5 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 When Jehoiakim died, his son Jehoiachin became the king.
7 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 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 many things that Yahweh considered to be evil, just as his father had done.
10 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 While they were doing that, Nebuchadnezzar himself came to the city. 12 Then King Jehoiachin and his mother and his advisors and important officers and palace officials all surrendered to the Babylonian army.
15 Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers also took to Babylon Jehoiachin’s wives and officials, his mother, and all the important people. 16 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 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 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 But Zedekiah did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil, just as Jehoiakim had done. 20 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.