2 Chronicles 36:19-23

New American Standard Bible

¹⁹ Then ^(A)they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its fortified buildings with fire and destroyed all its valuable articles. ²⁰ He ^(B)took into exile those who had escaped from the sword to Babylon; and ^(C)they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, ^21 (D)to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until ^(E)the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. ^(F)All the days of its desolation it kept the Sabbath ^[a](G)until seventy years were complete.

Cyrus Permits Return

^22 (H)Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—in order to fulfill the word of the Lord ^(I)by the mouth of Jeremiah—the Lord ^(J)stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia so that he sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, ²³ “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may the Lord his God be with him; ^[b]go up then!’”