31. These events have been written in the official records of the Judean kings. All of Josiah’s actions—including his honor, his understanding of the Law of the Lord, all that he did previously, and these things that are now told—are described in the official records of the kings of Israel and Judea.
32. Then the leaders of the nation appointed Jeconiah, Josiah’s son, who was 23 years old, as king to succeed his father.
33. He ruled in Judea and Jerusalem for three months. Then the king of Egypt removed him from his rule in Jerusalem
34. and fined the nation 5,700 pounds of silver and fifty-seven pounds of gold.
35. The king of Egypt appointed his own brother Jehoiakim as king of Judea and Jerusalem.
36. Jehoiakim put the officials in prison. He seized his other brother Zarius and took him from Egypt.
37. Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he began to rule over Judea and Jerusalem; he did what was evil in the Lord’s presence.
38. Then Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar went up against him, bound him with bronze chains, and took him away to Babylon.
39. Nebuchadnezzar also seized some of the Lord’s holy equipment, carried it off to Babylon, and placed it in his temple.
40. But the things reported about Jehoiakim, his impurity and godlessness, have been written in the scroll about the times of the kings.
41. His son Jehoiachin ruled in his place. When he was appointed king, he was 18 years old.
42. He ruled in Jerusalem for three months and ten days, and he did evil things in the Lord’s presence.
43. After a year, Nebuchadnezzar removed Jehoiachin to Babylon, along with the Lord’s holy equipment.
44. He appointed Zedekiah king of Judea and Jerusalem when Zedekiah was 21 years old. He ruled for eleven years.
45. He also did evil things in the Lord’s presence and paid no attention to the words Jeremiah the prophet spoke, which came from the Lord.
46. Although King Nebuchadnezzar had made him swear a solemn pledge in the Lord’s name, he swore falsely and rebelled. He was stubborn and broke the laws of the Lord, the God of Israel.
47. The leaders of the people and the priests committed godless and immoral acts far beyond the impure ones of the nations. They even corrupted the Lord’s temple that had been made holy in Jerusalem.
48. The God of their ancestors sent his messenger to call them back, because he was trying to spare them and his dwelling place.
49. But they mocked the messengers and made fun of the prophets on the day that the Lord spoke.Finally, God, with divine anger, brought the Chaldean kings against his chosen nation because of their godless acts.
50. The Chaldeans killed the young people around the holy temple. They spared neither man nor woman, young nor old, for God handed over all of them.