Ezra 1:1-4

New International Version

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:

²“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. ³Any 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. ⁴And 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)

Read full chapter

Ezra 5:12-6:5

New International Version

¹²But because our ancestors angered^(A) the God of heaven, he gave them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean, king of Babylon, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon.^(B)

¹³“However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree^(C) to rebuild this house of God. ¹⁴He even removed from the temple^[a] of Babylon the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to the temple^[b] in Babylon.^(D) Then King Cyrus gave them to a man named Sheshbazzar,^(E) whom he had appointed governor, ¹⁵and he told him, ‘Take these articles and go and deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem. And rebuild the house of God on its site.’

¹⁶“So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God^(F) in Jerusalem. From that day to the present it has been under construction but is not yet finished.”

¹⁷Now if it pleases the king, let a search be made in the royal archives^(G) of Babylon to see if King Cyrus did in fact issue a decree to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision in this matter.

The Decree of Darius

6 King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives^(H) stored in the treasury at Babylon. ²A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media, and this was written on it:

Memorandum:

³In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem:

Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its foundations be laid.^(I) It is to be sixty cubits^[c] high and sixty cubits wide, ⁴with three courses^(J) of large stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid by the royal treasury.^(K) ⁵Also, the gold^(L) and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, are to be returned to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; they are to be deposited in the house of God.^(M)

Footnotes

Ezra 5:14 Or palace
Ezra 5:14 Or palace
Ezra 6:3 That is, about 90 feet or about 27 meters

Isaiah 44:28-45:6

New International Version

²⁸who says of Cyrus,^(A) ‘He is my shepherd
and will accomplish all that I please;
he will say of Jerusalem,^(B) “Let it be rebuilt,”
and of the temple,^(C) “Let its foundations^(D) be laid.”’

45 “This is what the Lord says to his anointed,^(E)
    to Cyrus,^(F) whose right hand I take hold^(G) of
to subdue nations^(H) before him
    and to strip kings of their armor,
to open doors before him
    so that gates will not be shut:
²I will go before you^(I)
    and will level^(J) the mountains^[a];
I will break down gates^(K) of bronze
    and cut through bars of iron.^(L)
³I will give you hidden treasures,^(M)
    riches stored in secret places,^(N)
so that you may know^(O) that I am the Lord,
    the God of Israel, who summons you by name.^(P)
⁴For the sake of Jacob my servant,^(Q)
    of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name
    and bestow on you a title of honor,
    though you do not acknowledge^(R) me.
⁵I am the Lord, and there is no other;^(S)
    apart from me there is no God.^(T)
I will strengthen you,^(U)
    though you have not acknowledged me,
⁶so that from the rising of the sun
    to the place of its setting^(V)
people may know^(W) there is none besides me.^(X)
    I am the Lord, and there is no other.