2 Raja-raja 24

Bagian: Raja Nebukadnezar merebut Yehuda

1 Pada masa kepemimpinan Yoyakim, Raja Nebukadnezar dari Babel menyerang negeri Yehuda dan mengalahkannya. Selama tiga tahun Yoyakim takluk menjadi jajahan Babel, tetapi kemudian dia memberontak. 2 TUHAN mendatangkan pasukan dari bangsa Babel, Moab, Aram, dan Amon, untuk menghancurkan Yehuda. Semua itu terjadi sesuai dengan perkataan TUHAN yang telah disampaikan melalui hamba-Nya, para nabi. 3 TUHAN sudah menetapkan bahwa bangsa Yehuda harus disingkirkan dari negeri-Nya. Kehancuran itu adalah hukuman atas segala dosa Raja Manasye, 4 termasuk pembunuhan yang dia lakukan terhadap orang-orang tak bersalah. Kota Yerusalem penuh dengan utang darah, dan TUHAN tidak mau membiarkan semuanya itu berlalu tanpa dihukum. 5 Kisah selebihnya tentang Yoyakim, termasuk tindakan-tindakan yang diambilnya, dicatat dalam kitab sejarah raja-raja Yehuda. 6 Yoyakim meninggal dunia, dan Yoyakin anaknya menggantikan dia. 7 Raja Mesir tidak lagi pergi berperang untuk merebut wilayah sekitar karena kerajaan Babel sudah menaklukan seluruh kawasan yang terbentang dari sungai di perbatasan utara Mesir sampai ke sungai Efrat.

Bagian: Yerusalem ditaklukkan

8 Yoyakin naik takhta pada umur delapan belas tahun. Dia memerintah selama tiga bulan di Yerusalem. Ibunya bernama Nehusta anak Elnatan, orang Yerusalem. 9 Yoyakin melakukan apa yang jahat di mata TUHAN seperti ayahnya. 10 Pada masa Yoyakin, tentara Nebukadnezar dari kerajaan Babel mengepung Yerusalem. 11 Dalam pengepungan itu, Raja Nebukadnezar sendiri juga datang ke kota itu. 12 Lalu Yoyakin menyerahkan diri kepada Nebukadnezar. Dia ditawan bersama dengan ibu suri serta semua pejabat dan pegawainya.
Peristiwa itu terjadi pada tahun kedelapan masa pemerintahan Nebukadnezar. 13 Kemudian Nebukadnezar memberi perintah supaya seluruh barang berharga dari rumah TUHAN dan istana diangkut ke Babel. Semua perkakas rumah TUHAN yang berlapis emas buatan Salomo dibongkar dan emasnya diambil. Hal ini terjadi tepat seperti pesan TUHAN melalui nabi-Nya. 14 Penduduk Yerusalem ditawan ke negeri Babel, termasuk para bangsawan, pejabat, tentara, juga perajin dan tukang logam. Jumlah seluruhnya 10.000 orang. Hampir tak ada yang tersisa di kota kecuali rakyat kecil yang paling miskin. 15 Yoyakin beserta ibunya, istri-istrinya, pegawai-pegawainya, dan semua orang terkemuka Yehuda dibawa ke Babel. 16 Tentara yang diangkut berjumlah 7.000 orang. Perajin dan tukang besi 1.000 orang. Semuanya orang kuat yang bisa berperang.

Bagian: Nebukadnezar mengangkat Zedekia sebagai raja

17 Raja Babel mengangkat paman Yoyakin, yaitu Matania anak Yosia, untuk menjadi raja di Yehuda. Nebukadnezar mengganti namanya menjadi Zedekia. 18 Zedekia naik takhta pada umur dua puluh satu tahun. Dia memerintah selama sebelas tahun di Yerusalem. Ibunya bernama Hamutal anak Yeremia, dari kota Libna. 19 Dia melakukan apa yang jahat di mata TUHAN sama seperti Yoyakim saudaranya. 20 Rakyat Yerusalem dan Yehuda disingkirkan TUHAN dari negeri-Nya oleh karena murka-Nya atas mereka.
Setelah beberapa tahun memerintah, Zedekia memberontak terhadap Nebukadnezar.

1 In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. 2 Yahweh sent against him bands of the Chaldeans, bands of the Syrians, bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to Yahweh’s word which he spoke by his servants the prophets. 3 Surely at the commandment of Yahweh this came on Judah, to remove them out of his sight for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did, 4 and also for the innocent blood that he shed; for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and Yahweh would not pardon. 5 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, aren’t they 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 place. 7 The king of Egypt didn’t come out of his land any more; for the king of Babylon had taken, from the brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates, all that belonged to the king of Egypt. 8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9 He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, according to all that his father had done. 10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. 11 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it, 12 and Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon—he, his mother, his servants, his princes, and his officers; and the king of Babylon captured him in the eighth year of his reign. 13 He carried out from there all the treasures of Yahweh’s house 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 Yahweh’s temple, as Yahweh had said. 14 He carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. No one remained except the poorest people of the land. 15 He carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, with the king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officers, and the chief men of the land. He carried them into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16 All the men of might, even seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths one thousand, all of them strong and fit for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon. 17 The king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s father’s brother, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah. 18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 19 He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 20 For through the anger of Yahweh, this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.