The Falling of Jerusalem and Judah under Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin and Zedekiah

Jehoiakim was one of the few evil kings of Judah. In his time, Nebuchadnezzar was king in Babylon and Judah was paying Babylon tribute. Egypt was no longer a power as it too was subdued by Babylon. When Jehoiakim rebelled and refused to pay tribute, bands of raiders came to destroy Judah. The Scripture does not say it was ordered by Nebuchadnezzar, but rather it was the LORD who send the raiders to destroy Judah according to his promise because of the sins of Manasseh.

Jehoiachin succeeded his father in Judah, and like the last few kings, he did evil in God's sight. Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and captured it along with Jehoiachin and his family and took them back to Babylon. All the treasures in the Temple of the LORD was taken to Babylon. In addition, most of the people in Judah, especially the skillful ones, were also taken to Babylon. Only the poor and unskilled people were left in Judah.

Babylon installed a puppet king, Mattaniah or Zedekiah, who was Jehoiachin's uncle in Judah. Zedekiah too did evil in God's sight and he rebelled against Babylon. Perhaps if they would have accepted God's judgement on Judah and repented and trusted in the LORD while living under Babylon, then further catastrophe may have been avoided.


2 Kings 24

Judah Overrun by Enemies

 1 In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. 2 And the LORD sent against him raiding bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the people of Ammon; He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD which He had spoken by His servants the prophets. 3 Surely at the commandment of the LORD this came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, 4 and also because of the innocent blood that he had shed; for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which 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 Judah? 6 So Jehoiakim rested with his fathers. Then Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.
7 And the king of Egypt did not come out of his land anymore, for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Brook of Egypt to the River Euphrates.

The Reign and Captivity of Jehoiachin
 
8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.
10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. 11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, as his servants were besieging it. 12 Then Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his princes, and his officers went out to the king of Babylon; and the king of Babylon, in the eighth year of his reign, took him prisoner.

The Captivity of Jerusalem
 
13 And he carried out from there all the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house, and he cut in pieces all the articles of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said. 14 Also he carried into captivity all Jerusalem: all the captains and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths. None remained except the poorest people of the land. 15 And he carried Jehoiachin captive to Babylon. The king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officers, and the mighty of the land he carried into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16 All the valiant men, seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths, one thousand, all who were strong and fit for war, these the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.

Zedekiah Reigns in Judah
 
17 Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s[a] uncle, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.
18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 19 He also did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 20 For because of the anger of the LORD this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, that He finally cast them out from His presence. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.