36:11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he ruled for eleven years in Jerusalem. 1 36:12 He did evil in the sight of 2 the Lord his God. He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, the Lord’s spokesman. 36:13 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him vow allegiance 3 in the name of God. He was stubborn and obstinate, and refused to return 4 to the Lord God of Israel. 36:14 All the leaders of the priests and people became more unfaithful and committed the same horrible sins practiced by the nations. 5 They defiled the Lord’s temple which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.
36:15 The Lord God of their ancestors 6 continually warned them through his messengers, 7 for he felt compassion for his people and his dwelling place. 36:16 But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his warnings, 8 and ridiculed his prophets. 9 Finally the Lord got very angry at his people and there was no one who could prevent his judgment. 10 36:17 He brought against them the king of the Babylonians, who slaughtered 11 their young men in their temple. 12 He did not spare 13 young men or women, or even the old and aging. God 14 handed everyone over to him. 36:18 He carried away to Babylon all the items in God’s temple, whether large or small, as well as what was in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the king and his officials. 36:19 They burned down the Lord’s temple and tore down the wall of Jerusalem. 15 They burned all its fortified buildings and destroyed all its valuable items. 36:20 He deported to Babylon all who escaped the sword. They served him and his sons until the Persian kingdom rose to power. 36:21 This took place to fulfill the Lord’s message delivered through Jeremiah. 16 The land experienced 17 its sabbatical years; 18 it remained desolate for seventy years, 19 as prophesied. 20
36:22 In the first year of the reign of 21 King Cyrus of Persia, in fulfillment of the promise he delivered through Jeremiah, 22 the Lord moved 23 King Cyrus of Persia to issue a written decree throughout his kingdom. 36:23 It read: “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: ‘The Lord God of the heavens has given to me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build for him a temple in Jerusalem 24 in Judah. May the Lord your God energize you who belong to his people, so you may be able to go back there!” 25
1 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
2 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
3 tn Or “made him swear an oath.”
4 tn Heb “and he stiffened his neck and strengthened his heart from returning.”
5 tn Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”
6 tn Heb “fathers.”
7 tn Heb “and the
8 tn Heb “his words.”
9 tn All three verbal forms (“mocked,” “despised,” and “ridiculed”) are active participles in the Hebrew text, indicating continual or repeated action. They made a habit of rejecting God’s prophetic messengers.
10 tn Heb “until the anger of the
11 tn Heb “killed with the sword.”
12 tn Heb “in the house of their sanctuary.”
13 tn Or “show compassion to.”
14 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
15 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
16 tn Heb “to fulfill the word of the
17 tn Or “accepted.”
18 sn According to Lev 25:4, the land was to remain uncultivated every seventh year. Lev 26:33-35 warns that the land would experience a succession of such sabbatical rests if the people disobeyed God, for he would send them away into exile.
19 sn Concerning the seventy years see Jer 25:11.
20 tn Heb “all the days of the desolation it rested to fulfill the seventy years.”
21 tn The words “the reign of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
22 tn Heb “to complete the word of the
23 tn Heb “stirred the spirit of.”
24 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
25 tn Heb “Whoever [is] among you from all his people – may the