2 Chronicles 36:15-21
New English Translation
The Babylonians Destroy Jerusalem
15 The Lord God of their ancestors[a] continually warned them through his messengers,[b] for he felt compassion for his people and his dwelling place. 16 But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his warnings,[c] and ridiculed his prophets.[d] Finally the Lord got very angry at his people and there was no one who could prevent his judgment.[e] 17 He brought against them the king of the Babylonians, who slaughtered[f] their young men in their temple.[g] He did not spare[h] young men or women, or even the old and aging. God[i] handed everyone over to him. 18 He carried away to Babylon all the items in God’s temple, whether large or small, as well as what was in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the king and his officials. 19 They burned down God’s temple and tore down the wall of Jerusalem. They burned all its fortified buildings and destroyed all its valuable items. 20 He deported to Babylon all who escaped the sword. They served him and his sons until the Persian kingdom rose to power. 21 This took place to fulfill the Lord’s message spoken through Jeremiah[j] and lasted until the land experienced[k] its sabbatical years.[l] All the time[m] of its desolation the land rested in order to fulfill the seventy years.[n]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Chronicles 36:15 tn Heb “fathers.”
- 2 Chronicles 36:15 tn Heb “and the Lord God of their fathers sent against them by the hand of his messengers, getting up early and sending.”
- 2 Chronicles 36:16 tn Heb “his words.”
- 2 Chronicles 36:16 tn All three verbal forms (“mocked,” “despised,” and “ridiculed”) are active participles in the Hebrew text, indicating continual or repeated action. They made a habit of rejecting God’s prophetic messengers.
- 2 Chronicles 36:16 tn Heb “until the anger of the Lord went up against his people until there was no healer.”
- 2 Chronicles 36:17 tn Heb “killed with the sword.”
- 2 Chronicles 36:17 tn Heb “in the house of their sanctuary.”
- 2 Chronicles 36:17 tn Or “show compassion to.”
- 2 Chronicles 36:17 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- 2 Chronicles 36:21 tn Heb “by the mouth of Jeremiah.”
- 2 Chronicles 36:21 tn The verb may be seen as either of two homophonous roots רָצָה (ratsah) meaning “to restore” or “to accept, take pleasure in.”
- 2 Chronicles 36:21 sn According to Lev 25:4, the land was to remain uncultivated every seventh year. Lev 26:33-35 warns that the land would experience a succession of such sabbatical rests if the people disobeyed God, for he would send them away into exile.
- 2 Chronicles 36:21 tn Heb “days of.”
- 2 Chronicles 36:21 sn Concerning the seventy years see Jer 25:11. Cyrus’ edict (see vv. 22-23) occurred about fifty years after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 b.c., which is most naturally understood as the beginning point of the “days of desolation” mentioned in v. 21. The number “seventy” is probably used in a metaphorical sense, indicating a typical lifetime and suggesting a thorough or complete judgment that would not be lifted until an entirely new generation emerged.
2 Chronicles 36:15-21
New Living Translation
15 The Lord, 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 the Lord’s anger could no longer be restrained and nothing could be done.
The Fall of Jerusalem
17 So the Lord brought the king of Babylon against them. The Babylonians[a] killed 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 the Lord’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.[b] 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 the Lord spoken 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.
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