1And the people of the land took Yeho’aḥaz son of Yoshiyahu, and set him up to reign in his father’s place in Yerushalayim.

2Yeho’aḥaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Yerushalayim.

3And the sovereign of Mitsrayim turned him aside in Yerushalayim, and imposed on the land a levy of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.

4And the sovereign of Mitsrayim made his brother Elyaqim sovereign over Yehuḏah and Yerushalayim, and changed his name to Yehoyaqim. And Neḵo took Yeho’aḥaz his brother and brought him to Mitsrayim.

5Yehoyaqim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Yerushalayim. And he did evil in the eyes of יהוה his Elohim.

6Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar sovereign of Baḇel came up against him, and bound him in bronze shackles to take him away to Baḇel.

7And Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar brought some of the utensils from the House of יהוה to Baḇel, and put them in his hĕḵal at Baḇel.

8And the rest of the acts of Yehoyaqim, the abominations which he did, and what was found against him, see, they are written in the book of the sovereigns of Yisra’ĕl and Yehuḏah. Then Yehoyaḵin his son reigned in his place.

9Yehoyaḵin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Yerushalayim three months and ten days. And he did evil in the eyes of יהוה.

10And at the turn of the year Sovereign Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar sent and brought him to Baḇel, with the valuable utensils from the House of יהוה, and made Tsiḏqiyahu, Yehoyaqim’s brother, sovereign over Yehuḏah and Yerushalayim.

11Tsiḏqiyahu was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Yerushalayim.

12And he did evil in the eyes of יהוה his Elohim. He did not humble himself before Yirmeyahu the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of יהוה.

13And he also rebelled against Sovereign Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar, who had made him swear by Elohim, but he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl.

14Also, all the heads of the priests and the people trespassed more and more, according to all the abominations of the gentiles, and they defiled the House of יהוה which He had set apart in Yerushalayim.

15And יהוה Elohim of their fathers sent to them, by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, for He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place.

16But they were mocking the messengers of Elohim and despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of יהוה arose against His people, until there was no healing.

17Therefore He brought against them the sovereign of the Chaldeans, and he slew their young men with the sword in the House of their set-apart place, and had no compassion on young man or maiden, on the aged or the weak – He gave all into his hand.

18And all the utensils from the House of Elohim, great and small, and the treasures of the House of יהוה, and the treasures of the sovereign and of his leaders, all these he brought to Baḇel.

19And they burned the House of Elohim, and broke down the wall of Yerushalayim, and burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its valuable utensils.

20And those who escaped from the sword he exiled to Baḇel, where they became servants to him and his sons until the reign of the reign of Persia,

21in order to fill the word of יהוה by the mouth of Yirmeyahu, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay waste she kept Sabbath, until seventy years were completed.

22And in the first year of Koresh sovereign of Persia, in order to accomplish the word of יהוה by the mouth of Yirmeyahu, יהוה stirred up the spirit of Koresh sovereign of Persia, so that he called out in all his reign, and also put it in writing, saying,

23“Thus said Koresh sovereign of Persia, ‘יהוה Elohim of the heavens has given me all the reigns of the earth. And He has commanded me to build Him a house in Yerushalayim, which is in Yehuḏah. Whoever is among you of all His people, יהוה his Elohim be with him, and let him go up!’ ”