1 During the first year of the reign of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled Jeremiah’s prophecy^[a] by giving King Cyrus the desire to send this proclamation throughout his empire (he also put it into the permanent records of the realm):

² “Cyrus, king of Persia, hereby announces that Jehovah, the God of heaven who gave me my vast empire, has now given me the responsibility of building him a Temple in Jerusalem, in the land of Judah. ³ All Jews throughout the kingdom may now return to Jerusalem to rebuild this Temple of Jehovah, who is the God of Israel and of Jerusalem. May his blessings rest upon you. ⁴ Those Jews^[b] who do not go should contribute toward the expenses of those who do and also supply them with clothing, transportation, supplies for the journey, and a freewill offering for the Temple.”