His son Jehoahaz was crowned to rule in his place.
II Chronicles 36:1-2- Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's stead in Jerusalem. Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
Jehoahaz was a wicked king. Because of his wickedness, the curses and judgement of the Lord were going to start falling on the nation of Judah.
II Kings 23:33-34- And Pharaohnechoh put him in bands at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and put the land to a tribute of an hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold. And Pharaohnechoh made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the room of Josiah his father, and turned his name to Jehoiakim, and took Jehoahaz away: and he came to Egypt, and died there.
The same king, Pharoahnecoh, that had killed Josiah in battle, came against Jehoahaz after only 3 months on the throne, and took him captive. Jehoahaz was led away to Egypt as a prisoner, and that's how and where he died.
He also made the nation of Israel pay him tribute money. In Jehoahaz place, Pharoahnecoh set up another king. The new king was given a new name by the king of Egypt- Jehoiakim.
II Kings 23:35-37- And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give the money according to the commandment of Pharaoh: he exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, of every one according to his taxation, to give it unto Pharaohnechoh. Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Zebudah, the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.
The first thing that Jehoiakim did we to tax the people of Judah. He had to raise the money for the King of Egypt, or there would be war! Jehoiakim was not a good king. Though he reigned 11 years, they wouldn't be peaceful.
Jeremiah 46:2- Against Egypt, against the army of Pharaohnecho king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah.
II Kings 24:1-2- In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him. 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.
Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, came down during Jehoiakim's reign and conquered the king of Egypt. After this, he came against Jehoiakim and made him pay tribute. On top of these troubles, there were small renegade armies that would come into the land and attack different areas of Judah.
God sent prophets to warn Jehoiakim. But he wouldn't listen.
Jeremiah 26:20-23-And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the LORD, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjathjearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah: And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death: but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt; And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain men with him into Egypt. And they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king; who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.
Urijah told the king what God had said. But, the king wanted to kill him for it. Even though Urijah ran away to the country of Egypt, Jehoiakim sent an army to capture him and kill him.
After Urijah's death, Jeremiah the prophet sent a letter to tell Jehoiakim what the Lord wanted him to hear. But, Jehoiakim wouldn't listen to that either.
Jeremiah 36:29-30-And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast? Therefore thus saith the LORD of Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.
Jehoiakim took a letter than Jeremiah had sent and read part of it. He didn't like what it had to say, and so he had it burned. God wasn't going to let his words go to waste. He told Jeremiah to write it down again.
Jeremiah 22:18-19- Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory! He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
God said that Jehoiakim would be drawn out of the city like an animal and killed.
Daniel 1:1-2- In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.
II Chronicles 36:6-8- Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of the LORD to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.
Nebuchadnezzar kept Jehoiakim under his thumb from the third year of his reign until the eleventh year. Then, he bound him in chains and dragged him from the city like an animal. Jehoiakim was taken to Babylon as a prisoner, and there he died.
II Kings 24:6-7- So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead. 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.
Jehoiachin was the next to be anointed king. But he was only 8 years old when he was anointed.
II Chronicles 36:9- Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD
Although he was anointed, it appears that he wasn't the ruler until he was 18. His mother would reign as the Interim Queen until he was of age to ascend the throne.
Jeremiah 13:16, 18- Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory.
Jeremiah tried to warn them to turn to God and repent, but they wouldn't.
When Jehoiachin was of age to ascend the throne, he would only sit on it for a little over 3 months.
II Kings 24:8-9- 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. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.
Jehoiachin, also known as Jeconiah, did evil while on the throne. God warned him and his mother that if they did evil, evil would come to them. But, they continued in their wicked ways and made the Lord angry!
Jeremiah 22:24-26,30- As I live, saith the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence; And I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die. Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.
The Lord was going to punish the king, the evil mother queen, and he was going to destroy his children. Jeremiah went on to prophesy that there would never be a ruler from this line to sit on Jerusalem's throne and have a successful kingdom!
II Kings 24: 11-12.14- And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it. 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. 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.
Both he and his mother were bound in chains and taken to Babylon as prisoners, along with the other leaders, his army, and anyone who could be of use to the king of Babylon.
II Kings 24:17- And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father's brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah.
All of the people who could have risen up and started a war against Nebuchadnezzar were taken away as prisoners. So, the king of Babylon took Jehoiachin's uncle and made him the next ruler. Zedekiah was left to rule over the poorest of the land.
Jeremiah 29:1-2, 4-7- Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon; (After that Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem;) Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon; Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
Jeremiah sent and told the captives that the Lord would help them to grow and live in Babylon. All they had to do was live peacefully among the heathen and pray to the Lord. In time, God would bring them back to the land of Judah.
We never find out the end of most of these captives. But, I believe that Jehoiachin came to repent while he was in prison.
II Kings 25:27-30- And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison; And he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon; And changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life. And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.
After 37 years in a Babylonian prison, the next king of Babylon had compassion on Jehoiachin and took him out of prison. He was seated at the table of the king and allowed to eat and live like a prince the rest of his days.
God's judgements are never without mercy. If we humble ourselves, no matter how wicked we were, the Lord will have mercy on us. If we ask for forgiveness, no matter where we find ourselves, the Lord will hear.
The nation of Judah could have asked God for forgiveness at any time, but they didn't. They could have repented and asked God for mercy, but they wouldn't.
