Category: 2 Chronicles

Hezekiah’s Religious Reforms

1 When the festival ended, the Israelites who attended went to all the towns of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh, and they smashed all the sacred pillars, cut down the Asherah poles, and removed the pagan shrines and altars. After this, the Israelites returned to their own towns and homes.

2 Hezekiah then organized the priests and Levites into divisions to offer the burnt offerings and peace offerings, and to worship and give thanks and praise to theLordat the gates of the Temple.

3 The king also made a personal contribution of animals for the daily morning and evening burnt offerings, the weekly Sabbath festivals, the monthly new moon festivals, and the annual festivals as prescribed in the Law of theLord.

4 In addition, he required the people in Jerusalem to bring a portion of their goods to the priests and Levites, so they could devote themselves fully to the Law of theLord.

5 When the people of Israel heard these requirements, they responded generously by bringing the first share of their grain, new wine, olive oil, honey, and all the produce of their fields. They brought a large quantity—a tithe of all they produced.

6 The people who had moved to Judah from Israel, and the people of Judah themselves, brought in the tithes of their cattle, sheep, and goats and a tithe of the things that had been dedicated to theLordtheir God, and they piled them up in great heaps.

7 They began piling them up in late spring, and the heaps continued to grow until early autumn.

8 When Hezekiah and his officials came and saw these huge piles, they thanked theLordand his people Israel!

9 “Where did all this come from?” Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites.

10 And Azariah the high priest, from the family of Zadok, replied, “Since the people began bringing their gifts to theLord’s Temple, we have had enough to eat and plenty to spare. TheLordhas blessed his people, and all this is left over.”

11 Hezekiah ordered that storerooms be prepared in the Temple of theLord. When this was done,

12 the people faithfully brought all the gifts, tithes, and other items dedicated for use in the Temple. Conaniah the Levite was put in charge, assisted by his brother Shimei.

13 The supervisors under them were Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath, and Benaiah. These appointments were made by King Hezekiah and Azariah, the chief official in the Temple of God.

14 Kore son of Imnah the Levite, who was the gatekeeper at the East Gate, was put in charge of distributing the voluntary offerings given to God, the gifts, and the things that had been dedicated to theLord.

15 His faithful assistants were Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah. They distributed the gifts among the families of priests in their towns by their divisions, dividing the gifts fairly among old and young alike.

16 They distributed the gifts to all males three years old or older, regardless of their place in the genealogical records. The distribution went to all who would come to theLord’s Temple to perform their daily duties according to their divisions.

17 They distributed gifts to the priests who were listed by their families in the genealogical records, and to the Levites twenty years old or older who were listed according to their jobs and their divisions.

18 Food allotments were also given to the families of all those listed in the genealogical records, including their little babies, wives, sons, and daughters. For they had all been faithful in purifying themselves.

19 As for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who were living in the open villages around the towns, men were appointed by name to distribute portions to every male among the priests and to all the Levites listed in the genealogical records.

20 In this way, King Hezekiah handled the distribution throughout all Judah, doing what was pleasing and good in the sight of theLordhis God.

21 In all that he did in the service of the Temple of God and in his efforts to follow God’s laws and commands, Hezekiah sought his God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/2CH/31-3eaf5116453a497b4ee789e28c30f7a2.mp3?version_id=116—

Assyria Invades Judah

1 After Hezekiah had faithfully carried out this work, King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified towns, giving orders for his army to break through their walls.

2 When Hezekiah realized that Sennacherib also intended to attack Jerusalem,

3 he consulted with his officials and military advisers, and they decided to stop the flow of the springs outside the city.

4 They organized a huge work crew to stop the flow of the springs, cutting off the brook that ran through the fields. For they said, “Why should the kings of Assyria come here and find plenty of water?”

5 Then Hezekiah worked hard at repairing all the broken sections of the wall, erecting towers, and constructing a second wall outside the first. He also reinforced the supporting terracesin the City of David and manufactured large numbers of weapons and shields.

