Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
This is what Cyrus, king of Persia, says: 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me rule over all the kingdoms of the earth. He has assigned me the task of building him a temple in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.'
King Cyrus acknowledges that God has given him his vast empire and has specifically commanded him to rebuild God's temple in Jerusalem.
📚 Historical Context
In the 6th century BC, the Jewish people had been exiled to Babylon after the Babylonian Empire destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple, as a consequence of their unfaithfulness to God. Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, conquered Babylon in 539 BC and issued a decree allowing the exiled Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, which fulfilled prophecies from the prophet Isaiah. This event marked the beginning of the Jewish restoration and demonstrated God's sovereign control over earthly rulers.
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