their lack of obedience to God. Their God, Who had for so long spoken to His people through the kings and prophets, was now silent. During this time of silence, the Jews had been taken into captivity. Those who lived in Jerusalem had been carried away by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar—the same king responsible for destroying the city’s walls and temple, pillaging, plundering, and making off with their treasures. Fifty years later, Cyrus conquered Babylon when his soldiers diverted the water of