New: Plus articles on faith, family and the Bible. Read them →

About this chapterJehoiakim serves Babylon for three years, then rebels, and the Lord sends raiders against Judah, as announced by the prophets, because of Manasseh's innocent bloodshed. His son Jehoiachin reigns only three months before Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem. Jehoiachin surrenders, and the Babylonians carry off the temple treasures and take ten thousand captives, including craftsmen and leading citizens, leaving only the poorest. Nebuchadnezzar appoints Zedekiah, Josiah's son, as king, but Zedekiah does evil and rebels against Babylon. This is the first deportation; the chapter shows a kingdom coming apart because the people ignored repeated warnings, and it prepares for the final fall.

Jehoiakim serves Babylon for three years, then rebels, and the Lord sends raiders against Judah, as announced by the prophets, because of Manasseh's innocent bloodshed. His son Jehoiachin reigns only three months before Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem. Jehoiachin surrenders, and the Babylonians carry off the temple treasures and take ten thousand captives, including craftsmen and leading citizens, leaving only the poorest. Nebuchadnezzar appoints Zedekiah, Josiah's son, as king, but Zedekiah does evil and rebels against Babylon. This is the first deportation; the chapter shows a kingdom coming apart because the people ignored repeated warnings, and it prepares for the final fall.

Themes

  • First deportation
  • Consequences of rebellion
  • Warnings unheeded

Key verses

Audio Bible · 2 Kings 24

Listen while you go about your day.

2 Kings 24

Berean Standard Bible20 verses · 3 min read

1During Jehoiakim’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded. So Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years, until he turned and rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. 2And the LORD sent Chaldean, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against Jehoiakim in order to destroy Judah, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servants the prophets. 3Surely this happened to Judah at the LORD’s command, to remove them from His presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all that he had done, 4and also for the innocent blood he had shed. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the LORD was unwilling to forgive. 5As for the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 6And Jehoiakim rested with his fathers, and his son Jehoiachin reigned in his place. 7Now the king of Egypt did not march out of his land again, because the king of Babylon had taken all his territory, from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River. 8Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan; she was from Jerusalem. 9And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as his father had done. 10At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege. 11And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it. 12Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his commanders, and his officials all surrendered to the king of Babylon. So in the eighth year of his reign, the king of Babylon took him captive. 13As the LORD had declared, Nebuchadnezzar also carried off all the treasures from the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and he cut into pieces all the gold articles that Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD. 14He carried into exile all Jerusalem—all the commanders and mighty men of valor, all the craftsmen and metalsmiths—ten thousand captives in all. Only the poorest people of the land remained. 15Nebuchadnezzar carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, as well as the king’s mother, his wives, his officials, and the leading men of the land. He took them into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16The king of Babylon also brought into exile to Babylon all seven thousand men of valor and a thousand craftsmen and metalsmiths—all strong and fit for battle. 17Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah. 18Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. 19And Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done. 20For because of the anger of the LORD, all this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He finally banished them from His presence. And Zedekiah also rebelled against the king of Babylon.

Pray for them

Real requests from the YESHVA community

  • WAQAS

    🙏 Please Pray for Me Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, please keep me and my family in your prayers. 🙏 I have neither my mother nor my father. I am trying my best to support my family, and my brother also…

  • Luciano

    🙏❤️ **Prayer Request for Santiago** Today we ask you to join us in prayer for little Santiago, son of Maho and David, who will undergo two surgeries. God has led them through miracle after miracle, and today we trust…

  • David

    🙏 I ask for your prayers for my broken heart after a recent breakup. I'm struggling with sadness, anxiety, and loneliness. Please pray that God will give me peace, strength, and emotional healing during this time.…

Verses in 2 Kings 24

Chapters of 2 Kings

All books

Yeshva is free and ad-free, kept going by people like you. Support Yeshva →