Ezra 1:1-7

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)

⁵Then 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. ⁶All 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.

⁷Moreover, 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)

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Footnotes

Ezra 1:7 Or gods

Ezra 3:10-13

New International Version

¹⁰When the builders laid^(A) the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets,^(B) and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise^(C) the Lord, as prescribed by David^(D) king of Israel.^(E) ¹¹With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:

“He is good;
his love toward Israel endures forever.”^(F)

And all the people gave a great shout^(G) of praise to the Lord, because the foundation^(H) of the house of the Lord was laid. ¹²But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple,^(I) wept^(J) aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. ¹³No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy^(K) from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.