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. ³ Any 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. ⁴ And 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)

“I have heard your prayer and have chosen^(D) this place for myself^(E) as a temple for sacrifices.

¹³ “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain,^(F) or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, ¹⁴ if my people, who are called by my name,^(G) will humble^(H) themselves and pray and seek my face^(I) and turn^(J) from their wicked ways, then I will hear^(K) from heaven, and I will forgive^(L) their sin and will heal^(M) their land. ¹⁵ Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.^{(N) 16} I have chosen^(O) and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

¹⁷ “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully^(P) as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees^(Q) and laws, ¹⁸ I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted^(R) with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor^(S) to rule over Israel.’^(T)

¹⁹ “But if you^[a] turn away^(U) and forsake^(V) the decrees and commands I have given you^[b] and go off to serve other gods and worship them, ²⁰ then I will uproot^(W) Israel from my land,^(X) which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule^(Y) among all peoples. ²¹ This temple will become a heap of rubble. All^[c] who pass by will be appalled^(Z) and say,^(AA) ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ ²² People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them^(AB)—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’”

³¹ “When the neighboring peoples bring merchandise or grain to sell on the Sabbath,^(A) we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on any holy day. Every seventh year we will forgo working the land^(B) and will cancel all debts.^(C)

³² “We assume the responsibility for carrying out the commands to give a third of a shekel^[a] each year for the service of the house of our God: ³³ for the bread set out on the table;^(D) for the regular grain offerings and burnt offerings; for the offerings on the Sabbaths, at the New Moon^(E) feasts and at the appointed festivals; for the holy offerings; for sin offerings^[b] to make atonement for Israel; and for all the duties of the house of our God.^(F)

³⁴ “We—the priests, the Levites and the people—have cast lots^(G) to determine when each of our families is to bring to the house of our God at set times each year a contribution of wood^(H) to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the Law.

³⁹ The people of Israel, including the Levites, are to bring their contributions of grain, new wine and olive oil to the storerooms, where the articles for the sanctuary and for the ministering priests, the gatekeepers and the musicians are also kept.

“We will not neglect the house of our God.”^(A)