The fall of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile close the books of Chronicles - but 2 Chronicles 36 doesn’t end in destruction. It ends with a Persian king and a divine summons to go home.
Full sung version coming soon.
Lyrics
Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah And made him king in his father’s place in Jerusalem
Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign And he reigned three months in Jerusalem And the king of Egypt removed him from office at Jerusalem
And fined the land one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold The king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem And changed his name to Jehoiakim
Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign And he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him And bound him in fetters to carry him to Babylon Nebuchadnezzar also carried some of the vessels of the Lord’s house to Babylon
Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign And he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord
At the return of the year King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon With the valuable vessels of the Lord’s house And made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem
Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign And he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God
He stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord The God of Israel And all the chiefs of the priests and the people trespassed very greatly
After all the abominations of the nations And they polluted the house of the Lord which he had made holy in Jerusalem The Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers
Rising up early 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
Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldeans Who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary Had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or infirm
He gave them all into his hand All the vessels of God’s house great and small And the treasures of the Lord’s house and the treasures of the king
They burnt God’s house broke down the wall of Jerusalem Burnt all its palaces with fire and destroyed all of its valuable vessels He carried those who had escaped from the sword away to Babylon
And they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia To fulfill the Lord’s word by Jeremiah’s mouth until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia That the Lord’s word by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia
So that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom And put it also in writing saying Cyrus king of Persia says, The Lord God of heaven has given all the kingdoms of the earth to me
And he has commanded me to build him a house in Jerusalem which is in Judah Whoever there is amongst you of all his people The Lord his God be with him and let him go up
The exile ends, the return proclaimed The temple shall be rebuilt, the covenant renewed The darkness breaks, the light returns The Lord remains, forever faithful
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2 Chronicles 36 sung by Psalm Selah. The whole Bible, one chapter at a time.
Published 2026-05-22 · Last updated 2026-06-06
Written by Reid Wender, Editorial Director at Psalmody Press