The cylinder of Cyrus, king of Persia, records his capture of
Babylon and edict (538 B.C.) that the Jewish exiles taken captive
by the Babylonians in 587 B.C. could return to their land and rebuild
Jerusalem and the temple. The cylinder records the remarkable fulfillment
of Isaiah's prophecy a century and half earlier that God would
use Cyrus to "perform all My pleasure, even saying to Jerusalem,
'You shall be built,' and to the temple, 'Your foundation shall
be laid.'" God also foretold that Cyrus would "subdue
nations before him" and "build My city and let My exiles
go free" (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1, 13).
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