2 Chronicles

2 Chronicles is the fourteenth book of the Bible and continues directly from 1 Chronicles. It covers the period from Solomon's accession to the end of the Babylonian exile, retelling material from 1 and 2 Kings with a focus on the southern kingdom of Judah and its temple. The book is traditionally attributed to Ezra.

The first nine chapters cover Solomon. The Chronicler dwells at length on the construction and dedication of the temple: the gold, the bronze, the priestly garments, the music, the prayer Solomon offers at the dedication, and the cloud of God's glory that fills the building. Solomon's wealth, wisdom, and international reputation are described. His failures, including the foreign wives and the slide toward idolatry, are largely omitted.

The remaining chapters cover the kings of Judah. The northern kingdom of Israel is mentioned only when its story crosses Judah's. Some kings get long treatment, others a single chapter. Faithful kings like Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah are praised for their reforms; unfaithful kings are described more briefly. Hezekiah's Passover, Josiah's discovery of the Book of the Law, and the temple repairs under various kings are highlighted.

The book ends with the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 586 BC and the destruction of the temple, followed by a final note: the Persian king Cyrus, seventy years later, authorizes the Jewish exiles to return home and rebuild.