Judah's Last Kings, the Fall and Cyrus' Proclamation

Jehoahaz reigns three months; Necho takes him to Egypt. Jehoiakim reigns eleven years; Nebuchadnezzar binds him in fetters to carry him to Babylon. "Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days." Zedekiah "humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the LORD."

"And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy." The Chaldeans kill "young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age," burn the house of God, break down the wall, and carry the rest to Babylon "until the reign of the kingdom of Persia."

"To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years." "Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia… the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia… Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up."

Jehoiachin's age

8 here (Hebrew and library Greek), 18 in 2 Kings 24:8. See the 2 Kings passage page.

Seventy years and the land's sabbaths

Chronicles combines Jeremiah's seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11–12; 29:10) with Leviticus 26:34–35 (the land enjoys the sabbaths it missed). From 605 or 586 BC to 539 or 516 BC are about 66–70 years depending on the start and end chosen. See the passage page.

Ending with "let him go up"

In Jewish Bibles Chronicles usually ends the whole Hebrew Bible, so the final word is ya'al, "let him go up": an invitation to return. The last verses are repeated at the start of Ezra (1:1–3). See the Cyrus investigation.

Additions in the library's Greek

The library's Greek of chapter 36 is longer in 36:2, 4 and 5, adding material from 2 Kings 23–24 (for example Jehoahaz's mother and Jehoiakim's tribute).