2 Chronicles 36:15–23

The Fall of Jerusalem

36:17–20pp—2Ki 25:1–21; Jer 52:4–27
36:22–23pp—Ezr 1:1–3

15 The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengersh again and again,i because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffedj at his prophets until the wrathk of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.l 17 He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians,g m who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and did not spare young menn or young women, the elderly or the infirm.o God gave them all into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar.p 18 He carried to Babylon all the articlesq from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the Lord’s temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. 19 They set firer to God’s temples and broke down the wallt of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyedu everything of value there.v

20 He carried into exilew to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servantsx to him and his successors until the kingdom of Persia came to power. 21 The land enjoyed its sabbath rests;y all the time of its desolation it rested,z until the seventy yearsa were completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah.

22 In the first year of Cyrusb king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:

23 “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:

“ ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointedc me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up, and may the Lord their God be with them.’ ”