6 He appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him in the square at the city gate. Then Hezekiah encouraged them by saying:

7 “Be strong and courageous! Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side!

8 He may have a great army, but they are merely men. We have theLordour God to help us and to fight our battles for us!” Hezekiah’s words greatly encouraged the people.

Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem

9 While King Sennacherib of Assyria was still besieging the town of Lachish, he sent his officers to Jerusalem with this message for Hezekiah and all the people in the city:

10 “This is what King Sennacherib of Assyria says: What are you trusting in that makes you think you can survive my siege of Jerusalem?

11 Hezekiah has said, ‘TheLordour God will rescue us from the king of Assyria.’ Surely Hezekiah is misleading you, sentencing you to death by famine and thirst!

12 Don’t you realize that Hezekiah is the very person who destroyed all theLord’s shrines and altars? He commanded Judah and Jerusalem to worship only at the altar at the Temple and to offer sacrifices on it alone.

13 “Surely you must realize what I and the other kings of Assyria before me have done to all the people of the earth! Were any of the gods of those nations able to rescue their people from my power?

14 Which of their gods was able to rescue its people from the destructive power of my predecessors? What makes you think your God can rescue you from me?

15 Don’t let Hezekiah deceive you! Don’t let him fool you like this! I say it again—no god of any nation or kingdom has ever yet been able to rescue his people from me or my ancestors. How much less will your God rescue you from my power!”

16 And Sennacherib’s officers further mocked theLordGod and his servant Hezekiah, heaping insult upon insult.

17 The king also sent letters scorning theLord, the God of Israel. He wrote, “Just as the gods of all the other nations failed to rescue their people from my power, so the God of Hezekiah will also fail.”

18 The Assyrian officials who brought the letters shouted this in Hebrewto the people gathered on the walls of the city, trying to terrify them so it would be easier to capture the city.

19 These officers talked about the God of Jerusalem as though he were one of the pagan gods, made by human hands.

20 Then King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to God in heaven.

21 And theLordsent an angel who destroyed the Assyrian army with all its commanders and officers. So Sennacherib was forced to return home in disgrace to his own land. And when he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him there with a sword.

22 That is how theLordrescued Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from King Sennacherib of Assyria and from all the others who threatened them. So there was peace throughout the land.

23 From then on King Hezekiah became highly respected among all the surrounding nations, and many gifts for theLordarrived at Jerusalem, with valuable presents for King Hezekiah, too.

Hezekiah’s Sickness and Recovery

24 About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill. He prayed to theLord, who healed him and gave him a miraculous sign.

25 But Hezekiah did not respond appropriately to the kindness shown him, and he became proud. So theLord’s anger came against him and against Judah and Jerusalem.

26 Then Hezekiah humbled himself and repented of his pride, as did the people of Jerusalem. So theLord’s anger did not fall on them during Hezekiah’s lifetime.

27 Hezekiah was very wealthy and highly honored. He built special treasury buildings for his silver, gold, precious stones, and spices, and for his shields and other valuable items.

28 He also constructed many storehouses for his grain, new wine, and olive oil; and he made many stalls for his cattle and pens for his flocks of sheep and goats.

29 He built many towns and acquired vast flocks and herds, for God had given him great wealth.

30 He blocked up the upper spring of Gihon and brought the water down through a tunnel to the west side of the City of David. And so he succeeded in everything he did.

31 However, when ambassadors arrived from Babylon to ask about the remarkable events that had taken place in the land, God withdrew from Hezekiah in order to test him and to see what was really in his heart.

Summary of Hezekiah’s Reign

32 The rest of the events in Hezekiah’s reign and his acts of devotion are recorded inThe Vision of the Prophet Isaiah Son of Amoz,which is included inThe Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

33 When Hezekiah died, he was buried in the upper area of the royal cemetery, and all Judah and Jerusalem honored him at his death. And his son Manasseh became the next king.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/2CH/32-f1156f0c19bae612e331331f671b09e2.mp3?version_id=116—

Manasseh Rules in Judah

1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years.

