1 In the first year of King Cyrus+ of Persia, in order that Jehovah’s word spoken by Jeremiah+ would be fulfilled, Jehovah stirred the spirit of King Cyrus of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his kingdom, which he also put in writing,+ saying:

2 “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says, ‘Jehovah the God of the heavens has given me all the kingdoms of the earth,+ and he has commissioned me to build him a house in Jerusalem,+ which is in Judah.

10 Your holy cities have become a wilderness.

1 How she now sits all alone, the city that was full of people!+

How she has become like a widow, she who was populous among the nations!+

How she who was a princess among the provinces* has been put to forced labor!+