2 Chronicles 36:15–23

The Fall of Jerusalem

15 oAnd the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. 16 But pthey mocked the messengers of God, qdespised His words, and rscoffed at His prophets, until the swrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy.

17 tTherefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who ukilled their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand. 18 vAnd all the articles from the house of God, great and small, the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his leaders, all these he took to Babylon. 19 wThen they burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious possessions. 20 And xthose who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, ywhere they became servants to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of zJeremiah, until the land ahad enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay desolate bshe kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.

The Proclamation of Cyrus

22 cNow in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of dJeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of eCyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,

23 fThus says Cyrus king of Persia:

All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a 9house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up!