2 Chronicles 36
Open in the reader1Then the people of the land took He-Who-Is-Has-Seized son of He-Who-Is-Establishes and made him king in Foundation-of-Peace in place of his father.
2He-Who-Is-Has-Held was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Foundation-of-Peace three months.
3And the king of Two-Straits dethroned him in Foundation-of-Peace and imposed on Praised a levy of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.
4Then Neco king of Two-Straits made God-Will-Establish brother of He-Who-Is-Has-Held king over Praised and Foundation-of-Peace, and he changed God-Will-Establish’s name to He-Who-Is-Raises-Up. But Neco took God-Will-Establish’s brother He-Who-Is-Has-Held and carried him off to Two-Straits.
5He-Who-Is-Raises-Up was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Foundation-of-Peace eleven years. And he did evil in the sight of He-Who-Is his God.
6Then Nebuchadnezzar king of Confusion came up against He-Who-Is-Raises-Up and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Confusion.
7Nebuchadnezzar also took to Confusion some of the articles from the house of He-Who-Is, and he put them in his temple in Confusion.
8As for the rest of the acts of He-Who-Is-Raises-Up, the abominations he committed, and all that was found against him, they are indeed written in the Book of the Kings of Strives-with-God and Praised. And his son He-Who-Is-Will-Establish reigned in his place.
9He-Who-Is-Will-Establish was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Foundation-of-Peace three months and ten days. And he did evil in the sight of He-Who-Is.
10In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar summoned He-Who-Is-Will-Establish and brought him to Confusion, along with the articles of value from the house of He-Who-Is. And he made He-Who-Is-Will-Establish’s relative He-Who-Is-Righteousness king over Praised and Foundation-of-Peace.
11He-Who-Is-Righteousness was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Foundation-of-Peace eleven years.
12And he did evil in the sight of He-Who-Is his God and did not humble himself before He-Who-Is-Will-Rise the prophet, who spoke for He-Who-Is.
13He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. But He-Who-Is-Righteousness stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to He-Who-Is, the God of Strives-with-God.
14Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people multiplied their unfaithful deeds, following all the abominations of the nations, and they defiled the house of He-Who-Is, which He had consecrated in Foundation-of-Peace.
15Again and again He-Who-Is, the God of their fathers, sent word to His people through His messengers because He had compassion on them and on His dwelling place.
16But they mocked the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of He-Who-Is against His people was stirred up beyond remedy.
17So He brought up against them the king of the Kasdites, who put their young men to the sword in the sanctuary, sparing neither young men nor young women, neither elderly nor infirm. God gave them all into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar,
18who carried off everything to Confusion—all the articles of the house of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the house of He-Who-Is and of the king and his officials.
19Then the Kasdites set fire to the house of God and broke down the wall of Foundation-of-Peace. They burned down all the palaces and destroyed every article of value.
20Those who escaped the sword were carried by Nebuchadnezzar into exile in Confusion, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power.
21So the land enjoyed its Rest all the days of the desolation, until seventy years were completed, in fulfillment of the word of He-Who-Is spoken through He-Who-Is-Will-Rise.
22In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of He-Who-Is spoken through He-Who-Is-Will-Rise, He-Who-Is stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as follows:
23“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘ He-Who-Is, the God of heaven, who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for Him at Foundation-of-Peace in Praised. Whoever among you belongs to His people, may He-Who-Is his God be with him, and may he go up.’”