Add parallel Print Page Options

20 Nebuchadnezzar took away to Babylon all the people in Jerusalem who were still alive. They worked as slaves for him and for his sons until the kingdom of Persia became powerful. 21 In this way, the Lord's message that his prophet Jeremiah had spoken became true. The land of Judah was empty for 70 years. It was finally able to rest, like the rest on a Sabbath day.[a]

King Cyrus of Persia

22 In the first year that Cyrus, king of Persia, was ruling Babylon, the Lord put a thought in his mind.[b] King Cyrus decided to send a message to everybody who lived in his kingdom. His message would cause what God had already spoken to his prophet Jeremiah to become true.[c] The message was written down and people took it all over Cyrus's kingdom. It said:

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 36:21 Farmers should have allowed their land to rest every seven years. See Leviticus 25:1-7. If they did not do that, God had promised to send the people away from their land. See Leviticus 26:33-35.
  2. 36:22 In 539 BC, the army of King Cyrus of Persia fought against Babylon's army and won. So Cyrus became king of Babylon. See Ezra 1:1-3.
  3. 36:22 See Jeremiah 29:10