End of the Babylonian Captivity

1 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord from the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of King Cyrus of Persia so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also in writing, saying:^(A)

² “Thus says King Cyrus of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.^{(B) 3} Let any of those among you who are of his people—may their God be with them!—go up to Jerusalem in Judah and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel; he is the God who is in Jerusalem.^{(C) 4} And let all survivors in whatever place they reside be assisted by the people of their place with silver and gold, with goods, and with livestock, besides freewill offerings for the house of God in Jerusalem.”

⁵ Then the heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites—everyone whose spirit God had stirred—got ready to go up and rebuild the house of the Lord in Jerusalem.^{(D) 6} All their neighbors aided them with silver vessels, with gold, with goods, with livestock, and with valuable gifts, besides all that was freely offered. ⁷ King Cyrus himself brought out the vessels of the house of the Lord that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the house of his gods.^{(E) 8} King Cyrus of Persia had them released into the charge of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.^{(F) 9} And this was the inventory: gold basins, thirty; silver basins, one thousand; knives,^[a] twenty-nine; ¹⁰ gold bowls, thirty; other silver bowls, four hundred ten; other vessels, one thousand; ¹¹ the total of the gold and silver vessels was five thousand four hundred. All these Sheshbazzar brought up when the exiles were brought up from Babylonia to Jerusalem.

List of the Returned Exiles

2 Now these are the people of the province who came from those captive exiles whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had carried captive to Babylon; they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, all to their own towns.^{(G) 2} They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.

The number of the Israelite people: ³ the descendants of Parosh, two thousand one hundred seventy-two. ⁴ Of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy-two. ⁵ Of Arah, seven hundred seventy-five.^{(H) 6} Of Pahath-moab, namely, the descendants of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred twelve.^{(I) 7} Of Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four. ⁸ Of Zattu, nine hundred forty-five. ⁹ Of Zaccai, seven hundred sixty. ¹⁰ Of Bani, six hundred forty-two. ¹¹ Of Bebai, six hundred twenty-three. ¹² Of Azgad, one thousand two hundred twenty-two. ¹³ Of Adonikam, six hundred sixty-six. ¹⁴ Of Bigvai, two thousand fifty-six. ¹⁵ Of Adin, four hundred fifty-four. ¹⁶ Of Ater, namely, of Hezekiah, ninety-eight.^{(J) 17} Of Bezai, three hundred twenty-three. ¹⁸ Of Jorah, one hundred twelve. ¹⁹ Of Hashum, two hundred twenty-three. ²⁰ Of Gibbar, ninety-five. ²¹ Of Bethlehem, one hundred twenty-three.^{(K) 22} The people of Netophah, fifty-six. ²³ Of Anathoth, one hundred twenty-eight. ²⁴ The descendants of Azmaveth, forty-two. ²⁵ Of Kiriatharim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred forty-three. ²⁶ Of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty-one. ²⁷ The people of Michmas, one hundred twenty-two. ²⁸ Of Bethel and Ai, two hundred twenty-three. ²⁹ The descendants of Nebo, fifty-two. ³⁰ Of Magbish, one hundred fifty-six. ³¹ Of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four.^{(L) 32} Of Harim, three hundred twenty. ³³ Of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty-five. ³⁴ Of Jericho, three hundred forty-five. ³⁵ Of Senaah, three thousand six hundred thirty.

³⁶ The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy-three.^{(M) 37} Of Immer, one thousand fifty-two. ³⁸ Of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred forty-seven.^{(N) 39} Of Harim, one thousand seventeen.^(O)

⁴⁰ The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the descendants of Hodaviah, seventy-four. ⁴¹ The singers: the descendants of Asaph, one hundred twenty-eight. ⁴² The descendants of the gatekeepers: of Shallum, of Ater, of Talmon, of Akkub, of Hatita, and of Shobai, in all one hundred thirty-nine.

⁴³ The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,^{(P) 44} Keros, Siaha, Padon, ⁴⁵ Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub, ⁴⁶ Hagab, Shamlai, Hanan, ⁴⁷ Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah, ⁴⁸ Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam,^{(Q) 49} Uzza, Paseah, Besai, ⁵⁰ Asnah, Meunim, Nephisim, ⁵¹ Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur, ⁵² Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha, ⁵³ Barkos, Sisera, Temah, ⁵⁴ Neziah, and Hatipha.

⁵⁵ The descendants of Solomon’s servants: Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda,^{(R) 56} Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel, ⁵⁷ Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth-hazzebaim, and Ami.

⁵⁸ All the temple servants and the descendants of Solomon’s servants were three hundred ninety-two.^(S)

⁵⁹ The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, though they could not prove their families or their descent, whether they belonged to Israel: ⁶⁰ the descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda, six hundred fifty-two. ⁶¹ Also, of the descendants of the priests: the descendants of Habaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai (who had married one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name).^{(T) 62} These looked for their entries in the genealogical records, but they were not found there, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean;^{(U) 63} the governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food until there should be a priest to consult Urim and Thummim.^(V)

⁶⁴ The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred sixty,^{(W) 65} besides their male and female servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty-seven, and they had two hundred male and female singers. ⁶⁶ They had seven hundred thirty-six horses, two hundred forty-five mules, ⁶⁷ four hundred thirty-five camels, and six thousand seven hundred twenty donkeys.

⁶⁸ As soon as they came to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, some of the heads of families made freewill offerings for the house of God, to erect it on its site. ⁶⁹ According to their resources they gave to the building fund sixty-one thousand darics of gold, five thousand minas of silver, and one hundred priestly robes.^(X)

⁷⁰ The priests, the Levites, and some of the people, as well as the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants, lived in their towns and all Israel in their towns.

²³ When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. ²⁴ So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says,

²⁵ And that is what the soldiers did.

Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.^{(B) 26} When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.”^{(C) 27} Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

²⁸ After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.”^{(D) 29} A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. ³⁰ When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.^(E)

Jesus’s Side Is Pierced

³¹ Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the Sabbath, especially because that Sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed.^{(F) 32} Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him.^{(G) 33} But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴ Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out.^{(H) 35} (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows^[a] that he tells the truth, so that you also may continue^[b] to believe.)^{(I) 36} These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of his bones shall be broken.”^{(J) 37} And again another passage of scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.”^(K)

The Burial of Jesus

³⁸ After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and removed his body. ³⁹ Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds.^{(L) 40} They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews.^{(M) 41} Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. ⁴² And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.