٢ أخبار 36

١ 1 وَأَخَذَ شَعْبُ ٱلْأَرْضِ يَهُوآحَازَ بْنَ يُوشِيَّا وَمَلَّكُوهُ عِوَضًا عَنْ أَبِيهِ فِي أُورُشَلِيمَ.

Then the people of Judah chose Josiah’s son Jehoahaz and appointed him as the king in Jerusalem.

٢ 2 كَانَ يُوآحَازُ ٱبْنَ ثَلَاثٍ وَعِشْرِينَ سَنَةً حِينَ مَلَكَ، وَمَلَكَ ثَلَاثَةَ أَشْهُرٍ فِي أُورُشَلِيمَ.

Jehoahaz was 23 years old when he became the king, but he ruled from Jerusalem for [only] three months.

٣ 3 وَعَزَلَهُ مَلِكُ مِصْرَ فِي أُورُشَلِيمَ وَغَرَّمَ ٱلْأَرْضَ بِمِئَةِ وَزْنَةٍ مِنَ ٱلْفِضَّةِ، وَبِوَزْنَةٍ مِنَ ٱلذَّهَبِ.

King Neco of Egypt [captured him and] prevented him from ruling any longer. He also forced the people of Judah to pay him a tax of almost four tons of silver and about 75 pounds of gold.

٤ 4 وَمَلَّكَ مَلِكُ مِصْرَ أَلِيَاقِيمَ أَخَاهُ عَلَى يَهُوذَا وَأُورُشَلِيمَ، وَغَيَّرَ ٱسْمَهُ إِلَى يَهُويَاقِيمَ. وَأَمَّا يُوآحَازُ أَخُوهُ فَأَخَذَهُ نَخْوُ وَأَتَى بِهِ إِلَى مِصْرَ.

The king of Egypt appointed Jehoahaz’s [younger] brother Eliakim to be the king of Judah. He changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. After Neco captured Jehoahaz, he took him to Egypt.

٥ 5 كَانَ يَهُويَاقِيمُ ٱبْنَ خَمْسٍ وَعِشْرِينَ سَنَةً حِينَ مَلَكَ، وَمَلَكَ إِحْدَى عَشَرَةَ سَنَةً فِي أُورُشَلِيمَ، وَعَمِلَ ٱلشَّرَّ فِي عَيْنَيِ ٱلرَّبِّ إِلَهِهِ.

Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he became the king [of Judah], and he ruled from Jerusalem for 11 years. He did things that Yahweh his God considers to be evil.

٦ 6 عَلَيْهِ صَعِدَ نَبُوخَذْنَاصَّرُ مَلِكُ بَابِلَ وَقَيَّدَهُ بِسَلَاسِلِ نُحَاسٍ لِيَذْهَبَ بِهِ إِلَى بَابِلَ،

Then the army of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Jehoiakim’s army. They [captured Jehoiakim and] bound him with bronze chains and took him to Babylon.

٧ 7 وَأَتَى نَبُوخَذْنَاصَّرُ بِبَعْضِ آنِيَةِ بَيْتِ ٱلرَّبِّ إِلَى بَابِلَ وَجَعَلَهَا فِي هَيْكَلِهِ فِي بَابِلَ.

Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers also took valuable things from the temple; they took them to Babylon and put them in king [Nebuchadnezzar’s] palace there.

٨ 8 وَبَقِيَّةُ أُمُورِ يَهُويَاقِيمَ وَرَجَاسَاتُهُ ٱلَّتِي عَمِلَ وَمَا وُجِدَ فِيهِ هَا هِيَ مَكْتُوبَةٌ فِي سِفْرِ مُلُوكِ إِسْرَائِيلَ وَيَهُوذَا. وَمَلَكَ يَهُويَاكِينُ ٱبْنُهُ عِوَضًا عَنْهُ.

A record of the other things that happened while Jehoiakim was ruling, the detestable things that he did, including the evil things that people said that he did, is written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Israel and Judah’. After [he was taken to Babylon], his son Jehoiachin became the king [of Judah].

٩ 9 كَانَ يَهُويَاكِينُ ٱبْنَ ثَمَانِي سِنِينَ حِينَ مَلَكَ، وَمَلَكَ ثَلَاثَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشَرَةَ أَيَّامٍ فِي أُورُشَلِيمَ. وَعَمِلَ ٱلشَّرَّ فِي عَيْنَيِ ٱلرَّبِّ.

Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he became the king [of Judah], and he ruled from Jerusalem for [only] three months and ten days. He did things that Yahweh considers to be evil.

