²⁰ He carried into exile^(A) to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants^(B) to him and his successors until the kingdom of Persia came to power.

⁷ All nations will serve^(A) him and his son and his grandson until the time^(B) for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate^(C) him.

Cyrus Helps the Exiles to Return^(A)

1 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:

⁵ 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. ⁶ 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.

⁷ 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) 8} Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar^(P) the prince of Judah.

⁹ This was the inventory:

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.

²² In the first year of Cyrus^(A) king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:

¹¹ Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile^(A) the people who remained in the city, along with the rest of the populace and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon.^(B)

⁴⁷ Because you did not serve^(A) the Lord your God joyfully and gladly^(B) in the time of prosperity, ⁴⁸ therefore in hunger and thirst,^(C) in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the Lord sends against you. He will put an iron yoke^(D) on your neck^(E) until he has destroyed you.