The Babylonian Captivity resulted from the Neo-Babylonian empire’s conquest of the kingdom of Judah. After Nebuchadnezzar II defeated Egypt at the Battle of Carchemish in 605 bce, Judah became a Babylonian vassal state. Rebellions against Babylonian rule led to invasions and the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple. The forced relocation of dominated populations was a common practice of the Neo-Babylonian empire. The captivity formally ended after Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon in 539 and permitted the Jews to return to Judaea in 538 bce. From the religious perspectives of the prophets, however, the Babylonian Captivity was divine punishment for the immoral leadership, idolatry, and religious transgressions of the Judaeans, and the experience would end with a redemption and return to divine glory.
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