20-01
broke the covenant
The people disobeyed the commands God had given them in his covenant with them at Mount Sinai (See: 13:04).
20-04
foreigners
This refers to people who were not Israelites.
Samaritans
When the foreigners married the Israelites, their children were neither foreigners nor Israelites. They were a mixed race. These children were called Samaritans.
20-05
The people in the kingdom of Judah saw how God had punished the people of the kingdom of Israel
God punished the kingdom of Israel first by sending the Assyrians to defeat them. The people in the kingdom of Judah saw this happen, and had time to repent. Instead, they continued to worship idols rather than worship God.
20-06
agreed to be
The king of Judah was forced to either serve the Babylonian king or be destroyed.
20-07
the Babylonians came back and attacked the kingdom of Judah
This was the second time that the Babylonians attacked the kingdom of Judah. The first time, they forced the king of Judah to serve them. This second time, they destroyed Jerusalem.
20-08
then made him blind
The Babylonians were very cruel. They made the king blind to punish him, but also so that the last thing he would remember seeing was them killing his sons.
20-09
the Exile
The word exile means someone is removed from their country by force. The Exile is the term for this 70-year period when the Israelites were forced to live in Babylon.
20-11
the Persian Empire
The Persian Empire grew to cover the area from central Asia to Egypt. It was located in the region of what is Iran today.
the land of Judah
That is, the area where the kingdom of Judah was located before the Exile. Jerusalem was the capital city of Judah.
20-12
go back to Judah
Since most of these Jews were the children and grandchildren of those who left Judah, they had never lived in Judah before.
20-13
the people
That is, the Israelites, the descendants of Jacob, who were now called the Jews.
the wall
This wall was very thick (2.5 meters) and was built to protect the city from attackers.