2 Chronicles 36:17-23 ▼

17 And He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, and he killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and he had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged or the weak. He gave all into his hand.

18 And all the articles from the house of God—great and small, and the treasures of the house of YHWH, and the treasures of the king and of his leaders—the entirety he brought in to Babylon.

19 And they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and all its palaces they burned with the fire and destroyed all the desirable vessels.

20 And he carried away those who escaped from the sword to Babylon, and they were unto him and unto his sons for servants until the reigning of the kingdom of Persia,

21 to fulfill the word of YHWH by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. All the days of her desolation she kept Sabbath, to the fullness of seventy years.

22 And in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of YHWH by the mouth of Jeremiah, YHWH stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, and he caused to pass over a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also in writing, saying,

23 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: ‘All the kingdoms of the earth, YHWH God of the heavens has given to me, and He has commanded to me to build for Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is among you? of all his people? YHWH his God be with him, and may he go up.’”