Add parallel Print Page Options

The Proclamation of Cyrus

(A)Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—in order to complete the word of [a]Yahweh from the mouth of Jeremiah—Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he (B)had a proclamation pass throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying:

“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia,

‘Yahweh, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and (C)He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him! Let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah and rebuild the house of Yahweh, the God of Israel; (D)He is the God who is in Jerusalem.

So everyone who remains, at whatever place he may sojourn, let the men of [b]that place support him with silver and gold, with goods and cattle, together with a freewill offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.’”

Articles from Yahweh’s House Brought to Jerusalem

Then the heads of fathers’ households of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites arose, (E)that is of everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of Yahweh which is in Jerusalem. All those around them [c](F)strengthened them with articles of silver, with gold, with possessions, with cattle, and with precious things, aside from all that was given as a freewill offering. (G)Also King Cyrus brought out the articles of the house of Yahweh, (H)which Nebuchadnezzar had brought out from Jerusalem and put in the house of his gods; and Cyrus, king of Persia, had them brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and he counted them out to (I)Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. Now this was their number: 30 (J)gold dishes, 1,000 silver dishes, 29 [d]duplicates; 10 30 gold bowls, 410 silver bowls of a second kind and 1,000 other articles. 11 All the articles of gold and silver numbered 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 1:1 The personal covenant name of God, a form of I AM WHO I AM, cf. Ex 3:14-15
  2. Ezra 1:4 Lit his
  3. Ezra 1:6 Lit strengthened their hands
  4. Ezra 1:9 Heb obscure; other possible meanings are knives, censers

End of the Babylonian Captivity(A)

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord (B)by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, (C)so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,

Thus says Cyrus king of Persia:

All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has (D)commanded me to build Him a [a]house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (E)(He is God), which is in Jerusalem. And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.

Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all whose spirits (F)God [b]had moved, arose to go up and build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem. And all those who were around them [c]encouraged them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with precious things, besides all that was (G)willingly offered.

(H)King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the house of the Lord, (I)which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and put in the [d]temple of his gods; and Cyrus king of Persia brought them out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out to (J)Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. This is the number of them: thirty gold platters, one thousand silver platters, twenty-nine knives, 10 thirty gold basins, four hundred and ten silver basins of a similar kind, and one thousand other articles. 11 All the articles of gold and silver were five thousand four hundred. All these Sheshbazzar took with the captives who were brought from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 1:2 Temple
  2. Ezra 1:5 stirred up
  3. Ezra 1:6 Lit. strengthened their hands
  4. Ezra 1:7 Lit. house