So after a year Nebuchadnezzar sent and removed him to Babylon, with the holy vessels of the Lord: The connector So may be omitted. It will be better to begin verse 45 with “A year later” (Good News Bible, New Revised Standard Version). Contemporary English Version says “At the beginning of the year,” based on the parallel passage of 2 Chr 36.10. Nebuchadnezzar sent and removed him to Babylon means Nebuchadnezzar sent men to Jerusalem to take Jehoiachin prisoner and bring him to the city of Babylon. This happened in early 597 B.C. For holy vessels, see the comments on verse 41.

And made Zedekiah king of Judea and Jerusalem: Zedekiah may have been a brother of Jehoiachin (see 2 Chr 36.10) or his uncle (see 2 Kgs 24.17).

Here is an alternative model for verses 45-46a:

• 45 A year later Nebuchadnezzar sent men to Jerusalem to take Jehoiachin prisoner and bring him to Babylon, along with more of the sacred objects from the Temple. 46 He made [or, appointed] Zedekiah as king of Judah and Jerusalem.

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old, and he reigned eleven years: Zedekiah was twenty-one when he first became king. He ruled Judah from 598 to 587 B.C. Good News Bible may serve as a model for this verse.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.