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And all Judah and Jerusalem 25 mourned for Josiah. And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah and all the singing men and singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations, unto this day; and they made them an ordinance in Israel and, behold, they are written in the lamentations. 26 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his good deeds, according to that which is written 27 in the law of the LORD, and his acts, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.

Reigns of Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim.

And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father's stead.

Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had 33 done.

And Pharaoh-necoh put him in bands at Riblah in the land of Hamath, 'that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and put the land to a 2tribute of an hundred talents of silver, and a 34 talent of gold. And Pharaoh

necoh made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the room of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim: but he took Jehoahaz away; and he came to Egypt, and died there. 35 And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh ; but he

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Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's stead in Jerusalem. 2 Joahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three 3 months in Jerusalem. And the king of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem, and amerced the land in an hundred talents of silver 4 and a talent of gold. And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Neco took Joahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.

taxed the land to give the money according to the commandment of Pharaoh he exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, of every one according to his taxation, to give it unto Pharaoh-necoh.

36 Jehoiakim was twenty and

five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. 37 And he did that which was evil

in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had 24 done. In his days Nebuchad

nezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him. 2 And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldeans, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by the hand of his servants the pro3 phets. Surely at the command

ment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that 4 he did; and also for the innocent blood that he shed; for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the LORD would not pardon. 5 Now 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 6 Judah? So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead. 7 And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land: for the king of Babylon had taken, from the brook of Egypt

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Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight 6 of the LORD his God. Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Baby7 lon. Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of the LORD to Babylon, and put them in his 'temple at Baby8 lon. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.

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unto the river Euphrates, all that pertained to the king of Egypt.

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Jehoiachin carried to Babylon 8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign; and he reigned in Jerusalem three months: and his mother's name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jeru9 salem. And he did that which

was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Io had done. At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. II And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came unto the city, while his servants were besieging 12 it; and Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his 'officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the 13 eighth year of his reign. And

he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, 14 as the LORD had said. And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths; none remained, save the poorest sort of the 15 people of the land. And he

carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon; and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his 'officers, and the chief men of the land,

1 Or, eunuchs 2 Or, mighty

by Nebuchadnezzar.

Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he I did that which was evil in the 10 sight of the LORD. And 1at the return of the year king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the LORD, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.

1 See 2 Sam. xi. I.

carried he into captivity from 16 Jerusalem to Babylon. And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths a thousand, all of them strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to to Babylon. 17 And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father's brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

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Zedekiah rebels against Nebuchadnezzar. Fall of Jerusalem.

1Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was 2 Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of 19 Libnah. And he did that which

was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim 20 had done. For through the anger of the LORD did it come to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from

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his presence and Zedekiah rebelled against the king of 25 Babylon. And it came to pass

in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it; and they built forts 2 against it round about. So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. 3 On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land. 4 Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate

1 See Jer. lii. 1, &c.
2 Heb. Hamital.

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I I

Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven 12 years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God; he humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the LORD. 13 And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and 'hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD, the God of Israel. 14 Moreover all the chiefs of the

priests, and the people, trespassed very greatly after all the abominations of the heathen; and they polluted the house of the LORD which he had hallowed 15 in Jerusalem. And the LORD,

the God of their fathers, sent to them by his messengers, rising up early and sending; because he had compassion on his people, 16 and on his dwelling place: but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was 17 no remedy. Therefore he

1 Heb. strengthened.
2 Heb. healing.

between the two walls, which was by the king's garden: (now the Chaldeans were against the city round about :) and the king went by the way of the Arabah. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho and all his army was 6 scattered from him. Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judge7 ment upon him. And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon.

8 Now in the fifth month, on the

seventh day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto 9 Jerusalem and he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king's house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great 10 house, burnt he with fire.

And

all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls II of Jerusalem round about. And

the residue of the people that were left in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the residue of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard 12 carry away captive. But the captain of the guard left of the poorest of the land to be vine13 dressers and husbandmen. And the pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD, and the

brought upon them the king of the Chaldeans, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man

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or

ancient he gave them all into 18 his hand. And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to 19 Babylon. And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly 20 vessels thereof. And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and

his sons until the reign of the 21 kingdom of Persia: to fulfil the

word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.

1 Or, spake with him of judgement

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