The Decree of Cyrus

In(A) the first year of Cyrus king of Persia,[a] the word of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah was fulfilled.(B) The Lord put it into the mind(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 heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build Him a house at Jerusalem in Judah.(D) Whoever is among His people, 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 lives, 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 leaders of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites—everyone God had motivated[b](G)—prepared to go up and rebuild the Lord’s house in Jerusalem. All their neighbors supported them[c](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[d] 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[e] 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:[f]

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[g] 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[h] descendants, Nephusim’s[i] 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 families and ancestry 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 was called by 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 slaves,
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 leaders 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,[j] 6,250 pounds[k] 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. Ezra 1:1 Cyrus reigned 559–530 b.c.
  2. Ezra 1:5 Lit everyone whose spirit God had stirred
  3. Ezra 1:6 Lit supported their hands
  4. Ezra 1:10 Or similar
  5. Ezra 2:1 Nebuchadnezzar reigned 605–562 b.c.
  6. Ezra 2:2 Lit the men of the people of Israel
  7. Ezra 2:46 Alt Hb tradition reads Shamlai’s
  8. Ezra 2:50 Alt Hb tradition reads Meinim’s
  9. Ezra 2:50 Alt Hb tradition reads Nephisim’s
  10. Ezra 2:69 Or drachmas, or darics
  11. Ezra 2:69 Lit 5,000 minas

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