2 Chronicles 36:22Easy To Read VersionDuring the first year that Cyrus {\cf2\super [458]} was king of Persia, the Lord caused Cyrus to make a special announcement. He did this so that the things the Lord promised through Jeremiah the prophet would really happen. Cyrus sent messengers to every place in his kingdom. They carried this message: See the chapter |
The God of Israel made Pul want to go to war. Pul was the king of Assyria. He was also called Tiglath Pileser. He fought against the people from the family groups of Manasseh, Reuben, and Gad. He forced them to leave their homes and made them prisoners. Pul brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and near the Gozan River. Those family groups from Israel have lived in those places since that time until today.
So they made an announcement everywhere in Israel, from the town of Beersheba all the way to the town of Dan. They told the people to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover for the Lord God of Israel. A large group of the people of Israel had not celebrated the Passover since a long time ago the way the law of Moses said to celebrate it.
And so the things the Lord told the people of Israel through the prophet Jeremiah really happened. The Lord had said through Jeremiah: “This place will be an empty wasteland for 70 years. {\cf2\super [456]} This will happen to make up for the Sabbath rests {\cf2\super [457]} that the people didn’t do.”
I gave Cyrus his power\par so he would do good things. {\cf2\super [406]} \par And I will make his work easy.\par Cyrus will build my city again.\par And he will make my people free.\par Cyrus will not sell my people to me.\par I will not have to pay him\par to do these things.\par The people will be freed,\par and the cost to me will be nothing.”\par The Lord, All-Powerful, said these things.\par
\{Then the Lord God made the people excited about building the temple\}. Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel was the governor of Judah. The Lord made him excited! Joshua son of Jehozadak was the high priest. The Lord made him excited! And the Lord made all the people excited \{about building the temple\}. So they began working on the temple {\cf2\super [5]} of their God, the Lord All-Powerful.
My master and king, listen to me! If the Lord caused you to be angry at me, then let him accept an offering. But if men caused you to be angry at me, then let the Lord cause bad things to happen to them. Men have forced me to leave the land the Lord gave me. Men have told me, ‘{Go live with the foreigners.} Go and serve other gods.’