The Decree of Cyrus

In(A) the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah,(B) the Lord roused the spirit(C) of King Cyrus to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and to put it in writing:

This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The Lord, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Judah.(D) Any of his people among you, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the Lord, the God of Israel,(E) the God who is in Jerusalem. Let every survivor,(F) wherever he resides, be assisted by the men of that region with silver, gold, goods, and livestock, along with a freewill offering for the house of God in Jerusalem.”

Return from Exile

So the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites—everyone whose spirit God had roused(G)—prepared to go up and rebuild the Lord’s house in Jerusalem. All their neighbors supported them[a](H) with silver articles, gold, goods, livestock, and valuables, in addition to all that was given as a freewill offering. King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the Lord’s house that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and had placed in the house of his gods.(I) King Cyrus of Persia had them brought out under the supervision of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.(J) This was the inventory:

30 gold basins, 1,000 silver basins,

29 silver knives, 10 30 gold bowls,

410 various[b] silver bowls, and 1,000 other articles.

11 The gold and silver articles totaled 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought all of them when the exiles went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

The Exiles Who Returned

These(K) now are the people of the province who came from those captive exiles King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon[c] had deported to Babylon.(L) They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town. They came with Zerubbabel,(M) Jeshua,(N) Nehemiah, Seraiah,(O) Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.

The number of the Israelite men included[d]

Parosh’s descendants(P)2,172
Shephatiah’s descendants372
Arah’s descendants775
Pahath-moab’s descendants:
Jeshua’s and Joab’s descendants2,812
Elam’s descendants1,254
Zattu’s descendants945
Zaccai’s descendants760
10 Bani’s descendants642
11 Bebai’s descendants623
12 Azgad’s descendants1,222
13 Adonikam’s descendants(Q)666
14 Bigvai’s descendants2,056
15 Adin’s descendants454
16 Ater’s descendants: of Hezekiah98
17 Bezai’s descendants323
18 Jorah’s descendants112
19 Hashum’s descendants223
20 Gibbar’s descendants95
21 Bethlehem’s(R) people123
22 Netophah’s men56
23 Anathoth’s men128
24 Azmaveth’s people42
25 Kiriatharim’s, Chephirah’s, and Beeroth’s people743
26 Ramah’s(S) and Geba’s people621
27 Michmas’s men122
28 Bethel’s and Ai’s(T) men223
29 Nebo’s people52
30 Magbish’s people156
31 the other Elam’s people1,254
32 Harim’s people320
33 Lod’s, Hadid’s, and Ono’s people725
34 Jericho’s(U) people345
35 Senaah’s people3,630

36 The priests included

Jedaiah’s descendants of the house of Jeshua973
37 Immer’s descendants1,052
38 Pashhur’s descendants1,247
39 and Harim’s descendants1,017

40 The Levites included

Jeshua’s and Kadmiel’s descendants
from Hodaviah’s descendants74

41 The singers included

Asaph’s(V) descendants128

42 The gatekeepers’(W) descendants included

Shallum’s descendants, Ater’s descendants,
Talmon’s descendants, Akkub’s descendants,
Hatita’s descendants, Shobai’s descendants, in all139

43 The temple servants(X) included

Ziha’s descendants, Hasupha’s descendants,

Tabbaoth’s descendants, 44 Keros’s descendants,

Siaha’s descendants, Padon’s descendants,

45 Lebanah’s descendants, Hagabah’s descendants,

Akkub’s descendants, 46 Hagab’s descendants,

Shalmai’s[e] descendants, Hanan’s descendants,

47 Giddel’s descendants, Gahar’s descendants,

Reaiah’s descendants, 48 Rezin’s descendants,

Nekoda’s descendants, Gazzam’s descendants,

49 Uzza’s descendants, Paseah’s descendants,

Besai’s descendants, 50 Asnah’s descendants,

Meunim’s[f] descendants, Nephusim’s[g] descendants,

51 Bakbuk’s descendants, Hakupha’s descendants,

Harhur’s descendants, 52 Bazluth’s descendants,

Mehida’s descendants, Harsha’s descendants,

53 Barkos’s descendants, Sisera’s descendants,

Temah’s descendants, 54 Neziah’s descendants,

and Hatipha’s descendants.

55 The descendants of Solomon’s servants(Y) included

Sotai’s descendants, Hassophereth’s descendants,
Peruda’s descendants, 56 Jaalah’s descendants,
Darkon’s descendants, Giddel’s descendants,
57 Shephatiah’s descendants, Hattil’s descendants,
Pochereth-hazzebaim’s descendants, and Ami’s descendants.
58 All the temple servants
and the descendants of Solomon’s servants392.

