2Ch 36:15-21 | NET2full | STEP | The Lord God of their ancestors continually warned them through his messengers , for he felt compassion for his people and his dwelling place .

‏ 2 Chronicles 36:15-21

The Babylonians Destroy Jerusalem

15 The Lord God of their ancestors ^{▼▼tn Heb “fathers.”} continually warned them through his messengers, ^{▼▼tn Heb “and the Lord God of their fathers sent against them by the hand of his messengers, getting up early and sending.”} for he felt compassion for his people and his dwelling place. 16 But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his warnings, ^{▼▼tn Heb “his words.”} and ridiculed his prophets. ^{▼▼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.} Finally the Lord got very angry at his people and there was no one who could prevent his judgment. ^{▼▼tn Heb “until the anger of the Lord went up against his people until there was no healer.”} 17 He brought against them the king of the Babylonians, who slaughtered ^{▼▼tn Heb “killed with the sword.”} their young men in their temple. ^{▼▼tn Heb “in the house of their sanctuary.”} He did not spare ^{▼▼tn Or “show compassion to.”} young men or women, or even the old and aging. God ^{▼▼tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.} 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 ^{▼▼tn Heb “by the mouth of Jeremiah.”} and lasted until the land experienced ^{▼▼tn The verb may be seen as either of two homophonous roots רָצָה (ratsah) meaning “to restore” or “to accept, take pleasure in.”} its sabbatical years. ^{▼▼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.} All the time ^{▼▼tn Heb “days of.”} of its desolation the land rested in order to fulfill the seventy years. ^{▼▼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.}