١٠ 10 وَعِنْدَ رُجُوعِ ٱلسَّنَةِ أَرْسَلَ ٱلْمَلِكُ نَبُوخَذْنَاصَّرُ فَأَتَى بِهِ إِلَى بَابِلَ مَعَ آنِيَةِ بَيْتِ ٱلرَّبِّ ٱلثَّمِينَةِ، وَمَلَّكَ صِدْقِيَّا أَخَاهُ عَلَى يَهُوذَا وَأُورُشَلِيمَ.

During the spring of the next year, King Nebuchadnezzar sent [soldiers] to bring him to Babylon. They also took to Babylon many valuable things from the temple of Yahweh. Then Nebuchadnezzar appointed Jehoiachin’s uncle, Zedekiah, to be the king of Judah.

١١ 11 كَانَ صِدْقِيَّا ٱبْنَ إِحْدَى وَعِشْرِينَ سَنَةً حِينَ مَلَكَ، وَمَلَكَ إِحْدَى عَشَرَةَ سَنَةً فِي أُورُشَلِيمَ.

Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became the king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for 11 years.

١٢ 12 وَعَمِلَ ٱلشَّرَّ فِي عَيْنَيِ ٱلرَّبِّ إِلَهِهِ، وَلَمْ يَتَوَاضَعْ أَمَامَ إِرْمِيَا ٱلنَّبِيِّ مِنْ فَمِ ٱلرَّبِّ.

He did many things that Yahweh his God considered to be evil. And he did not humble himself when the prophet Jeremiah gave him a message from Yahweh [to warn him].

١٣ 13 وَتَمَرَّدَ أَيْضًا عَلَى ٱلْمَلِكِ نَبُوخَذْنَاصَّرَ ٱلَّذِي حَلَّفَهُ بِٱللهِ، وَصَلَّبَ عُنُقَهُ وَقَوَّى قَلْبَهُ عَنِ ٱلرُّجُوعِ إِلَى ٱلرَّبِّ إِلَهِ إِسْرَائِيلَ،

He would not return to Yahweh, the God that the people of Israel [said that they worshiped]. Zedekiah also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had forced him to solemnly promise using God’s name [to be loyal to him]. Zedekiah became very stubborn.

١٤ 14 حَتَّى إِنَّ جَمِيعَ رُؤَسَاءِ ٱلْكَهَنَةِ وَٱلشَّعْبِ أَكْثَرُوا ٱلْخِيَانَةَ حَسَبَ كُلِّ رَجَاسَاتِ ٱلْأُمَمِ، وَنَجَّسُوا بَيْتَ ٱلرَّبِّ ٱلَّذِي قَدَّسَهُ فِي أُورُشَلِيمَ.

Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and also the people [of Judah] became more wicked again, doing all the detestable things that the people of the other nations did, and causing the temple in Jerusalem that Yahweh had caused to be holy to become [an] unacceptable [place to worship him].

١٥ 15 فَأَرْسَلَ ٱلرَّبُّ إِلَهُ آبَائِهِمْ إِلَيْهِمْ عَنْ يَدِ رُسُلِهِ مُبَكِّرًا وَمُرْسِلًا لِأَنَّهُ شَفِقَ عَلَى شَعْبِهِ وَعَلَى مَسْكَنِهِ،

Yahweh, the God whom the ancestors [of the people of Judah belonged to/worshiped], gave messages to his prophets many times, and the prophets told those messages to the people of Judah. Yahweh did that because he pitied his people and did not want his temple to be destroyed.

١٦ 16 فَكَانُوا يَهْزَأُونَ بِرُسُلِ ٱللهِ، وَرَذَلُوا كَلَامَهُ وَتَهَاوَنُوا بِأَنْبِيَائِهِ حَتَّى ثَارَ غَضَبُ ٱلرَّبِّ عَلَى شَعْبِهِ حَتَّى لَمْ يَكُنْ شِفَاءٌ.

But the people continually made fun of God’s messengers. They despised God’s messages. They ridiculed his prophets, until finally God became extremely angry with his people, with the result that nothing could stop him [from destroying Judah].

١٧ 17 فَأَصْعَدَ عَلَيْهِمْ مَلِكَ ٱلْكِلْدَانِيِّينَ فَقَتَلَ مُخْتَارِيهِمْ بِٱلسَّيْفِ فِي بَيْتِ مَقْدِسِهِمْ. وَلَمْ يَشْفِقْ عَلَى فَتًى أَوْ عَذْرَاءَ، وَلَا عَلَى شَيْخٍ أَوْ أَشْيَبَ، بَلْ دَفَعَ ٱلْجَمِيعَ لِيَدِهِ.

