2 Kings 24:15-20

24:15 He deported Jehoiachin from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with the king’s mother and wives, his eunuchs, and the high-ranking officials of the land. ¹  24:16 The king of Babylon deported to Babylon all the soldiers (there were 7,000), as well as 1,000 craftsmen and metal workers. This included all the best warriors. ²  24:17 The king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s ³  uncle, king in Jehoiachin’s place. He renamed him Zedekiah.

Zedekiah’s Reign over Judah

24:18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he ruled for eleven years in Jerusalem. ⁴  His mother ⁵  was Hamutal, ⁶  the daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah. 24:19 He did evil in the sight of ⁷  the Lord, as Jehoiakim had done. ⁸ 

24:20 What follows is a record of what happened to Jerusalem and Judah because of the Lord’s anger; he finally threw them out of his presence. ⁹  Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

¹ tn Heb “and he deported Jehoiachin to Babylon; the mother of the king and the wives of the king and his eunuchs and the mighty of the land he led into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.”

² tn Heb “the entire [group], mighty men, doers of war.”

³ tn Heb “his.”

⁴ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁵ tn Heb “the name of his mother.”

⁶ tc Some textual witnesses support the consonantal text (Kethib) in reading “Hamital.”

⁷ tn Heb “in the eyes of.”

⁸ tn Heb “according to all which Jehoiakim had done.”

⁹ tn Heb “Surely [or, ‘for’] because of the anger of the Lord this happened in Jerusalem and Judah until he threw them out from upon his face.”