⁵ Then rose up the heads of the fathers' houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, ^(A)everyone whose spirit ^(B)God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem.

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:

¹³ for ^(A)it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for ^(B)his good pleasure.

The Proclamation of Cyrus

^22 (A)Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, ^(B)that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, ^(C)the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:

¹⁶ Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. ^17 (A)Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from ^(B)the Father of lights, ^(C)with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.^[a]

Commendation of Titus

¹⁶ But ^(A)thanks be to God, ^(B)who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you.

¹² Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode.

¹¹ Beloved, ^(A)do not imitate evil but imitate good. ^(B)Whoever does good is from God; ^(C)whoever does evil has not seen God.