Ezra 1-2
Common English Bible
Permission to return to Jerusalem
1 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia’s rule, to fulfill the Lord’s word spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Persia’s King Cyrus. The king issued a proclamation throughout his kingdom (it was also in writing) that stated:
2 Persia’s King Cyrus says: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has commanded me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. 3 If there are any of you who are from his people, may their God be with them! They may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the Lord, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 And as for all those who remain in the various places where they are living, let the people of those places supply them with silver and gold, and with goods and livestock, together with spontaneous gifts for God’s house in Jerusalem.[a]
Preparing to return
5 Then the heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites—everyone whose spirit God had stirred up—got ready to go up and build God’s house in Jerusalem. 6 All their neighbors assisted them with silver equipment, with gold, with goods, livestock, and valuable gifts, in addition to all that was freely offered. 7 King Cyrus brought out the equipment of the Lord’s house—those items that Nebuchadnezzar brought from Jerusalem and placed in the house of his gods. 8 Persia’s King Cyrus handed them over to Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. 9 This was the count: thirty gold dishes, one thousand silver dishes, twenty-nine knives,[b] 10 thirty gold bowls, four hundred ten larger[c] silver bowls, and one thousand other objects. 11 The total of the gold and silver objects numbered five thousand four hundred. Sheshbazzar brought up all of these when the exiles went up from Babylonia to Jerusalem.
List of the returnees
2 These were the people of the province who went up from there—from among those captive exiles whom Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar had deported to Babylonia. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, all to their own towns. 2 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.
The number of the people of Israel
3 The family of Parosh | 2,172 |
4 of Shephatiah | 372 |
5 of Arah | 775 |
6 of Pahath-moab, namely the family of Jeshua and Joab | 2,812 |
7 of Elam | 1,254 |
8 of Zattu | 945 |
9 of Zaccai | 760 |
10 of Bani | 642 |
11 of Bebai | 623 |
12 of Azgad | 1,222 |
13 of Adonikam | 666 |
14 of Bigvai | 2,056 |
15 of Adin | 454 |
16 of Ater, namely of Hezekiah | 98 |
17 of Bezai | 323 |
18 of Jorah | 112 |
19 of Hashum | 223 |
20 of Gibbar | 95 |
21 of Bethlehem | 123 |
22 The people of Netophah | 56 |
23 of Anathoth | 128 |
24 The family of Azmaveth | 42 |
25 of Kiriatharim, Chephirah, and Beeroth | 743 |
26 of Ramah and Geba | 621 |
27 The people of Michmash | 122 |
28 of Bethel and Ai | 223 |
29 The family of Nebo | 52 |
30 of Magbish | 156 |
31 of the other Elam | 1,254 |
32 of Harim | 320 |
33 of Lod, Hadid, and Ono | 725 |
34 of Jericho | 345 |
35 of Senaah | 3,630 |
36 The priests
The family of Jedaiah, namely the house of Jeshua | 973 |
37 of Immer | 1,052 |
38 of Pashhur | 1,247 |
39 of Harim | 1,017 |
40 The Levites: the family of Jeshua and Kadmiel—the family of Hodaviah | 74 |
41 The singers
The family of Asaph | 128 |
42 The family of the gatekeepers
of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai | 139 in all |
43 The temple servants
The family of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth, 44 Keros, Siaha, Padon, 45 Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub, 46 Hagab, Shamlai, Hanan, 47 Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah, 48 Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam, 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 family of Solomon’s servants
Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda, 56 Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel, 57 Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth-hazzebaim, and Ami.
58 All of the temple servants and the family of Solomon’s servants 392
Exclusions
59 The following came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, but they were unable to demonstrate that their family or their descent was from Israel: 60 the family of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda, 652
61 and of the family of the priests: the family of Habaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai (who had married one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name).
62 They looked for their entries in the genealogical records, but they were not found there, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 63 The governor ordered them not to eat of the most holy food until a priest arose who could consult Urim and Thummim.
Total
64 The whole assembly together totaled 42,360, 65 not including their 7,337 male and female servants; they also had 200 male and female singers, 66 736 horses, 245 mules, 67 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
Arrival in Jerusalem
68 When they arrived at the Lord’s house in Jerusalem, some of the heads of the families brought spontaneous gifts for the rebuilding of God’s house on its site. 69 According to their means, they gave to the building fund 61,000 drachmen of gold, 5,000 manehs of silver, and 100 priestly robes.
70 The priests, the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants settled in their own towns, and all Israel in their towns.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible