2 Chronicles 36:20-23

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. ¹  The land experienced ²  its sabbatical years; ³  it remained desolate for seventy years, ⁴  as prophesied. ⁵ 

Cyrus Allows the Exiles to Go Home

36:22 In the first year of the reign of ⁶  King Cyrus of Persia, in fulfillment of the promise he delivered through Jeremiah, ⁷  the Lord moved ⁸  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 ⁹  in Judah. May the Lord your God energize you who belong to his people, so you may be able to go back there!” ¹⁰ 

[36:21]  ¹ tn Heb “to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah.”

[36:21]  ² tn Or “accepted.”

[36:21]  ³ 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.

[36:21]  ⁴ sn Concerning the seventy years see Jer 25:11.

[36:21]  ⁵ tn Heb “all the days of the desolation it rested to fulfill the seventy years.”

[36:22]  ⁶ tn The words “the reign of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[36:22]  ⁷ tn Heb “to complete the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah.”

[36:22]  ⁸ tn Heb “stirred the spirit of.”

[36:23]  ⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[36:23]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Whoever [is] among you from all his people – may the Lord his God [be] with him so that he may go up.”