Portions: II Kings 24 - 25; Psalms 1 - 3

During Jehoiakim's reign,
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded the land,
and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years.
But then he changed his mind
and rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar.
The Lord sent Babylonian, Aramean,
Moabite and Ammonite raiders against him.
He sent them to destroy Judah,
in accordance with the word of the Lord
proclaimed by his servants the prophets.
Surely these things happened to Judah
according to the Lord's command,
in order to remove them from His presence
because of the sins of Manasseh and all he had done,
including the shedding of innocent blood.
For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood,
and the Lord was not willing to forgive.
Jehoiakim rested with his fathers.
And Jehoiachin his son succeed him as king.
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king,
and he reigned in Jerusalem three months.
His mother's name was Nehushta
daughter of Elnathan; she was from Jerusalem.
At that time
the officers of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
advanced on Jerusalem and laid siege to it . . ..
In the eighth year of the reign of the king of Babylon,
he took Jehoiachin prisoner.
He carried into exile all Jerusalem:
all the officers and fighting men,
and all the craftsmen and artisans -
a total of ten thousand.
Only the poorest people of the land were left.
He made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's uncle,
king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.
Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king,
and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years.
His mother's name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah;
she was from Libnah.
Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
(II Kings 24:1-4,6,8,10,12,14,17-18,20)

So in the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign,
on the tenth day of the tenth month,
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
marched against Jerusalem with his whole army.
On the seventh day of the fifth month,
in the nineteenth year
of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,
Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard,
an official of the king of Babylon,
came to Jerusalem.
He set fire to the temple of the Lord . . ..
So Judah went into captivity,
away from her land.
(II Kings 25:1,8-9,21)

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
(Psalm 1:6)

Serve the Lord with fear
and rejoice with trembling.
(Psalm 2:11)

But You are a shield around me, O Lord;
You bestow glory on me and lift up my head.
(Psalm 3:3)