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Ezra 1-3
New Catholic Bible
Ezra 1-3
New Catholic Bible
The Return from the Exile
Chapter 1
The Decree of Cyrus. 1 In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, in order that the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord inspired King Cyrus of Persia to issue the following proclamation throughout his kingdom and also have it put in writing:
2 “King Cyrus of Persia says this: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given to me all the kingdoms of the earth, and in addition he has designated me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. 3 May God be with all those among you who belong to his people.[a] They are to go up to Jerusalem in Judah and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 And let everyone who has survived, and who has settled down to reside in that locale, be assisted by the people of that place with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, in addition to the voluntary offerings for the house of God in Jerusalem.”
5 Then the heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin, as well as the priests and Levites—all those whose spirit has been aroused by God—prepared to go forth and rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. 6 All of their neighbors assisted them with gifts of every kind—silver and gold, goods and livestock, and many valuable gifts, in addition to all of their free-will offerings.
7 Furthermore, King Cyrus himself handed over the vessels of the house of the Lord that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed them in the temple of his gods. 8 Cyrus, the king of Persia, ordered them to be released into the charge of Mithredath, the treasurer, who made a complete inventory of them before turning them over to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.[b]
9 [c]This was the final inventory: thirty gold dishes; one thousand silver dishes, in addition to twenty-nine others that had been repaired; 10 thirty gold bowls; four hundred and ten silver bowls; one thousand other articles. 11 The final total of all the gold and silver vessels was five thousand four hundred. All these Sheshbazzar took with him when he led the exiles back from Babylon to Jerusalem.
Chapter 2
Census of the Province. 1 These were the people of the province who returned from the captivity of the exiles, those whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had carried away to Babylon and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town. 2 They were led back by Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.[d]
The census of the men of the people of Israel: 3 the sons of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two; 4 the sons of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two; 5 the sons of Arah, seven hundred and seventy-five; 6 the sons of Pahath-moab, namely the descendants of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and twelve; 7 the sons of Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four; 8 the sons of Zattu, nine hundred and forty-five; 9 less the sons of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty; 10 the sons of Bani, six hundred and forty-two; 11 the sons of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-three; 12 the sons of Azgad, one thousand two hundred and twenty-two; 13 the sons of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-six; 14 the sons of Bigvai, two thousand and fifty-six; 15 the sons of Adin, four hundred and fifty-four; 16 the sons of Ater, namely the descendants of Hezekiah, ninety-eight; 17 the sons of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-three; 18 the sons of Jorah, one hundred and twelve; 19 the sons of Hashum, two hundred and twenty-three; 20 the sons of Gibeon, ninety-five; 21 the sons of Bethlehem, one hundred and twenty-three; 22 the sons of Netophah, fifty-six; 23 the sons of Anathoth, one hundred and twenty-eight; 24 the sons of Beth-azmaveth, forty-two; 25 the sons of Kiriath-jearim, Chephi-rah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three; 26 the sons of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty-one; 27 the sons of Michmas, one hundred and twenty-two; 28 the sons of Bethel and Ai, two hundred and twenty-three; 29 the sons of Nebo, fifty-two; 30 the sons of Magbish, one hundred and fifty-six; 31 the sons of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four; 32 the sons of Harim, three hundred and twenty; 33 the sons of Lod, Hadid and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-five; 34 the sons of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five; 35 the sons of Senaah, three thousand six hundred and thirty.
36 The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, who were of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three; 37 the sons of Immer, one thousand and fifty-two; 38 the sons of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred and forty-seven; 39 the sons of Harim, one thousand and seventeen.
40 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua, Kadmiel, Binnui, and Hodaviah, seventy-four.
41 The singers: the sons of Asaph, one hundred and twenty-eight.
42 The gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, one hundred and thirty-nine in all.
43 The temple slaves: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, 44 the sons of Keros, the sons of Siaha, the sons of Padon, 45 the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Akkub, 46 the sons of Hagab, the sons of Shamlai, the sons of Hanan, 47 the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah, 48 the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of Gazzam, 49 the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai, 50 the sons of Asnah, the sons of the Meunites, the sons of the Nephusites, 51 the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, 52 the sons of Bazluth, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, 53 the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah, 54 the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.
55 The descendants of the slaves of Solomon: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Hassophereth, the sons of Peruda, 56 the sons of Jaalah, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, 57 the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the sons of Ami. 58 The total of the temple slaves and the descendants of Solomon’s servants numbered three hundred and ninety-two.
59 The following were those who returned from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer but were unable to prove that their families and their ancestry were of Israelite origin: 60 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda: six hundred and fifty-two. 61 And also in regard to the sons of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai (he had married one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and became known by his name). 62 These men had searched for their names in the genealogical records[e] but they were not to be found there. As a result, they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 63 Consequently the governor[f] ordered them not to partake of the most sacred food until a priest arrived to consult the Urim and the Thummim.
64 The entire assemblage numbered forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty people, 65 apart from their male and female slaves, who numbered seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven, not including two hundred male and female singers. 66 Their horses numbered seven hundred and thirty-six. In addition, their mules numbered two hundred and forty-five, 67 their camels numbered four hundred and thirty-five, and their donkeys numbered six thousand seven hundred and twenty.
68 When they arrived at the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, some of the heads of families gave free-will offerings for the rebuilding of the house of God on its original site. 69 According to their resources they donated sixty-one thousand gold drachmas, five thousand silver minas, and one hundred priestly robes.[g]
70 The priests, the Levites, and some of the people settled in Jerusalem and its vicinity, while the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their towns, and all the rest of the Israelites settled in their towns.
Chapter 3
Restoration of the Altar. 1 When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people gathered in Jerusalem as a single entity. 2 Then Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, with his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, with his brothers, set out to rebuild the altar of the God of Israel, in order to offer upon it the holocausts as prescribed in the law of Moses, the man of God.
