At the opening of the book of Ezra, the condition of the government in Babylon, where Israel was being held captive, was this: Nebuchadnezzar took many of the people of Israel captive in the first year of his reign. Nebuchadnezzar ruled for forty-five years, followed by his son Evil-merodach for twenty-three years, and then his grandson Belshazzar for three years, totaling seventy years. Nebuchadnezzar was judged by God for many sins, not least of which was his indifference towards Israel which was demonstrated by his failure to release his prisoners, as mentioned in Isaiah 14:17. Daniel warned Nebuchadnezzar that showing mercy to the Jews would have prolonged his peace (Daniel 4:27), but the king of Babylon refused. Therefore, Babylon's sins reached their limit, leading to its destruction by Darius the Mede and Cyrus the Persian, as recorded in Daniel 5. When Darius grew old, he passed the government to Cyrus, who, in turn, played a key role in the Jews' liberation.

“The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus. Note, The hearts of kings are in the hand of the Lord, and, like the [rivers] of water, he turneth them which way soever he will. It is said of Cyrus that he knew not God, nor how to serve him; but God knew him, and how to serve himself by him (Isaiah 45:4). God governs the world by his influence on the spirits of men, and, whatever good is done at any time, it is God that stirs up the spirit to do it, puts thoughts into the mind, gives to the understanding to form a right judgment, and directs the will which way he pleases. Whatever good offices therefore are, at any time, done for the church of God, [God] must have the glory of them.” -Matthew Henry