And the king of Egypt made Jehoiakim his brother king of Judea and Jerusalem: The connector And may be rendered “Then” (Contemporary English Version). The king of Egypt refers to Neco again (see the comments on verse 25). It must be clear in translation that Jehoiakim is the brother of Jeconiah, not of the king of Egypt (see the model below). An alternative model for this verse is:

• The king of Egypt then chose Jeconiah’s brother Jehoiakim as the new king of Judah and Jerusalem [or, Jerusalem and the rest of Judah].

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.