2 Chronicles 36:19-23

36:19 They burned down the Lord’s temple and tore down the wall of Jerusalem. ¹  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. ²  The land experienced ³  its sabbatical years; ⁴  it remained desolate for seventy years, ⁵  as prophesied. ⁶ 

Cyrus Allows the Exiles to Go Home

36:22 In the first year of the reign of ⁷  King Cyrus of Persia, in fulfillment of the promise he delivered through Jeremiah, ⁸  the Lord moved ⁹  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 ¹⁰  in Judah. May the Lord your God energize you who belong to his people, so you may be able to go back there!” ¹¹ 

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 “to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah.”

³ tn Or “accepted.”

⁴ 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.

⁵ sn Concerning the seventy years see Jer 25:11.

⁶ tn Heb “all the days of the desolation it rested to fulfill the seventy years.”

⁷ tn The words “the reign of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

⁸ tn Heb “to complete the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah.”

⁹ tn Heb “stirred the spirit of.”

¹⁰ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

¹¹ tn Heb “Whoever [is] among you from all his people – may the Lord his God [be] with him so that he may go up.”