2 Kings 24: Nebuchadnezzar, Jehoiachin, and the first exile to Babylon

In plain English: In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant (or: his subject) for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him.

In plain English: Yahweh sent against him raiding bands of the Chaldeans, of Aram (this Bible: the Syrians), of the Moabites and of the children of Ammon. He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of Yahweh that he had spoken through (literally: by the hand of) his servants the prophets.

Good to know: "His servants the prophets" are the prophets of 21:10, through whom Yahweh spoke against Jerusalem and Judah in the days of Manasseh. The text does not name them.

In plain English: Surely it was at Yahweh's command (literally: by the mouth of Yahweh) that this came on Judah, to remove them out of his sight (literally: from before his face) because of the sins of Manasseh, all that he had done,

In plain English: and also because of the innocent blood that he shed. For he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and Yahweh was not willing to forgive (this Bible: would not pardon).

In plain English: The rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

In plain English: So Jehoiakim lay down with his fathers, and Jehoiachin his son became king in his place.

Good to know: Other books call this king by other forms of his name: "Jeconiah" (1 Chronicles 3:16, among "the sons of Jehoiakim"; Jeremiah 24:1, "Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim") and "Coniah the son of Jehoiakim" (Jeremiah 22:24).

In plain English: The king of Egypt did not come out of his land again, for the king of Babylon had taken everything that had belonged to the king of Egypt, from the brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates.

In plain English: Jehoiachin was eighteen 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.

Good to know: These are the text's own numbers. 2 Chronicles 36:9 says "Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days". The text does not explain how the numbers fit together.

In plain English: He did what was evil in Yahweh's eyes, as his father had done.

In plain English: At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged (literally: came into a siege).

In plain English: Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it.

In plain English: Jehoiachin king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he and his mother, his servants, his officials (this Bible: princes) and his court officials (this Bible: officers; or: eunuchs). The king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.

In plain English: He carried out from there all the treasures of Yahweh's house and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the gold objects (this Bible: vessels of gold) that Solomon king of Israel had made in Yahweh's temple, as Yahweh had said.

Good to know: The text does not say which word of Yahweh it means. Earlier, in 20:17, Isaiah gave Hezekiah the word of Yahweh: "all that is in your house ... will be carried to Babylon. Nothing will be left."

In plain English: He carried into exile all Jerusalem, all the officials (this Bible: princes) and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand exiles (this Bible: captives), and all the craftsmen and the smiths. No one was left except the poorest people of the land.

Good to know: These are the text's own numbers: ten thousand exiles here, and in verse 16 seven thousand men of strength and one thousand craftsmen and smiths. Jeremiah 52:28 gives another count: "in the seventh year, three thousand twenty-three Jews". The text does not explain how the numbers fit together.

In plain English: He carried Jehoiachin away to Babylon, with the king's mother, the king's wives, his court officials (this Bible: officers; or: eunuchs) and the leading men (this Bible: chief men) of the land. He led them into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.

In plain English: All the men of strength (this Bible: might), seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths, one thousand, all of them strong and fit for war: these the king of Babylon brought into exile to Babylon.

In plain English: The king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's uncle (this Bible: father's brother), king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

The Hebrew word: "Father's brother" is dod, which the dictionary gives as "a love-token, lover, friend; specifically an uncle".

Good to know: 2 Chronicles 36:10 says Nebuchadnezzar "made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem". The text gives no reason for the new name, as with Jehoiakim in 23:34.

In plain English: Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

Good to know: Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah, is also named as the mother of Jehoahaz in 23:31.

In plain English: He did what was evil in Yahweh's eyes, as Jehoiakim had done.

In plain English: For it was because of Yahweh's anger that this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had thrown them out from his presence (literally: from before his face). And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.