2 Chronicles 36:21-23
New Catholic Bible
21 During the time that the land lay desolate, it enjoyed its Sabbath rests to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah: “Until the land has atoned for its lost Sabbaths, it will lie fallow until seventy years are fulfilled.”
22 Decree of Cyrus.[a] In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord inspired King Cyrus to issue this edict throughout his kingdom, announced by a herald and also stated in a written edict: 23 “Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has also appointed me to build him a temple in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Therefore, whoever among you belongs to his people, may the Lord, his God be with him. Let him go up!”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Chronicles 36:22 Chronicles does not end with the tragic outcome (i.e., the deportation to Babylon). By adding the edict of Cyrus that authorizes the return to Jerusalem, the author makes it clear that the history of God’s chosen people will continue; the sins of human beings cannot cause the cancellation of the divine plan of salvation. This short ending, so moving in its sobriety, is also the beginning of the Book of Ezra. This shows that the latter is by the same author.
