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2KINGS
CHAPTER 24

1 In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him. 2 And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servants the prophets. 3 Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon 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; 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 slept with his fathers: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.

Jehoiakim reigned only 11 years in Judah. During his reign, the king of Babylon caused him to surrender. And Jehoiakim began to serve as a "vassal" of the king of Babylon.
But Jehoiakim determined he would rebel. Then God sent more war than he could handle. The Babylonians (Chaldees), Syrians, Moabites, and Amonites all began to fight against Judah.
Jehoiakimm wasn't being reproved for standing and fighting. The nation of Israel was being reproved for "the sins of Manasseh." (verse 3) The sins of Manasseh were sins of idolatry.
Remember, a national leader can only DO what the people will LET him do.
(Think about THAT in relation to what is happening in our nation today.) Jehoiakim died, and his son Jehoiachin (18 years of age) became king.

7 And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land: for the king of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to the king of Egypt.

Notice that the Babylonians had conquered all the land (including Israel) from the river Euphrates (North) to the river of Egypt (Nile). That is the description of Israel's land which God had given them.
God had taken it all away because of their sins of idolatry.

8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother's name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9 And he did that which was 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, and his servants did besiege it. 12 And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.

Jehoiachin is referred to as Jeconiah (1Chronicles 3:16-17) and Coniah (Jeremiah 22:24). Matthew lists "Jeconias" as an ancestor of Jesus (Matthew 1:11-12). The year is now 597 BC.
He ruled Judah for three months, then the king of Babylon came and took over totally in his nation. In his eighth year of reign, he was taken captive by the king of Babylon, and was carried with thousands of others to Babylon.
Evidently, this man found some grace in the sight of Nebuchadnezzar and in the sight of Evilmerodach (Nebuchadnezzar's son) because he was not killed, and later was given a place at the king's table for the rest of his life. (2Kings 25:27-30).
God was at work here, providing grace even through an evil king, in order that the line of David would not be broken and His promise of a Messiah through David's descendents would be fulfilled.

13 And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, 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 the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said. 14 And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land. 15 And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16 And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar carried off people and riches. Notice he carried away the more prominent people. Thus he destroyed any hope for Israel to have a "resurgency" and rebel again.

17 And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father's brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah. 18 Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 19 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 20 For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

Mattaniah was Josiah's son, Jehoiakim's brother and Jehoiachin's uncle. The king of Babylon changed his name to Zedekiah and placed him as ruler when he carried Jehoiachin away.
Zedekiah (Mattaniah) had nothing but farmers and laborers left in his country. He paid tribute each year to the king of Babylon, and finally rebelled nine years later. The year is now 586 BC.
This is the year in which Jerusalem was TOTALLY destroyed.

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