149 | David's rise and the ark (1 CHRONICLES 11-16)

159 | Cyrus's decree and returnee list (Ezra 1-2)

It's 538 BCE. The Jewish people have been living in Babylonian exile for seventy years—scattered across Mesopotamia since Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and its temple back in 587/586 BCE. But everything just changed. Babylon fell to the Persians, led by Cyrus the Great, and Cyrus has a different approach to ruling conquered peoples. Instead of forcing them to stay put like the Babylonians and Assyrians did, he's letting people return home and rebuild their religious sites. It's smart politics—happy subjects pay their taxes and don't rebel. Source: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Wu4YT_rOb1veobAC4M9d0y2xpla5HZJG/view?usp=sharing

158 | Exile and Cyrus decree (2 CHRONICLES 36:17-23)

We're looking at one of the darkest moments in the biblical story—Jerusalem's destruction in 586 BCE. Judah had been under Babylonian pressure for decades. Nebuchadnezzar II ruled the Babylonian Empire, and he'd already beaten the Assyrians and Egyptians. The Babylonians had already taken some Jews captive—Daniel and his friends went to Babylon in 605 BCE, and King Jehoiachin and thousands more in 597 BCE. But this final attack in 586 BCE is what ends Judah completely. Source: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16gfyDWLTD3dFr424rKezHWvwoWP_dFgs/view?usp=sharing

157 | Hezekiah to Zedekiah (2 CHRONICLES 29-36:16)

We're in Judah during the late 700s to early 600s BCE. The northern kingdom of Israel fell to Assyria around 722 BCE. Judah is still standing, but barely. Assyria dominates everything. Egypt watches from the south. Babylon is getting stronger. These chapters cover about 130 years—from one of Judah's best kings to its complete destruction. Source: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MebvGMeoSj-x9uXV10E98MycKVAhU9NU/view?usp=sharing

156 | Rehoboam to Ahaz (2 CHRONICLES 10-28)

Solomon has just died. It's around 931 BCE—that's the scholarly consensus based on correlations with Assyrian chronology, though different systems date it anywhere from 931 to 922 BCE. His son Rehoboam is about to inherit a kingdom that looks impressive on the surface—the magnificent temple, enormous wealth, international respect. But there's a problem. Solomon had imposed heavy taxes and forced labor on his people to pay for all those building projects. The people are exhausted and angry. Rehoboam is inheriting more than a kingdom—he's inheriting years of built-up resentment. Source: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ll8qWUqa0zMdcXHCLgLg5lrPOq_qMZC0/view?usp=sharing

155 | Administration and fame (2 CHRONICLES 8-9)

We're about twenty years into Solomon's reign over Israel. According to traditional biblical chronology, this would be around the 10th century BCE. Israel sits right in the middle of major trade routes connecting Egypt to Mesopotamia—the Via Maris along the coast and the King's Highway through the desert. Source: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1frzcvIuT7V_EVLtfnHFgy2Q6rAdMfFeH/view?usp=sharing