Because of the rebellion and wickedness of the people of the kingdom of Judah, the Lord allowed them to be overthrown by the Babylonian empire. The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and deported many of the Jews to Babylon. “The mass deportations and relocations were probably based on a belief that persons removed from their homelands … would be easier to control. … After conquering Babylon in 539 B.C., king Cyrus of Persia announced to the Babylonian Jews that they could return to their ancestral homeland. … Those who did return rebuilt Jerusalem and its temple” (Largey, Book of Mormon Reference Companion, 86–87).