He incited the king of Babylonia to attack [Judah with his army]. They killed the young men with their swords, even in the temple. They did not spare/pity anyone, young men or young women or old people. God enabled the army of Nebuchadnezzar to kill all of them.

١٨ 18 وَجَمِيعُ آنِيَةِ بَيْتِ ٱللهِ ٱلْكَبِيرَةِ وَٱلصَّغِيرَةِ وَخَزَائِنِ بَيْتِ ٱلرَّبِّ وَخَزَائِنِ ٱلْمَلِكِ وَرُؤَسَائِهِ أَتَى بِهَا جَمِيعًا إِلَى بَابِلَ.

His soldiers took to Babylon all the things that were used in God’s temple—big things and little things, all the valuable things, and the valuable things that belonged to the king and his officials.

١٩ 19 وَأَحْرَقُوا بَيْتَ ٱللهِ، وَهَدَمُوا سُورَ أُورُشَلِيمَ وَأَحْرَقُوا جَمِيعَ قُصُورِهَا بِٱلنَّارِ، وَأَهْلَكُوا جَمِيعَ آنِيَتِهَا ٱلثَّمِينَةِ.

They burned the temple, and they broke down the wall surrounding Jerusalem. They burned all the palaces [in Jerusalem] and destroyed all the remaining valuable things there.

٢٠ 20 وَسَبَى ٱلَّذِينَ بَقُوا مِنَ ٱلسَّيْفِ إِلَى بَابِلَ، فَكَانُوا لَهُ وَلِبَنِيهِ عَبِيدًا إِلَى أَنْ مَلَكَتْ مَمْلَكَةُ فَارِسَ،

Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers took to Babylon the remaining people who had not been killed with their swords. Then those people became the king’s slaves and his son’s slaves, until the [army of the] king of Persia conquered [the army of Babylonia].

٢١ 21 لِإِكْمَالِ كَلَامِ ٱلرَّبِّ بِفَمِ إِرْمِيَا، حَتَّى ٱسْتَوْفَتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ سُبُوتَهَا، لِأَنَّهَا سَبَتَتْ فِي كُلِّ أَيَّامِ خَرَابِهَا لِإِكْمَالِ سَبْعِينَ سَنَةً.

[Moses had said that every seventh year the people must not plant their fields; they must allow the soil to rest. But the people had not done that. So after the army of Babylonia destroyed Judah, ] the soil was allowed to rest. That continued for 70 years, fulfilling what Yahweh told Jeremiah and what Jeremiah had predicted/prophesied would happen.

٢٢ 22 وَفِي ٱلسَّنَةِ ٱلْأُولَى لِكُورَشَ مَلِكِ فَارِسَ لِأَجْلِ تَكْمِيلِ كَلَامِ ٱلرَّبِّ بِفَمِ إِرْمِيَا، نَبَّهَ ٱلرَّبُّ رُوحَ كُورَشَ مَلِكِ فَارِسَ، فَأَطْلَقَ نِدَاءً فِي كُلِّ مَمْلَكَتِهِ وَكَذَا بِٱلْكِتَابَةِ قَائِلًا:

During the first year that Cyrus was the king of Persia, in order that what Yahweh told Jeremiah would happen would occur, Yahweh motivated Cyrus to write this and proclaim it throughout his kingdom:

٢٣ 23 «هَكَذَا قَالَ كُورَشُ مَلِكُ فَارِسَ: إِنَّ ٱلرَّبَّ إِلَهَ ٱلسَّمَاءِ قَدْ أَعْطَانِي جَمِيعَ مَمَالِكِ ٱلْأَرْضِ، وَهُوَ أَوْصَانِي أَنْ أَبْنِيَ لَهُ بَيْتًا فِي أُورُشَلِيمَ ٱلَّتِي فِي يَهُوذَا. مَنْ مِنْكُمْ مِنْ جَمِيعِ شَعْبِهِ، ٱلرَّبُّ إِلَهُهُ مَعَهُ وَلْيَصْعَدْ».

“I, Cyrus, the king of Persia, declare that Yahweh, the God [who rules] in heaven, has enabled me to become the ruler of all the kingdoms of this world. And he wants me to [command that my workers] build a temple {a temple be built} for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Any of his people living among you people of Persia are allowed to go to Jerusalem. And I will pray that Yahweh will be with them.”