King Jehoahaz of Judah
(2 Kings 23.30-35)1 After the death of Josiah, the people of Judah crowned his son Jehoahaz their new king. 2 He was 23 years old at the time, and he ruled only 3 months from Jerusalem. 3 King Neco of Egypt captured Jehoahaz and forced Judah to pay 3.4 tons of silver and 34 kilograms of gold as taxes. 4 Then Neco appointed Jehoahaz's brother Eliakim king of Judah and changed his name to Jehoiakim. He led Jehoahaz away to Egypt as his prisoner.
King Jehoiakim of Judah
(2 Kings 23.36—24.7)5 Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he was appointed king, and he ruled 11 years from Jerusalem. Jehoiakim disobeyed the Lord his God by doing evil.
6 During Jehoiakim's rule, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia invaded Judah. He arrested Jehoiakim and put him in chains, and he sent him to the capital city of Babylon. 7 Nebuchadnezzar also carried off many of the valuable things in the Lord's temple, and he put them in his palace in Babylon.
8 Everything else Jehoiakim did while he was king, including all the disgusting and evil things, is written in The History of the Kings of Israel and Judah. His son Jehoiachin then became king.
King Jehoiachin of Judah
(2 Kings 24.8-17)9 Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled only 3 months and 10 days from Jerusalem. Jehoiachin also disobeyed the Lord by doing evil. 10 In the spring of the year, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia had Jehoiachin arrested and taken to Babylon, along with more of the valuable items in the temple. Then Nebuchadnezzar appointed Zedekiah king of Judah.
King Zedekiah of Judah
(2 Kings 24.18-20Jeremiah 52.1-3)11 Zedekiah was 21 years old when he was appointed king of Judah, and he ruled from Jerusalem for 11 years. 12 He disobeyed the Lord his God and refused to change his ways, even after a warning from Jeremiah, the Lord's prophet.
13 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia had forced Zedekiah to promise in God's name that he would be loyal. Zedekiah was stubborn and refused to turn back to the Lord God of Israel, so he rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. 14 The people of Judah and even the priests who were their leaders became more unfaithful. They followed the disgusting example of the nations around them and made the Lord's holy temple unfit for worship. 15 But the Lord God felt sorry for his people, and instead of destroying the temple, he sent prophets who warned the people over and over about their sins. 16 But the people only laughed and insulted these prophets. They ignored what the Lord God was trying to tell them, until he finally became so angry that nothing could stop him from punishing Judah and Jerusalem.
Jerusalem Is Destroyed
(2 Kings 25.1-21Jeremiah 52.3-30)17 The Lord sent King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia to attack Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar killed the young men who were in the temple, and he showed no mercy to anyone, whether man or woman, young or old. God let him kill everyone in the city. 18 Nebuchadnezzar carried off everything that was left in the temple; he robbed the treasury and the personal storerooms of the king and his officials. He took everything back to Babylon.
19 Nebuchadnezzar's troops burned down the temple and destroyed every important building in the city. Then they broke down the city wall. 20 The survivors were taken to Babylonia as prisoners, where they were slaves of the king and his sons, until Persia became a powerful nation.
21 Judah was an empty desert, and it stayed that way for 70 years, to make up for all the years it was not allowed to rest. These things happened just as Jeremiah the Lord's prophet had said.
Cyrus Lets the Jews Return Home
(Ezra 1.1-4)22 In the first year that Cyrus was king of Persia, the Lord had Cyrus send a message to all parts of his kingdom. This happened just as Jeremiah the Lord's prophet had promised. 23 The message said:
I am King Cyrus of Persia.
The Lord God of heaven has made me the ruler of every nation on earth. He has also chosen me to build a temple for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. The Lord God will watch over any of his people who want to go back to Judah.
Joahas, omukwaniilwa gwaJuda
(2 Aak. 23:30-35)1 Aajuda oya hogolola Joahas yaJosia e taye mu gwayeke omukwaniilwa muJerusalem. 2 Joahas okwa li e na omimvo omilongo mbali nandatu, sho a ningi omukwaniilwa gwaJuda, nokwa lele muJerusalem oomwedhi ndatu. 3 Omukwaniilwa Neko gwaEgipiti okwe mu kwata po onkwatwa e ta futitha Juda oshisiliveli shookilograma 3 400 noshingoli shookilograma 34 iifendela. 4 Neko okwa kwaniileke omumwayina gwaJoahas, edhina lye Eliakim, a ninge omukwaniilwa gwaJuda, e ta lukulula edhina lye, li ninge Jehoiakim. Joahas okwa falwa kuEgipiti.
