Then the people took Josiah’s son, Jehoahaz, and made him to be the king.

He was only king for 3 months and then the king of Egypt attacked the land and took Jehoahaz off the throne and put his brother, Eliakim, as king over the south part of Israel. And the king of Egypt changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim.

 

 

 

Jehoiakim was king for 11 years and did many bad things in God’s sight.

 

God then let another bad king come to the city and take away this king to a far land. This other bad king took all the gold and silver dishes out of God’s house to Babylon and put them in his temple there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jehoiakim’s son, Jehoiachin, was king next. He was 8 years old and was only king for three months also.

The bad king from Babylon came and took more precious treasures from the house of God and made a man called Zedekiah to be the king.

 

 

Zedekiah was 21 years old when he was made the king and was king for 11 years also.

 

He did bad things, following the bad ones, and was very hard against the Lord God who made him. The leaders of the people were also doing very bad things.

 

 

Many times the Lord God sent men to call the people back to the Lord because He loved His people so much.

But the people made fun of the men God sent and hated the words from God so much that there was nothing God could do to help them anymore.

So God sent on them the worst king of all who killed their soldiers and took away the people and everything from the house of God and burned it to the ground like God had told the people by the men that He sent to turn them back to Him.

So God’s special land got the rest that the people were supposed to give it, but didn’t. 70 rest years were missed, so God kept the people out of the special land for 70 years so the land could rest and become fresh and strong again.

When the 70 years was done, a man name Cyrus who was king in the land of Persia, and ruled over the countries of the world, sent the Israelites back to God's special land.

 

 

 

 

 

In his first year as king, Cyrus said, The Lord God of heaven has given me

 

 

 

 

all the kingdoms of the earth to do whatever I want.

 

 

And He has told me to build a house for Him at Jerusalem. Who of you, all His people, who want to go back home, The Lord be with you and go.