2 He did what was evil in theLord’s sight, following the detestable practices of the pagan nations that theLordhad driven from the land ahead of the Israelites.

3 He rebuilt the pagan shrines his father, Hezekiah, had broken down. He constructed altars for the images of Baal and set up Asherah poles. He also bowed before all the powers of the heavens and worshiped them.

4 He built pagan altars in the Temple of theLord, the place where theLordhad said, “My name will remain in Jerusalem forever.”

5 He built these altars for all the powers of the heavens in both courtyards of theLord’s Temple.

6 Manasseh also sacrificed his own sons in the firein the valley of Ben-Hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and he consulted with mediums and psychics. He did much that was evil in theLord’s sight, arousing his anger.

7 Manasseh even took a carved idol he had made and set it up in God’s Temple, the very place where God had told David and his son Solomon: “My name will be honored forever in this Temple and in Jerusalem—the city I have chosen from among all the tribes of Israel.

8 If the Israelites will be careful to obey my commands—all the laws, decrees, and regulations given through Moses—I will not send them into exile from this land that I set aside for your ancestors.”

9 But Manasseh led the people of Judah and Jerusalem to do even more evil than the pagan nations that theLordhad destroyed when the people of Israel entered the land.

10 TheLordspoke to Manasseh and his people, but they ignored all his warnings.

11 So theLordsent the commanders of the Assyrian armies, and they took Manasseh prisoner. They put a ring through his nose, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon.

12 But while in deep distress, Manasseh sought theLordhis God and sincerely humbled himself before the God of his ancestors.

13 And when he prayed, theLordlistened to him and was moved by his request. So theLordbrought Manasseh back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh finally realized that theLordalone is God!

14 After this Manasseh rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David, from west of the Gihon Spring in the Kidron Valley to the Fish Gate, and continuing around the hill of Ophel. He built the wall very high. And he stationed his military officers in all of the fortified towns of Judah.

15 Manasseh also removed the foreign gods and the idol from theLord’s Temple. He tore down all the altars he had built on the hill where the Temple stood and all the altars that were in Jerusalem, and he dumped them outside the city.

16 Then he restored the altar of theLordand sacrificed peace offerings and thanksgiving offerings on it. He also encouraged the people of Judah to worship theLord, the God of Israel.

17 However, the people still sacrificed at the pagan shrines, though only to theLordtheir God.

18 The rest of the events of Manasseh’s reign, his prayer to God, and the words the seers spoke to him in the name of theLord, the God of Israel, are recorded inThe Book of the Kings of Israel.

19 Manasseh’s prayer, the account of the way God answered him, and an account of all his sins and unfaithfulness are recorded inThe Record of the Seers.It includes a list of the locations where he built pagan shrines and set up Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself and repented.

20 When Manasseh died, he was buried in his palace. Then his son Amon became the next king.

Amon Rules in Judah

21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years.

22 He did what was evil in theLord’s sight, just as his father, Manasseh, had done. He worshiped and sacrificed to all the idols his father had made.

23 But unlike his father, he did not humble himself before theLord. Instead, Amon sinned even more.

24 Then Amon’s own officials conspired against him and assassinated him in his palace.

25 But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his son Josiah the next king.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/2CH/33-58daa0d90c343e032457821b20ebe215.mp3?version_id=116—

Josiah Rules in Judah

1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years.

2 He did what was pleasing in theLord’s sight and followed the example of his ancestor David. He did not turn away from doing what was right.

3 During the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of his ancestor David. Then in the twelfth year he began to purify Judah and Jerusalem, destroying all the pagan shrines, the Asherah poles, and the carved idols and cast images.

4 He ordered that the altars of Baal be demolished and that the incense altars which stood above them be broken down. He also made sure that the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images were smashed and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.

