Joachaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Amital, daughter of Jeremias of Lobena. And he did what was evil before the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. And Pharao Nechao bound him in Deblatha in the land of Emath, that he should not reign in Jerusalem.
And Pharao Nechao made Eliakim son of Josias king of Judah in place of Josias his father, and changed his name to Joakim. And Joachaz his brother Pharao Nechao took and brought into Egypt, and he died there. And they gave the silver and the gold to Pharao; then the land began to be taxed, to give the silver at the mouth of Pharao; and each one exacted the silver and the gold from the people of the land according to his ability, to give to Pharao Nechao.
Joakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Zechora, daughter of Nerios of Rama. And he did what was evil before the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. In his days Nabouchodonosor king of Babylon came into the land, and he was subject to him three years, and then revolted from him. And the Lord sent against them the Chaldeans, and bands of Syrians, and bands of Moabites, and of the sons of Ammon, and of Samaria; and after this word they withdrew, according to the word of the Lord by the hand of his servants the prophets. Nevertheless the wrath of the Lord was upon Judah, to remove him from his presence, because of the sins of Manasseh in all that he did, and because of the innocent blood which Joakim shed, and he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; yet the Lord was not willing to destroy them utterly.
And the rest of the acts of Joakim, and all that he did, behold, are not these written in the book of the words of the days for the kings of Judah? And Joakim slept with his fathers, and was buried in Ganoza with his fathers; and Jechonias his son reigned in his place.
Jechonias was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem; and he did what was evil before the Lord.
And at the turn of the year king Nabouchodonosor sent and brought him to Babylon, with the precious vessels of the house of the Lord, and made Sedekias his father's brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.
in that he set at nought the things toward king Nabouchodonosor, which he had made him swear by God; and he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart, so as not to return to the Lord God of Israel.
And all the honourable men of Judah, and the priests, and the people of the land multiplied transgressions, the abominable transgressions of the nations, and defiled the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem.
And the Lord God of their fathers sent by the hand of the prophets, rising up early and sending his messengers, because he was sparing of his people and of his sanctuary.
But they mocked his messengers, and despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose up against his people, until there was no healing.
And he brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, and he killed their young men with the sword in the house of his sanctuary, and did not spare Sedekias; and they had no mercy on their virgins, and they led away their elders: he delivered all things into their hands.
And all the vessels of the house of God, the great and the small, and the treasuries, and all the treasures of the king and of the nobles, he brought all to Babylon.
And he burned the house of the Lord, and pulled down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned her fortresses with fire, and every beautiful vessel he brought to destruction.
to fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremias, until the land had accepted its sabbaths: all the days of its desolation it kept sabbath, to the fulfilment of seventy years.
In the first year of Cyrus king of the Persians, after the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremias was fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of the Persians, and he gave orders to make a proclamation throughout all his kingdom in writing, saying,
Thus says Cyrus king of the Persians: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me, and he himself has commanded me to build him a house in Jerusalem in Judea. Who is there among you, of all his people? May his God be with him — and let him go up.