2 Chronicles 36:11-16

Contemporary English Version

King Zedekiah of Judah

(2 Kings 24.18-20; Jeremiah 52.1-3)

^11 (A) Zedekiah was 21 years old when he was appointed king of Judah, and he ruled from Jerusalem for 11 years. ¹² He disobeyed the Lord his God and refused to change his ways, even after a warning from Jeremiah, the Lord's prophet.

^13 (B) King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia had forced Zedekiah to promise in God's name that he would be loyal. Zedekiah was stubborn and refused to turn back to the Lord God of Israel, so he rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁴ The people of Judah and even the priests who were their leaders became more unfaithful. They followed the disgusting example of the nations around them and made the Lord's holy temple unfit for worship. ¹⁵ But the Lord God felt sorry for his people, and instead of destroying the temple, he sent prophets who warned the people over and over about their sins. ¹⁶ But the people only laughed and insulted these prophets. They ignored what the Lord God was trying to tell them, until he finally became so angry that nothing could stop him from punishing Judah and Jerusalem.