2 Kings 24

1 During the reign of Jehoiakim, Nebuchadnezzar, kind of Babylon, invaded the country and Jehoiakim submitted to him. But after three years Jehoiakim rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar.

While Jehoiakim was ruling [Judah, the army of] King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded Judah. [They defeated the Judean army, and as a result, ] Jehoiakim was required to pay a lot of tribute/taxes to King Nebuchadnezzar. But after three years, Jehoiakim rebelled.

2 Then the Lord sent bands of raiders against Judah to destroy them. They came from Babylonia, Aram, Moab, and Ammon, just as the Lord had said through his servants the prophets.

Then Yahweh sent raiders from Babylonia and Syria, and from the Moab and Ammon people-groups, to attack the people of Judah and get rid of them, just as Yahweh had told his prophets to warn the people would happen.

3 The Lord spoke against Judah to banish them from his presence because of all the sins that Manasseh had committed, and the innocent people he had killed,

These things happened to the people of Judah according to what Yahweh commanded. [He had decided] to get rid of the people of Judah because of the many sins that King Manasseh [had committed].

4 filling Jerusalem with their blood. The Lord was not willing to forgive this.

Manasseh had even caused many innocent people in Jerusalem to be killed, and Yahweh would not forgive that.

5 The rest of what happened in Jehoiakim's reign, and all he did, are recorded in the Book of Chronicles of the Kings of Judah.

The other things that happened while Jehoiakim was king, and all the things that he did, are written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Judah’.

6 Jehoiakim died, and his son Jehoiachin succeeded him as king.

When Jehoiakim died, his son Jehoiachin became the king.

7 The king of Egypt didn't leave his country again for the king of Babylon had taken all the territory that used to belong to him, from the Wadi of Egypt all the way to the Euphrates River.

[The army of] the king of Babylon [defeated the army of Egypt, and] took control of all the area that the Egyptians formerly controlled, from the brook [at the border] of Egypt [in the south] to the Euphrates River [in the north]. So [the army of] the king of Egypt did not return [to attack Judah] again.

8 Jehoiachin was eighteen when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for three months. His mother was Nehushta, daughter of Elnathan. She came from Jerusalem.

Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he became the king of Judah. His mother’s name was Nehushta; she was the daughter of a man from Jerusalem named Elnathan. Jehoiachin ruled in Jerusalem for [only] three months.

9 Jehoiachin did what was evil in the Lord's sight, just as his father had done.

Jehoiachin did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil, just as his father had done.

10 At that time the officers of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon attacked Jerusalem and besieged it.

[While Jehoiachin was king, ] some officers of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came [along with the whole Babylonian army] to Jerusalem, and they surrounded the city.

11 Then Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon came himself while his officers were besieging the city.

While they were doing that, Nebuchadnezzar himself came to the city.

12 Jehoiachin, king of Israel, surrendered to the king of Babylon, along with his mother, his officers, his commanders, and his officials. It was in the eighth year of his reign that Nebuchadnezzar captured Jehoiachin.

Then King Jehoiachin and his mother and his advisors and important officers and palace officials all surrendered to the Babylonian army. These thngs happened when Nebuchadnezzar had been king for eight years. He arrested Jehoiachin and took him to Babylon.

13 Nebuchadnezzar took all the treasures from the Lord's Temple and the royal palace, and he cut up all the gold items that Solomon, king of Israel, had made for the Lord's Temple, as the Lord had said would happen.

Just as Yahweh had said would happen, Nebuchadnezzar’s [soldiers] took [to Babylon] all the valuable things from Yahweh’s temple and from the king’s palace. They cut apart all the gold items that King Solomon had put in the temple.

14 He deported all of Jerusalem, all the commanders and experienced soldiers, all the craftsmen and metalworkers, a total of ten thousand prisoners. Only the very poor people of the land were left.

They took from Jerusalem [to Babylon] 10,000 people, including the important officials and the best soldiers and the people who made and repaired things that were made of metal. Only the very poor people were left in Judah.

15 He took Jehoiachin away into exile to Babylon, as well as the king's mother and the king's wives and his officials and the leading men of the land, he deported them all from Jerusalem to Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers also took to Babylon Jehoiachin’s wives and officials, his mother, and [all] the important people.

16 The king of Babylon also deported to Babylon all seven thousand fighting men and one thousand craftsmen and metalworkers, who were all strong and ready for battle.

They also took to Babylon 7,000 of the best soldiers and 1,000 men who knew how to make and repair things that are made from metal. All of these people whom they took were strong and able to fight in wars.

17 The king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's uncle, king instead of him, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

Then the king of Babylon appointed Jehoiachin’s uncle, Mattaniah, to be the king [of Judah], and he changed Mattaniah’s name to Zedekiah.

18 Zedekiah was twenty-one when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother's name was Hamutal, daughter of Jeremiah She came from Libnah.

When Zedekiah was twenty-one years old, he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal; she was the daughter of a man named Jeremiah from Libnah [town].

19 He did evil in the Lord's sight, just as Jehoiakim had done.

But Zedekiah did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil, just as Jehoiakim had done.

20 All this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, because of the Lord's anger, until he eventually banished them from his presence. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

Yahweh was very angry. So (and finally/after he had been patient a long time) he expelled the people of Jerusalem and [the other places in] Judah and sent them to Babylon. [That is what happened when] Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.