G14    II CHRONICLES

As one might expect, the history of Israel continues in the second book of Chronicles. The magnificence and splendour of Solomon's court is emphasised, and much emphasis is laid upon the work of priests and Levites.

As in the book II Kings we read of the utter destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians; but an introduction is given to us of the 'glorious' event that ended the Exile of Israel in Babylon, namely the fall of the Babylonian Empire and the rise of the Persian king, Cyrus.

Whether the edict of Cyrus is historically and verbally accurate matters not; but it serves as a fit introduction to the post-exilic history of Israel contained in the later historical books Ezra, Nehemiah and the Prophets.
II Chronicles 36.vv.22-23