1 Durante o reinado do rei Joaquim, Nabucodonozor, rei da Babilónia, atacou Jerusalém. Joaquim rendeu-se e teve de pagar-lhe um tributo durante três anos; depois, rebelou-se.
2 O Senhor enviou bandos de caldeus, de sírios, de moabitas e de amonitas contra Judá, a fim de destruir a nação, tal como o Senhor tinha avisado que aconteceria, pela boca dos seus profetas.
3 Não havia dúvida de que estes ataques cairam sobre Judá mandados pelo Senhor, o qual decidira castigar duramente Judá, varrê-lo para longe da sua vista, devido aos muitos pecados de Manassés,
4 pois tinha enchido Jerusalém com sangue; por isso o Senhor não lhe perdoou.
5 O resto dos acontecimentos da vida de Joaquim estão relatados nas Crónicas dos Reis de Judá. Quando morreu, o seu filho Jeconias ascendeu o trono. O faraó egípcio nunca mais saiu da sua terra, porque o rei da Babilónia ocupou toda a região dominada pelo Egipto - toda a terra de Judá desde o ribeiro do Egipto até ao rio Eufrates.
8 O novo rei de Judá foi Jeconias. Tinha 18 anos quando começou a reinar. Reinou durante três meses, em Jerusalém. A sua mãe chamava-se Neusta, e era filha de Elnatã, de Jerusalém.
10 Durante o seu reinado os exércitos do rei da Babilónia cercaram a cidade de Jerusalém. O próprio Nabucodonozor chegou a Jerusalém durante o cerco, e o rei Jeconias, com todo o seu estado maior e os responsáveis pela administração do reino, mais a rainha mãe, tiveram de se render. Jeconias foi feito prisioneiro e mandado para Babilónia, durante o oitavo ano do reinado de Nabucodonozor.
13 Os babilónios levaram todos os tesouros do templo e do palácio real. Quebraram os vasos de ouro que o rei Salomão de Israel tinha colocado no templo por indicação do Senhor. O rei Nabucodonozor levou dez mil cativos de Jerusalém, incluindo as altas individualidades, a tropa de elite, os comerciantes e artesãos. Apenas os mais pobres de entre o povo e os que não tinham profissão determinada foram deixados na terra.
15 Nabucodonozor levou pois o rei Jeconias, mais as suas mulheres e os chefes da administração pública, mais a rainha mãe, para Babilónia. Também transportou sete mil dos melhores soldados do exército e mil carpinteiros e ferreiros, todos gente capaz e forte para a guerra. O rei de Babilónia nomeou rei o tio de Jeconias chamado Matanias, mudando o seu nome para Zedequias.
18 O novo rei de Judá foi Zedequias. Tornou-se rei aos 21 anos. Duração do seu reinado: 11 anos, em Jerusalém. O nome da sua mãe era: Hamutal; era filha de Jeremias, de Libna. Fez o que era mal perante o Senhor, conforme os actos anteriormente praticados por Joaquim. Por essa razão o Senhor, na sua ira contra o pecado, destruiu o povo de Jerusalém e de Judá e os lançou para longe. Aconteceu também que Zedequias se revoltou contra o rei de Babilónia.
1 In his days, came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,and Jehoiakim became his servant three years, then turned he and rebelled against him.
2 And Yahweh sent against him troops of Chaldeans, and troops of Syrians, and troops of Moabites, and troops of the sons of Ammon, yea he sent them against Judah, to destroy him,according to the word of Yahweh, which he spake through his servants the prophets.
3 Surely, it was, because of the anger of Yahweh, that this came upon Judah, to remove them from his presence,for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done:
4 moreover also, for the innocent blood that he had shed, so that he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood,which Yahweh was not willing to pardon.
5 Now, the rest of the story 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 slept with his fathers,and, Jehoiachin his son, reigned, in his stead.
7 And the king of Egypt came no more again out of his land,for the king of Babylon had takenfrom the ravine of Egypt, unto the river Euphrates, all that had belonged to the king of Egypt.
8 Eighteen years old, was Jehoiachin when he began to reign, and, three months, reigned he in Jerusalem,and, his mothers name, was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan, of Jerusalem.
9 And he did the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh,according to all that, his father, had done.
10 At that time, came up the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem,and the city came into the siege.
11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants were about to besiege it.
12 Then came out Jehoiachin king of Judah, unto the king of Babylon, he and his mother, and his servants, and his generals, and his courtiers,and the king of Babylon took him, in the eighth year of his reign.
13 And he carried forth from thence, all the treasures of the house of Yahweh, and the treasures of the house of the king,and he cut off all the fittings of gold, which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of Yahweh, according to all that, Yahweh, had spoken.
14 And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the generals, and all the mighty men of valour, ten thousand becoming captives, and all the artificers and the smiths,none remained save the poorest of the people of the land.
15 And he carried away captive Jehoiachin, to Babylon,and, the kings mother, and the kings wives, and his courtiers, and the nobles of the land, took he away captive, from Jerusalem to Babylon.
16 And, all the men of mightseven thousand, and artificers and smithsa thousand, all who were valiant and ready to make war, the king of Babylon brought them captive to Babylon.
17 And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, his relative, king in his stead,and changed his name to Zedekiah.
18 Twenty-one years old, was Zedekiah when he began to reign, and, eleven years, reigned he in Jerusalem,and, his mothers name, was Hamutal, daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
19 And he did the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh,according to all that, Jehoiakim, had done.
20 For, it was because the anger of Yahweh had come against Jerusalem, and against Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled, against the king of Babylon.