwFor I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake ^cxand for the sake of my servant David.”

35 And that night ^cythe angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. 36 Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went home and lived at ^czNineveh. 37 And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, ^daAdrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword and escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.

2 Kings 24

1 ^dbIn his days, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. 2 And the Lord sent against him bands of the ^dcChaldeans and ^ddbands of the Syrians and bands of the Moabites and bands of the Ammonites, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, ^deaccording to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servants the prophets. 3 Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the Lord, to remove them out of his sight, ^dffor the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, 4 and also ^dgfor the innocent blood that he had shed. For he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord would not pardon. 5 ^dhNow the rest of the deeds of Jehoiakim and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 6 So Jehoiakim ^dislept with his fathers, and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place. 7 ^djAnd the king of Egypt did not come again out of his land, ^dkfor the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt ^dlfrom the Brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates.

Jehoiachin Reigns in Judah

8 ^dmJehoiachin was ^dneighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, ^doaccording to all that his father had done.

Jerusalem Captured

10 At that time the servants of ^dpNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. 11 And ^dqNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it, 12 ^drand Jehoiachin the king of Judah gave himself up to the king of Babylon, himself and his mother and his servants and his officials and his palace officials. ^dsThe king of Babylon took him prisoner ^dtin the eighth year of his reign 13 and carried off all the treasures of the house of the Lord ^duand the treasures of the king’s house, ^dvand cut in pieces all the vessels of gold in the temple of the Lord, ^dwwhich Solomon king of Israel had made, ^dxas the Lord had foretold. 14 ^dyHe carried away all Jerusalem and all the officials and all the mighty men of valor, ^dz10,000 captives, ^eaand all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remained, ^ebexcept the poorest people of the land. 15 ^ecAnd he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon. The king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officials, and the chief men of the land he took into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16 And the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon all the men of valor, ^ed7,000, and the craftsmen and the metal workers, 1,000, all of them strong and fit for war. 17 ^eeAnd the king of Babylon ^efmade Mattaniah, ^egJehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place, ^ehand changed his name to Zedekiah.

Zedekiah Reigns in Judah

18 ^eiZedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was ^ejHamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 19 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, ^ekaccording to all that Jehoiakim had done. 20 For because of the anger of the Lord it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence.

^elAnd Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

2 Kings 25

Fall and Captivity of Judah

1 ^emAnd in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, ^enNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem and laid siege to it. ^eoAnd they built siegeworks all around it. 2 So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 3 On the ninth day of the fourth month ^epthe famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 4 Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, by ^eqthe king’s garden, and ^erthe Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the ^esArabah. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 6 Then they captured the king ^etand brought him up to the king of Babylon at ^euRiblah, and they passed sentence on him. 7 They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, ^evand put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains and took him to Babylon.

8 ^ewIn the fifth month, on ^exthe seventh day of the month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 ^eyAnd he burned the house of the Lord ^ezand the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. 10 And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, ^fabroke down the walls around Jerusalem. 11 ^fbAnd the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the multitude, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile. 12 But the captain of the guard left ^fcsome of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen.

13 ^fdAnd the pillars ^feof bronze that were in the house of the Lord, and ^ffthe stands and ^fgthe bronze sea that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried the bronze to Babylon. 14 ^fhAnd they took away the pots and the shovels and the snuffers and the dishes for incense and all the vessels of bronze used in the temple service, 15 the fire pans also and the bowls. What was of gold the captain of the guard took away as gold, and what was of silver, as silver. 16 As for the two pillars, the one sea, and the stands that Solomon had made for the house of the Lord, ^fithe bronze of all these vessels was beyond weight. 17 ^fjThe height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, ^{▼▼A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters} and on it was a capital of bronze. The height of the capital was three cubits. A latticework and pomegranates, all of bronze, were all around the capital. And the second pillar had the same, with the latticework.

18 ^flAnd the captain of the guard took ^fmSeraiah the chief priest and ^fnZephaniah the second priest and the three keepers of the threshold; 19 and from the city he took an officer who had been in command of the men of war, and ^fofive men of the king’s council who were found in the city; and the secretary of the commander of the army, who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the city. 20 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at ^fpRiblah. 21 And the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at ^fqRiblah in the land of Hamath. ^frSo Judah was taken into exile out of its land.

Gedaliah Made Governor of Judah

22 And over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed ^fsGedaliah the son of ^ftAhikam, son of Shaphan, governor. 23 ^fuNow when all the captains and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah governor, they came with their men to Gedaliah at ^fvMizpah, namely, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite. 24 And Gedaliah swore to them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid because of the Chaldean officials. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.” 25 ^fwBut in the seventh month, ^fxIshmael the son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down Gedaliah and put him to death along with the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. 26 ^fyThen all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces arose and went to Egypt, for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

Jehoiachin Released from Prison

27 ^fzAnd in the thirty-seventh year of ^gathe exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, graciously ^gbfreed ^{▼▼Hebrew reign, lifted up the head of} Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. 28 And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life ^gdhe dined regularly at the king’s table, 30 and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, as long as he lived.