59 The following are those who came from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer but were unable to prove that their ancestral families[h] and their lineage were Israelite:

60 Delaiah’s descendants,
Tobiah’s descendants,
Nekoda’s descendants652

61 and from the descendants of the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, the descendants of Barzillai—who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and who bore their name. 62 These searched for their entries in the genealogical records, but they could not be found, so they were disqualified from the priesthood. 63 The governor(Z) ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest who could consult the Urim and Thummim.(AA)

64 The whole combined assembly numbered42,360
65 not including their 7,337 male and female servants,
and their 200 male and female singers.(AB)
66 They had 736 horses, 245 mules,
67 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

Gifts for the Work

68 After they arrived at the Lord’s house in Jerusalem, some of the family heads gave freewill offerings(AC) for the house of God in order to have it rebuilt on its original site. 69 Based on what they could give, they gave 61,000 gold coins,[i] 6,250 pounds[j] of silver, and 100 priestly garments to the treasury(AD) for the project. 70 The priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants, and some of the people settled in their towns, and the rest of Israel settled in their towns.(AE)

Footnotes

  1. 1:6 Lit strengthened their hands
  2. 1:10 Or similar
  3. 2:1 Nebuchadnezzar reigned 605–562 BC
  4. 2:2 Lit the men of the people of Israel
  5. 2:46 Alt Hb tradition reads Shamlai’s
  6. 2:50 Alt Hb tradition reads Meinim’s
  7. 2:50 Alt Hb tradition reads Nephisim’s
  8. 2:59 Lit that the house of their fathers
  9. 2:69 Or drachmas, or darics
  10. 2:69 Lit 5,000 minas

Jesus’s Third Appearance to the Disciples

21 After this, Jesus revealed(A) himself again to his disciples by the Sea of Tiberias.[a](B) He revealed himself in this way:

Simon Peter,(C) Thomas(D) (called “Twin”[b]), Nathanael(E) from Cana of Galilee,(F) Zebedee’s(G) sons, and two others of his disciples were together.

“I’m going fishing,” Simon Peter said to them.

“We’re coming with you,” they told him. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.(H)

When daybreak came, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not know it was Jesus.(I) “Friends,”[c] Jesus called to them, “you don’t have any fish, do you?”

“No,” they answered.

“Cast the net on the right side of the boat,” he told them, “and you’ll find some.” So they did,[d] and they were unable to haul it in because of the large number of fish. The disciple, the one Jesus loved, said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” (J)

When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tied his outer clothing around him (for he had taken it off) and plunged into the sea. Since they were not far from land (about a hundred yards[e](K) away), the other disciples came in the boat,(L) dragging the net full of fish.

When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread. 10 “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus told them. 11 So Simon Peter climbed up and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish—153 of them. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.(M)

12 “Come and have breakfast,” Jesus told them. None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time(N) Jesus appeared[f](O) to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Jesus’s Threefold Restoration of Peter

15 When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John,[g] do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.”

“Feed my lambs,” he told him. 16 A second time he asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love(P) me?”(Q)

“Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.”

“Shepherd(R) my sheep,”(S) he told him.

17 He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love(T) me?”

Peter was grieved(U) that he asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know everything;(V) you know that I love you.”

“Feed(W) my sheep,” Jesus said. 18 “Truly I tell you,(X) when you were younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don’t want to go.” 19 He said this to indicate by what kind of death(Y) Peter would glorify God.(Z) After saying this, he told him, “Follow me.”(AA)

Correcting a False Report

20 So Peter turned around and saw the disciple Jesus loved(AB) following them, the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is the one that’s going to betray you?” (AC) 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?”

22 “If I want him to remain until I come,”(AD) Jesus answered, “what is that to you? As for you, follow me.”

23 So this rumor[h] spread to the brothers and sisters(AE) that this disciple would not die.(AF) Yet Jesus did not tell him that he would not die, but, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”

Epilogue

24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.

25 And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if every one of them were written down, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books[i] that would be written.(AG)

Footnotes

  1. 21:1 Another name for the Sea of Galilee
  2. 21:2 Gk Didymus
  3. 21:5 Lit “Children”
  4. 21:6 Lit they cast
  5. 21:8 Lit about two hundred cubits
  6. 21:14 Lit was revealed (v. 1)
  7. 21:15–17 Other mss read “Simon, son of Jonah; Mt 16:17; Jn 1:42
  8. 21:23 Lit this word
  9. 21:25 Lit scroll

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