5 He burned the bones of the pagan priests on their own altars, and so he purified Judah and Jerusalem.

6 He did the same thing in the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, even as far as Naphtali, and in the regionsall around them.

7 He destroyed the pagan altars and the Asherah poles, and he crushed the idols into dust. He cut down all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Finally, he returned to Jerusalem.

8 In the eighteenth year of his reign, after he had purified the land and the Temple, Josiah appointed Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of Jerusalem, and Joah son of Joahaz, the royal historian, to repair the Temple of theLordhis God.

9 They gave Hilkiah the high priest the money that had been collected by the Levites who served as gatekeepers at the Temple of God. The gifts were brought by people from Manasseh, Ephraim, and from all the remnant of Israel, as well as from all Judah, Benjamin, and the people of Jerusalem.

10 He entrusted the money to the men assigned to supervise the restoration of theLord’s Temple. Then they paid the workers who did the repairs and renovation of the Temple.

11 They hired carpenters and builders, who purchased finished stone for the walls and timber for the rafters and beams. They restored what earlier kings of Judah had allowed to fall into ruin.

12 The workers served faithfully under the leadership of Jahath and Obadiah, Levites of the Merarite clan, and Zechariah and Meshullam, Levites of the Kohathite clan. Other Levites, all of whom were skilled musicians,

13 were put in charge of the laborers of the various trades. Still others assisted as secretaries, officials, and gatekeepers.

Hilkiah Discovers God’s Law

14 While they were bringing out the money collected at theLord’s Temple, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of theLordthat was written by Moses.

15 Hilkiah said to Shaphan the court secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in theLord’s Temple!” Then Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan.

16 Shaphan took the scroll to the king and reported, “Your officials are doing everything they were assigned to do.

17 The money that was collected at the Temple of theLordhas been turned over to the supervisors and workmen.”

18 Shaphan also told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a scroll.” So Shaphan read it to the king.

19 When the king heard what was written in the Law, he tore his clothes in despair.

20 Then he gave these orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah,Shaphan the court secretary, and Asaiah the king’s personal adviser:

21 “Go to the Temple and speak to theLordfor me and for all the remnant of Israel and Judah. Inquire about the words written in the scroll that has been found. For theLord’s great anger has been poured out on us because our ancestors have not obeyed the word of theLord. We have not been doing everything this scroll says we must do.”

22 So Hilkiah and the other men went to the New Quarterof Jerusalem to consult with the prophet Huldah. She was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas,the keeper of the Temple wardrobe.

23 She said to them, “TheLord, the God of Israel, has spoken! Go back and tell the man who sent you,

24 ‘This is what theLordsays: I am going to bring disaster on this cityand its people. All the curses written in the scroll that was read to the king of Judah will come true.

25 For my people have abandoned me and offered sacrifices to pagan gods, and I am very angry with them for everything they have done. My anger will be poured out on this place, and it will not be quenched.’

26 “But go to the king of Judah who sent you to seek theLordand tell him: ‘This is what theLord, the God of Israel, says concerning the message you have just heard:

27 You were sorry and humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this city and its people. You humbled yourself and tore your clothing in despair and wept before me in repentance. And I have indeed heard you, says theLord.

28 So I will not send the promised disaster until after you have died and been buried in peace. You yourself will not see the disaster I am going to bring on this city and its people.’”

So they took her message back to the king.

Josiah’s Religious Reforms

29 Then the king summoned all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.

30 And the king went up to the Temple of theLordwith all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, along with the priests and the Levites—all the people from the greatest to the least. There the king read to them the entire Book of the Covenant that had been found in theLord’s Temple.

31 The king took his place of authority beside the pillar and renewed the covenant in theLord’s presence. He pledged to obey theLordby keeping all his commands, laws, and decrees with all his heart and soul. He promised to obey all the terms of the covenant that were written in the scroll.

