36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother was Zebidah, the daughter of Pedaiah from Rumah. 37 He did what was evil in the Lord ’s sight, just as his ancestors had done.
1
During Jehoiakim’s reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded the land of Judah. Jehoiakim surrendered and paid him tribute for three years but then rebelled.
2
Then the Lord sent bands of Babylonian, 1 Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against Judah to destroy it, just as the Lord had promised through his prophets.
3
These disasters happened to Judah because of the Lord ’s command. He had decided to banish Judah from his presence because of the many sins of Manasseh,
4
who had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood. The Lord would not forgive this.
5
The rest of the events in Jehoiakim’s reign and all his deeds are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah.
6
When Jehoiakim died, his son Jehoiachin became the next king.
7
The king of Egypt did not venture out of his country after that, for the king of Babylon captured the entire area formerly claimed by Egypt - from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River.