Jehoiakim, omukwaniilwa gwaJuda
(2 Aak. 23:36—24:7)5 Jehoiakim okwa li e na omimvo omilongo mbali nantano, sho a ningi omukwaniilwa gwaJuda, nokwa lele muJerusalem omimvo omulongo nagumwe. Okwa yono kOmuwa, Kalunga ke. 6 Omukwaniilwa gwaBabilonia Nebukadnezzar okwa matukile Juda e ta kwata po Jehoiakim e te mu fala kuBabilonia e li momalyenge. 7 Nebukadnezzar okwa kutha po omaliko gamwe gomotempeli e te ga pungula muuwa we muBabilon. 8 Ashihe shoka Jehoiakim a longo, mwa kwatelelwa iilonga ye iinyanyalithi nuuwinayi we mboka a hunu, oya nyolelwa membo lyondjokonona yaakwaniilwa yaJuda. Omwana Jehoiakin okwe mu landula muukwaniilwa.
Jehoiakin, omukwaniilwa gwaJuda
(2 Aak. 24:8-17)9 Jehoiakin okwa li e na omimvo omulongo nahetatu, sho a ningi omukwaniilwa gwaJuda, nokwa lele muJerusalem oomwedhi ndatu nomasiku omulongo. Okwa yono wo kOmuwa. 10 Poshitemamvula omukwaniilwa Nebukadnezzar okwa fala Jehoiakin kuBabilonia onkwatwa, e ta faalele omaliko gotempeli. Nena Nebukadnezzar okwa kwaniileke hegona yaJehoiakin, edhina lye Sedekia, a ninge omukwaniilwa gwaJuda naJerusalem.
Sedekia, omukwaniilwa gwaJuda
(2 Aak. 24:18-20Jer. 52:1-3a)11 Sedekia okwa li e na omimvo omilongo mbali nagumwe, sho a ningi omukwaniilwa gwaJuda, nokwa lele muJerusalem omimvo omulongo nagumwe. 12 Okwa yono kOmuwa, ye ini ifupipika montaneho yomuhunganeki Jeremia, sho a hunganeke oohapu dhOmuwa.
Okutekapo kwaJerusalem
(2 Aak. 25:1-21Jer. 52:3b-11)13 Sedekia okwa tsu ondumbo nomukwaniilwa Nebukadnezzar, ngoka e mu ganithithile medhina lyaKalunga a kale omwiinekelwa. Okwa li omutangalali nokwi ikukutike ye ina hala okugalukila kOmuwa, Kalunga kaIsrael. 14 Ihe naawiliki wo yAajuda, aayambi noshigwana osha landula oshiholelwa shuulunde shiigwana mbyoka ye ya kunduka mokulongela iimenka, noya nyateke otempeli ndjoka Omuwa e yi yapula muJerusalem. 15 Omuwa, Kalunga koohekulu, okwa tsikile okutuma aahunganeki, ya londodhe aantu ye, oshoka okwa li a hala e ya hupithe pamwe notempeli. 16 Ihe yo oya dhini aatumwa yaKalunga, ya dhini oohapu dhe e taa yolo aahunganeki, sigo pehulilo ondjahi yOmuwa okugeela aantu ye oya ningi onene, noinaa vula oku yi yanda.
17 Omuwa okwe etha omukwaniilwa gwaBabilonia e ya homone. Omukwaniilwa ngoka okwa dhipaga aagundjuka Aajuda, nomotempeli nokuli. Ina sila nando olye ohenda, omunona nenge omukuluntu, omulumentu nenge omukiintu, omuvu nenge ondjolowele. Kalunga okwe ya gandja ayehe kuye. 18 Omukwaniilwa gwaBabilonia okwa yugu otempeli, omaliko gayo nuuyamba womukwaniilwa nomalenga ge, nokwa fala ayihe kuBabilon. 19 Okwa fike po otempeli noshilando, oongulu dhasho adhihe nuuyamba washo, e ta kumuna po edhingililokuma lyoshilando. 20 Ayehe mboka ya hupu ko, okwe ya fala muupika kuBabilon, nkoka ye mu longele nomaluvalo ge, sigo okuholokapo kwoshilongo shaPersia. 21 Osho oohapu ndhoka Omuwa a popithile nale omuhunganeki Jeremia, odha gwanithwa. Otadhi ti: “Evi otali ka kala lya mbugala omimvo omilongo heyali, li ninge evululuko lyEsabati, ndyoka lya li inaali dhigininwa.”
Kores ta shunitha Aajuda
(Esra. 1:1-4)22 Momumvo gwotango Kores sho a li omupangeli gwaPersia, Omuwa okwa tsakanitha shoka sha popilwe komuhunganeki Jeremia. Omuwa okwa hwameke ombepo yaKores, a gandje oshipango molupe lwenyolo sho shi leshwe pombanda moshilongo she ashihe:
23 “Kores, omupangeli gwaPersia ota ti ngeyi: ‘Omuwa, Kalunga komegulu, okwa ningi ndje omuleli guuyuni auhe nokwa pe ndje oshilongo shoku mu tungila otempeli muJerusalem muJuda. Ngashingeyi, ne amuhe mboka aantu yaKalunga, indeni ko, nOmuwa, Kalunga keni, na kale pamwe nane!’ ”
