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波斯王居鲁士为建圣殿下诏

波斯居鲁士元年,耶和华为要应验借耶利米口所说的话,就激动波斯居鲁士的心,使他下诏通告全国说: 波斯居鲁士如此说:耶和华天上的神已将天下万国赐给我,又嘱咐我在犹大耶路撒冷为他建造殿宇。 在你们中间凡做他子民的,可以上犹大耶路撒冷,在耶路撒冷重建耶和华以色列神的殿,只有他是神。愿神与这人同在! 凡剩下的人,无论寄居何处,那地的人要用金银、财物、牲畜帮助他,另外也要为耶路撒冷神的殿甘心献上礼物。”

尽返圣殿器物

于是,犹大便雅悯的族长、祭司、利未人,就是一切被神激动他心的人,都起来,要上耶路撒冷去建造耶和华的殿。 他们四围的人就拿银器、金子、财物、牲畜、珍宝帮助他们[a],另外还有甘心献的礼物。 居鲁士王也将耶和华殿的器皿拿出来,这器皿是尼布甲尼撒耶路撒冷掠来,放在自己神之庙中的。 波斯居鲁士派库官米提利达将这器皿拿出来,按数交给犹大的首领设巴萨 器皿的数目记在下面:金盘三十个,银盘一千个,刀二十九把, 10 金碗三十个,银碗之次的四百一十个,别样的器皿一千件, 11 金银器皿共有五千四百件。被掳的人从巴比伦耶路撒冷的时候,设巴萨将这一切都带上来。

Footnotes

  1. 以斯拉记 1:6 原文作:坚固他们的手。

During the first year of King Cyrus of Persia’s reign in 539 b.c., the Eternal One influenced the spirit of the Persian king to send a proclamation and written letter throughout his empire, fulfilling the Eternal’s earlier message through the prophet Jeremiah.[a]

King Cyrus actually rules the Persian Empire from 559–530 b.c., but it is in 539 b.c. when Persia finishes its conquest of Babylonian territory and Cyrus sends a decree that the Jews might return to Judah.

Cyrus’ Proclamation: The Eternal One, the God of heaven, has decided to give me all the kingdoms of the world to rule as my own. In return for this, He has told me to build Him a new house in Jerusalem of Judah. Any of His people living in my empire may return to Jerusalem of Judah with the help of the Eternal God. There you may rebuild the temple of the Eternal, Israel’s God, with my resources and blessing, because He is the God who lives in Jerusalem. Every Jew who lives here or in any other part of my empire and wishes to return to Jerusalem should be supported by his neighbors. They should give him silver, gold, goods, and cattle for his journey and should send a freewill offering to the True God’s temple in Jerusalem.

The tribal leaders of Judah and Benjamin, the priests and Levites, and everyone motivated in his or her spirit by the True God prepared to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Eternal’s temple. All their neighbors gave them silver, gold, goods, cattle, and valuable things for the journey, just as Cyrus had requested, and sent freewill offerings. 7-8 Even King Cyrus commanded his treasurer, Mithredath, to return the vessels from the Eternal’s temple (which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and stored in his gods’ temple) to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. The vessels included 30 gold basins, 1,000 silver basins, 29 extra dishes, 10 30 gold bowls, 410 silver bowls of a different pattern, and 1,000 other articles. 11 Sheshbazzar and the exiles carried a total of 5,400 gold and silver vessels from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Cyrus Helps the Exiles to Return(A)

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah,(B) the Lord moved the heart(C) of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:

“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:

“‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed(D) me to build(E) a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them. And in any locality where survivors(F) may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold,(G) with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings(H) for the temple of God(I) in Jerusalem.’”(J)

Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin,(K) and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved(L)—prepared to go up and build the house(M) of the Lord in Jerusalem. All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold,(N) with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings.

Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god.[a](O) Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar(P) the prince of Judah.

This was the inventory:

gold dishes30
silver dishes1,000
silver pans[b]29
10 gold bowls30
matching silver bowls410
other articles1,000

11 In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and of silver. Sheshbazzar brought all these along with the exiles when they came up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 1:7 Or gods
  2. Ezra 1:9 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.