32 And he required everyone in Jerusalem and the people of Benjamin to make a similar pledge. The people of Jerusalem did so, renewing their covenant with God, the God of their ancestors.

33 So Josiah removed all detestable idols from the entire land of Israel and required everyone to worship theLordtheir God. And throughout the rest of his lifetime, they did not turn away from theLord, the God of their ancestors.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/2CH/34-3fa15594c9d90769c9828681e8b383a9.mp3?version_id=116—

Josiah Celebrates Passover

1 Then Josiah announced that the Passover of theLordwould be celebrated in Jerusalem, and so the Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month.

2 Josiah also assigned the priests to their duties and encouraged them in their work at the Temple of theLord.

3 He issued this order to the Levites, who were to teach all Israel and who had been set apart to serve theLord: “Put the holy Ark in the Temple that was built by Solomon son of David, the king of Israel. You no longer need to carry it back and forth on your shoulders. Now spend your time serving theLordyour God and his people Israel.

4 Report for duty according to the family divisions of your ancestors, following the directions of King David of Israel and the directions of his son Solomon.

5 “Then stand in the sanctuary at the place appointed for your family division and help the families assigned to you as they bring their offerings to the Temple.

6 Slaughter the Passover lambs, purify yourselves, and prepare to help those who come. Follow all the directions that theLordgave through Moses.”

7 Then Josiah provided 30,000 lambs and young goats for the people’s Passover offerings, along with 3,000 cattle, all from the king’s own flocks and herds.

8 The king’s officials also made willing contributions to the people, priests, and Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the administrators of God’s Temple, gave the priests 2,600 lambs and young goats and 300 cattle as Passover offerings.

9 The Levite leaders—Conaniah and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, as well as Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad—gave 5,000 lambs and young goats and 500 cattle to the Levites for their Passover offerings.

10 When everything was ready for the Passover celebration, the priests and the Levites took their places, organized by their divisions, as the king had commanded.

11 The Levites then slaughtered the Passover lambs and presented the blood to the priests, who sprinkled the blood on the altar while the Levites prepared the animals.

12 They divided the burnt offerings among the people by their family groups, so they could offer them to theLordas prescribed in the Book of Moses. They did the same with the cattle.

13 Then they roasted the Passover lambs as prescribed; and they boiled the holy offerings in pots, kettles, and pans, and brought them out quickly so the people could eat them.

14 Afterward the Levites prepared Passover offerings for themselves and for the priests—the descendants of Aaron—because the priests had been busy from morning till night offering the burnt offerings and the fat portions. The Levites took responsibility for all these preparations.

15 The musicians, descendants of Asaph, were in their assigned places, following the commands that had been given by David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, the king’s seer. The gatekeepers guarded the gates and did not need to leave their posts of duty, for their Passover offerings were prepared for them by their fellow Levites.

16 The entire ceremony for theLord’s Passover was completed that day. All the burnt offerings were sacrificed on the altar of theLord, as King Josiah had commanded.

17 All the Israelites present in Jerusalem celebrated Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days.

18 Never since the time of the prophet Samuel had there been such a Passover. None of the kings of Israel had ever kept a Passover as Josiah did, involving all the priests and Levites, all the people of Jerusalem, and people from all over Judah and Israel.

19 This Passover was celebrated in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign.

Josiah Dies in Battle

20 After Josiah had finished restoring the Temple, King Neco of Egypt led his army up from Egypt to do battle at Carchemish on the Euphrates River, and Josiah and his army marched out to fight him.

21 But King Neco sent messengers to Josiah with this message:

“What do you want with me, king of Judah? I have no quarrel with you today! I am on my way to fight another nation, and God has told me to hurry! Do not interfere with God, who is with me, or he will destroy you.”

22 But Josiah refused to listen to Neco, to whom God had indeed spoken, and he would not turn back. Instead, he disguised himself and led his army into battle on the plain of Megiddo.

