Ezra 1:1-4

English Standard Version

The Proclamation of Cyrus

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

²“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and ^(D)he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. ³Whoever 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 rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel—^(E)he is the God who is in Jerusalem. ⁴And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”

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Ezra 5:12-6:5

English Standard Version

¹²^(A)But because our fathers had angered the God of heaven, he ^(B)gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried away the people to Babylonia. ¹³^(C)However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree that this house of God should be rebuilt. ¹⁴^(D)And the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought into the temple of Babylon, these Cyrus the king took out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to one whose name was ^(E)Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor; ¹⁵and he said to him, “Take these vessels, go and put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its site.” ¹⁶Then this ^(F)Sheshbazzar came and ^(G)laid the foundations of the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and from that time until now it has been in building, and it is ^(H)not yet finished.’ ¹⁷Therefore, if it seems good to the king, ^(I)let search be made in the royal archives there in Babylon, to see whether a decree was issued by Cyrus the king for the rebuilding of this house of God in Jerusalem. And let the king send us his pleasure in this matter.”

The Decree of Darius

6 Then Darius the king made a decree, and ^(J)search was made in Babylonia, in the house of the archives where the documents were stored. ²And in Ecbatana, the citadel that is ^(K)in the province of Media, a scroll was found on which this was written: “A record. ³In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king issued a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be rebuilt, the place where sacrifices were offered, and let its foundations be retained. Its height shall be sixty cubits^[a] and its breadth sixty cubits, ⁴^(L)with three layers of great stones and one layer of timber. Let the cost be paid from the royal treasury. ⁵And also ^(M)let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that is in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and brought back to the temple that is in Jerusalem, each to its place. You shall put them in the house of God.”

Footnotes

Ezra 6:3 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters

Isaiah 44:28-45:6

English Standard Version

²⁸who says of ^(A)Cyrus, ‘He is ^(B)my shepherd,
and he shall fulfill all my purpose’;
saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’
^(C)and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”

Cyrus, God's Instrument

45 Thus says the Lord to ^(D)his anointed, to Cyrus,
    ^(E)whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
    and ^(F)to loose the belts of kings,
to open doors before him
    that gates may not be closed:
²“I will go before you
    and ^(G)level the exalted places,^[a]
^(H)I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
    and cut through the bars of iron,
³^(I)I will give you the treasures of darkness
    and the hoards in secret places,
that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
    the God of Israel, ^(J)who call you by your name.
⁴For the sake of my servant Jacob,
    and Israel my chosen,
^(K)I call you by your name,
    ^(L)I name you, though you do not know me.
⁵^(M)I am the Lord, and there is no other,
    besides me there is no God;
    ^(N)I equip you, though you do not know me,
⁶^(O)that people may know, from the rising of the sun
    and from the west, that there is none besides me;
    I am the Lord, and there is no other.