New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
2 Chronicles 36
1
The people of the land went and got Jehoahaz. He was the son of Josiah. The people made Jehoahaz king in Jerusalem in place of his father.
Reference
Kingdom
Jeremiah 22:11
2
Jehoahaz was 23 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for three months.
3
The king of Egypt removed him from his throne in Jerusalem. The king of Egypt made the people of Judah pay him a tax of almost four tons of silver and 75 pounds of gold.
4
Neco, the king of Egypt, made Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem. Eliakim was a brother of Jehoahaz. Neco changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim. But he took Eliakim's brother Jehoahaz with him to Egypt.
5
Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 11 years. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God.
Reference
Kingdom
Jeremiah 26:1
6
Nebuchadnezzar attacked him. Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylonia. He put Jehoiakim in bronze chains. And he took him to Babylon.
Reference
Kingdom
2 Chronicles 33:11
7
Nebuchadnezzar also took articles from the Lord's temple. He took them to Babylon. He put them in his own temple there.
Reference
Temple
2 Kings 24:13
8
The other events of Jehoiakim's rule are written in the records of the kings of Israel and Judah. He did things the Lord hated. Those things and everything that happened to him are also written in those records. His son Jehoiachin became the next king after him.
9
Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for three months and ten days. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.
10
In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar sent for him. He brought him to Babylon. He also brought articles of value from the Lord's temple. He made Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem. Zedekiah was Jehoiachin's uncle.
Reference
11
Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 11 years.
12
He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God. He didn't pay any attention to the message the Lord spoke through the prophet Jeremiah.
Reference
People
References Lord
2 Chronicles 33:23
13
Zedekiah also refused to remain under the control of King Nebuchadnezzar. The king had made him take an oath in God's name. But his heart became very stubborn. He wouldn't turn to the Lord, the God of Israel.
Reference
References God
2 Chronicles 30:8
14
And that's not all. The people and the leaders of the priests became more and more unfaithful. They followed all of the practices of the nations. The Lord hated those practices. The people and leaders made the Lord's temple "unclean." The Lord had set the temple in Jerusalem apart in a special way for himself.
Reference
References Lord
Daniel 9:8
15
The Lord, the God of Israel, sent word to his people through his messengers. He sent it to them again and again. He took pity on his people. He also took pity on the temple where he lived.
Reference
16
But God's people made fun of his messengers. They hated his words. They laughed at his prophets. Finally the Lord's burning anger was stirred up against his people. Nothing could save them.
Reference
Judgment
Ezra 5:12
Parallel theme
2 Chronicles 30:10
Proverbs 6:15
Psalm 35:16
Proverbs 29:1
Prophecy
Jeremiah 32:3
References God
Psalm 74:1
1 Thessalonians 4:8
17
The Lord brought the king of Babylonia against them. The Babylonian army killed their young people with their swords at the temple. They didn't spare young men or women. They didn't spare the old people either. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar.
Reference
18
Nebuchadnezzar carried off to Babylon all of the articles from God's temple. Some of the articles were large. Others were small. He carried off the treasures of the temple. He also carried off the treasures that belonged to the king and his officials.
Reference
19
The Babylonians set God's temple on fire. They broke down the wall of Jerusalem. They burned all of the palaces. They destroyed everything of value there.
Reference
References God
Psalm 79:1
20
Nebuchadnezzar took the rest of the people to Babylon as prisoners. They had escaped from being killed with swords. They served him and his sons. That lasted until the kingdom of Persia became stronger than Babylonia.
Reference
📍 Persia
Kingdom
Jeremiah 27:7
21
The land of Israel enjoyed its sabbath years. It rested. That deserted land wasn't farmed for a full 70 years. What the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah came true.
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 26:43
References Lord
Zechariah 1:12
Jeremiah 25:9
Word
Jeremiah 29:10
Daniel 9:2
22
It was the first year of the rule of Cyrus. He was king of Persia. The Lord stirred him up to send a message all through his kingdom. It happened so that what the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah would come true. The message was written down. It said,
Reference
📍 Persia
People
23
Cyrus, the king of Persia, says, " 'The Lord is the God of heaven. He has given me all of the kingdoms on earth. He has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any one of his people among you can go up to Jerusalem. And may the Lord your God be with you.' "
Reference
📍 Persia
Chapter Summary
2 Chronicles Chapter 36 describes the final decline and destruction of the kingdom of Judah, followed by the beginning of restoration under the Persian king Cyrus. After the death of Josiah, Judah rapidly lost its independence. His son Jehoahaz became king but ruled for only three months before Pharaoh Necho removed him and took him to Egypt. Necho installed another son of Josiah, Jehoiakim, as king and imposed a heavy payment on Judah. Jehoiakim ruled for eleven years but did evil in the sight of God. During his reign, the rising Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar defeated the region's previous powers and began dominating Judah.
Jehoiakim was followed by his son Jehoiachin, who ruled for only three months and ten days before Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem and deported the king to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar then placed Zedekiah, Jehoiachin's uncle, on Judah's throne. Zedekiah ruled for eleven years but also rebelled against Babylon. More importantly, he refused to humble himself before God and rejected the warnings of the prophet Jeremiah.
The chapter explains that Judah's destruction was not sudden or without warning. God repeatedly sent prophets because He had compassion on His people and on Jerusalem. The people, however, mocked the messengers, rejected God's words, and refused to repent. Religious leaders and ordinary people alike continued practices that polluted the Temple and violated God's commands. Eventually, the Chronicler says, there was no remedy left, and judgment came.
In 586 BC, Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian army destroyed Jerusalem. The Temple was burned, the city walls were demolished, the royal buildings were destroyed, and the remaining treasures were carried to Babylon. Many survivors were taken into exile and remained there until Persia defeated Babylon. The chapter connects this period with Jeremiah's prophecy concerning the land's Sabbath rest.
The final verses introduce a dramatic change. In 539 BC, Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered Babylon, and in the first year of his rule over the Babylonian territories he issued a proclamation allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem. Cyrus acknowledged the God of heaven and authorized the rebuilding of His Temple.
The chapter therefore ends with hope after judgment. Judah's destruction was presented as the consequence of persistent rebellion, but exile was not the end of God's relationship with His people. The decree of Cyrus opened the way for restoration, the return of the exiles, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple. This ending also provides a bridge from Chronicles into the events recorded in Ezra, where the restoration of the Jewish community and Temple begins.
Jehoiakim was followed by his son Jehoiachin, who ruled for only three months and ten days before Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem and deported the king to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar then placed Zedekiah, Jehoiachin's uncle, on Judah's throne. Zedekiah ruled for eleven years but also rebelled against Babylon. More importantly, he refused to humble himself before God and rejected the warnings of the prophet Jeremiah.
The chapter explains that Judah's destruction was not sudden or without warning. God repeatedly sent prophets because He had compassion on His people and on Jerusalem. The people, however, mocked the messengers, rejected God's words, and refused to repent. Religious leaders and ordinary people alike continued practices that polluted the Temple and violated God's commands. Eventually, the Chronicler says, there was no remedy left, and judgment came.
In 586 BC, Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian army destroyed Jerusalem. The Temple was burned, the city walls were demolished, the royal buildings were destroyed, and the remaining treasures were carried to Babylon. Many survivors were taken into exile and remained there until Persia defeated Babylon. The chapter connects this period with Jeremiah's prophecy concerning the land's Sabbath rest.
The final verses introduce a dramatic change. In 539 BC, Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered Babylon, and in the first year of his rule over the Babylonian territories he issued a proclamation allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem. Cyrus acknowledged the God of heaven and authorized the rebuilding of His Temple.
The chapter therefore ends with hope after judgment. Judah's destruction was presented as the consequence of persistent rebellion, but exile was not the end of God's relationship with His people. The decree of Cyrus opened the way for restoration, the return of the exiles, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple. This ending also provides a bridge from Chronicles into the events recorded in Ezra, where the restoration of the Jewish community and Temple begins.