23 But the enemy archers hit King Josiah with their arrows and wounded him. He cried out to his men, “Take me from the battle, for I am badly wounded!”

24 So they lifted Josiah out of his chariot and placed him in another chariot. Then they brought him back to Jerusalem, where he died. He was buried there in the royal cemetery. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him.

25 The prophet Jeremiah composed funeral songs for Josiah, and to this day choirs still sing these sad songs about his death. These songs of sorrow have become a tradition and are recorded inThe Book of Laments.

26 The rest of the events of Josiah’s reign and his acts of devotion (carried out according to what was written in the Law of theLord),

27 from beginning to end—all are recorded inThe Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/2CH/35-7b56215da26fdc0457da35fa0d853354.mp3?version_id=116—

Jehoahaz Rules in Judah

1 Then the people of the land took Josiah’s son Jehoahaz and made him the next king in Jerusalem.

2 Jehoahazwas twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months.

3 Then he was deposed by the king of Egypt, who demanded that Judah pay 7,500 pounds of silver and 75 pounds of goldas tribute.

Jehoiakim Rules in Judah

4 The king of Egypt then installed Eliakim, the brother of Jehoahaz, as the next king of Judah and Jerusalem, and he changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. Then Neco took Jehoahaz to Egypt as a prisoner.

5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did what was evil in the sight of theLordhis God.

6 Then King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and captured it, and he bound Jehoiakim in bronze chains and led him away to Babylon.

7 Nebuchadnezzar also took some of the treasures from the Temple of theLord, and he placed them in his palacein Babylon.

8 The rest of the events in Jehoiakim’s reign, including all the evil things he did and everything found against him, are recorded inThe Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.Then his son Jehoiachin became the next king.

Jehoiachin Rules in Judah

9 Jehoiachin was eighteenyears old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. Jehoiachin did what was evil in theLord’s sight.

10 In the spring of the yearKing Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin to Babylon. Many treasures from the Temple of theLordwere also taken to Babylon at that time. And Nebuchadnezzar installed Jehoiachin’s uncle,Zedekiah, as the next king in Judah and Jerusalem.

Zedekiah Rules in Judah

11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years.

12 But Zedekiah did what was evil in the sight of theLordhis God, and he refused to humble himself when the prophet Jeremiah spoke to him directly from theLord.

13 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, even though he had taken an oath of loyalty in God’s name. Zedekiah was a hard and stubborn man, refusing to turn to theLord, the God of Israel.

14 Likewise, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful. They followed all the pagan practices of the surrounding nations, desecrating the Temple of theLordthat had been consecrated in Jerusalem.

15 TheLord, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent his prophets to warn them, for he had compassion on his people and his Temple.

16 But the people mocked these messengers of God and despised their words. They scoffed at the prophets until theLord’s anger could no longer be restrained and nothing could be done.

The Fall of Jerusalem

17 So theLordbrought the king of Babylon against them. The Babylonianskilled Judah’s young men, even chasing after them into the Temple. They had no pity on the people, killing both young men and young women, the old and the infirm. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar.

18 The king took home to Babylon all the articles, large and small, used in the Temple of God, and the treasures from both theLord’s Temple and from the palace of the king and his officials.

19 Then his army burned the Temple of God, tore down the walls of Jerusalem, burned all the palaces, and completely destroyed everything of value.

20 The few who survived were taken as exiles to Babylon, and they became servants to the king and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power.

21 So the message of theLordspoken through Jeremiah was fulfilled. The land finally enjoyed its Sabbath rest, lying desolate until the seventy years were fulfilled, just as the prophet had said.

Cyrus Allows the Exiles to Return

22 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia,theLordfulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah.He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom:

23 “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says:

“TheLord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Any of you who are his people may go there for this task. And may theLordyour God be with you!”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/2CH/36-fa967402b2663d5b9981d9cb080f7bc3.mp3?version_id=116—