2 Chronicles 32

Sennacherib Invades Judah

1 ^geAfter these things and these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them for himself. 2 And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and intended to fight against Jerusalem, 3 he planned with his officers and his mighty men to stop the water of the springs that were outside the city; and they helped him. 4 A great many people were gathered, and they stopped all the springs and ^gfthe brook that flowed through the land, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?” 5 He set to work resolutely and built up ^ggall the wall that was broken down and raised towers upon it, ^{▼▼Vulgate; Hebrew and raised upon the towers} and outside it he built another wall, and he strengthened the ^giMillo in the city of David. He also made weapons and shields in abundance. 6 And he set combat commanders over the people and gathered them together to him in the square at the gate of the city and spoke ^gjencouragingly to them, saying, 7 ^gk“Be strong and courageous. ^glDo not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, ^gmfor there are more with us than with him. 8 With him is ^gnan arm of flesh, ^gobut with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people took confidence from the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

Sennacherib Blasphemes

9 After this, Sennacherib king of Assyria, who was besieging Lachish with all his forces, sent his servants to Jerusalem to Hezekiah king of Judah and to all the people of Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying, 10 “Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria, ‘On what are you trusting, that you endure the siege in Jerusalem? 11 Is not Hezekiah misleading you, that he may give you over to die by famine and by thirst, when he tells you, “The Lord our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria”? 12 ^gpHas not this same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, “Before one altar you shall worship, and on it you shall burn your sacrifices”? 13 Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of other lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands at all able to deliver their lands out of my hand? 14 Who among all the gods of those nations that my fathers devoted to destruction was able to deliver his people from my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand? 15 Now, therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you in this fashion, and do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you out of my hand!’”

16 And his servants said still more against the Lord God and against his servant Hezekiah. 17 And he wrote letters to cast contempt on the Lord, the God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, “Like the gods of the nations of the lands who have not delivered their people from my hands, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver his people from my hand.” 18 And they shouted it with a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, in order that they might take the city. 19 And they spoke of the God of Jerusalem as they spoke of the gods of the peoples of the earth, which are the work of men’s hands.

The Lord Delivers Jerusalem

20 Then Hezekiah the king and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed because of this and cried to heaven. 21 And the Lord sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty warriors and commanders and officers in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with ^gqshame of face to his own land. And when he came into the house of his god, some of his own sons struck him down there with the sword. 22 So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all his enemies, and he provided for them on every side. 23 And many ^grbrought gifts to the Lord to Jerusalem and precious things to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations from that time onward.

Hezekiah’s Pride and Achievements

24 ^gsIn those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death, and he prayed to the Lord, and he answered him and gave him a sign. 25 But Hezekiah ^gtdid not make return according to the benefit done to him, for ^guhis heart was proud. Therefore ^gvwrath came upon him and Judah and Jerusalem. 26 But Hezekiah ^gwhumbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

27 And Hezekiah had very great riches and honor, and he made for himself treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields, and for all kinds of ^gxcostly vessels; 28 storehouses also for the yield of grain, wine, and oil; and stalls for all kinds of cattle, and sheepfolds. 29 He likewise provided cities for himself, and flocks and herds in abundance, for God had given him very great possessions. 30 This same Hezekiah ^gyclosed the upper outlet of the waters of ^gzGihon and directed them down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works. 31 And so in the matter of the envoys of the princes of Babylon, ^hawho had been sent to him to inquire about ^hbthe sign that had been done in the land, God left him to himself, ^hcin order to test him and to know all that was in his heart.

32 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his good deeds, behold, they are written ^hdin the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, ^hein the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 33 And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the ^hfupper part of the tombs of the sons of David, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honor at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his place.

2 Chronicles 36

Judah’s Decline

1 ^hgThe people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah and made him king in his father’s place in Jerusalem. 2 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. 3 Then the king of Egypt deposed him in Jerusalem and ^hhlaid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent ^{▼▼A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms} of gold. 4 And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Jehoahaz his brother and carried him to Egypt.

5 ^hjJehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God. 6 ^hkAgainst him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon ^hland bound him in chains ^hmto take him to Babylon. 7 ^hnNebuchadnezzar also carried part of the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon and put them in his palace in Babylon. 8 ^hoNow the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and the abominations that he did, and what was found against him, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.

9 ^hpJehoiachin was eighteen ^{▼▼Septuagint (compare 2 Kings 24:8); most Hebrew manuscripts eight} years old when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. 10 In ^hrthe spring of the year King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon, ^hswith the precious vessels of the house of the Lord, and made his brother ^htZedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.

11 ^huZedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. 12 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God. He did not humble himself before ^hvJeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the Lord. 13 ^hwHe also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. ^hxHe stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord, the God of Israel. 14 All the officers of the priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. And they polluted the house of the Lord that he had made holy in Jerusalem.

15 The Lord, the God of their fathers, ^hysent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 ^hzBut they kept mocking the messengers of God, ^iadespising his words and scoffing at his prophets, ^ibuntil the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy.

Jerusalem Captured and Burned

17 ^icTherefore he brought up against 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 aged. He gave them all into his hand. 18 ^idAnd all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon. 19 ^ieAnd they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its precious vessels. 20 He ^iftook into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, ^igand they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had ^ihenjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate ⁱⁱit kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.

The Proclamation of Cyrus

22 ^ijNow in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, ^ikthat the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, ^ilthe Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: 23 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the Lord his God be with him. Let him go up.’”

Jeremiah 4:7

7 ^imA lion has gone up from his thicket,
a destroyer of nations has set out;
he has gone out from his place
to make your land a waste;
your cities will be ruins
ⁱⁿwithout inhabitant.

Jeremiah 39:1-3

The Fall of Jerusalem

1 ^ioIn the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the city. 3 Then all ^ipthe officials of the king of Babylon came ^iqand sat in the middle gate: Nergal-sar-ezer of Samgar, Nebu-sar-sekim ^irthe Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, with all the rest of the officers of the king of Babylon.