3 Despite their fear of the peoples that surrounded them, they erected the altar on its former site, and upon it they presented burnt offerings to the Lord both morning and evening. 4 They also celebrated the Feast of Booths as prescribed and offered the holocausts required for each day.
5 [h]In addition, they presented the regular burnt offerings and the sacrifices prescribed for the new moons and for the festivals sacred to the Lord, as well as all the free-will offerings made to the Lord. 6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to present burnt offerings to the Lord, even though the foundations of the temple of the Lord had not yet been laid.
Founding of the Temple. 7 Then money was contributed to the masons and the carpenters, while food, drink, and oil were given to the Sidonians and the Tyrians so that they could procure cedar trees and transport them from Lebanon by sea to Jaffa, permission for which was granted by King Cyrus of Persia.
8 In the second month of the second year of their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, together with the rest of their brothers, the priests, the Levites, and all the people who had returned to Jerusalem from their captivity, began their project. 9 Jeshua, along with his sons and his brothers, together with Kadmiel and Binnui, the son of Henadad, and their sons and brethren, agreed to supervise the workers in the house of God.
10 When the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their robes with their trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with their cymbals, were stationed there to praise the Lord according to the ordinances established by King David of Israel. 11 They chanted praise and offered thanksgiving to the Lord, singing:
“The Lord is good,
and everlasting is his faithful love toward Israel.”
Then all the people raised a great shout, praising the Lord because the foundation of the house of the Lord had been laid.[i]
12 However, many of the priests and Levites and heads of families, elderly people who had seen the former house, wept loudly in sorrow when they beheld the foundations of this one, although many others shouted aloud for joy. 13 As a result, the people were unable to distinguish the clamor of the joyful shouts from the cries of those who were weeping. So great were the shouts and the cries that the sounds could be heard a long distance away.
Footnotes
- Ezra 1:3 Belong to his people: it seems strange that someone who is not a Jew is entrusted with the responsibility to return God’s people to their homeland. Cyrus, who ruled over what was formerly Assyria and Babylon offers immunity to the entire 12 tribes; however, his invitation to rebuild God’s temple is only acknowledged by Judah and Benjamin.
- Ezra 1:8 Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah: it is uncertain whether he and Zerubbabel are one and the same because of the custom of giving Babylonian names to Jews in exile. Both are identified as governors of Judah.
- Ezra 1:9 The numbers have perhaps been miscopied or are exaggerated.
- Ezra 2:2 The Nehemiah mentioned here is not the same one who will rebuild Jerusalem almost a century later, and Mordecai is not the person who is named in the Book of Esther.
- Ezra 2:62 Genealogical records: during this time period, examining records was extremely important for many reasons. One must prove that they descended from Abraham to be considered a true Jew, and this allowed them to participate in full community life.
- Ezra 2:63 Governor: Sheshbazzar; see Ezr 1:8.
- Ezra 2:69 As generous as these donations were, fundraising for the new temple did not compare to the money that David raised for the building of Solomon’s temple, and hence it would never compare to the splendor of the original temple.
- Ezra 3:5 The returning exiles did not wait until the temple was rebuilt to make sacrifices to God because they realized their great need for God and how their disobedience had destroyed them.
- Ezra 3:11 See the psalms of thanksgiving (e.g., the whole of Ps 136).
Ezra 1-3
New International Version
Ezra 1-3
New International Version
Cyrus Helps the Exiles to Return(A)
1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah,(B) the Lord moved the heart(C) of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:
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)
5 Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin,(K) and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved(L)—prepared to go up and build the house(M) of the Lord in Jerusalem. 6 All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold,(N) with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings.
7 Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god.[a](O) 8 Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar(P) the prince of Judah.
9 This was the inventory:
| gold dishes | 30 |
| silver dishes | 1,000 |
| silver pans[b] | 29 |
| 10 gold bowls | 30 |
| matching silver bowls | 410 |
| other articles | 1,000 |
11 In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and of silver. Sheshbazzar brought all these along with the exiles when they came up from Babylon to Jerusalem.
The List of the Exiles Who Returned(Q)
2 Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles,(R) whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon(S) had taken captive to Babylon (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to their own town,(T) 2 in company with Zerubbabel,(U) Joshua,(V) Nehemiah, Seraiah,(W) Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah):
The list of the men of the people of Israel:
| 3 the descendants of Parosh(X) | 2,172 |
| 4 of Shephatiah | 372 |
| 5 of Arah | 775 |
| 6 of Pahath-Moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab) | 2,812 |
| 7 of Elam | 1,254 |
| 8 of Zattu | 945 |
| 9 of Zakkai | 760 |
| 10 of Bani | 642 |
| 11 of Bebai | 623 |
| 12 of Azgad | 1,222 |
| 13 of Adonikam(Y) | 666 |
| 14 of Bigvai | 2,056 |
| 15 of Adin | 454 |
| 16 of Ater (through Hezekiah) | 98 |
| 17 of Bezai | 323 |
| 18 of Jorah | 112 |
| 19 of Hashum | 223 |
| 20 of Gibbar | 95 |
| 21 the men of Bethlehem(Z) | 123 |
| 22 of Netophah | 56 |
| 23 of Anathoth | 128 |
| 24 of Azmaveth | 42 |
| 25 of Kiriath Jearim,[c] Kephirah and Beeroth | 743 |
| 26 of Ramah(AA) and Geba | 621 |
| 27 of Mikmash | 122 |
| 28 of Bethel and Ai(AB) | 223 |
| 29 of Nebo | 52 |
| 30 of Magbish | 156 |
| 31 of the other Elam | 1,254 |
| 32 of Harim | 320 |
| 33 of Lod, Hadid and Ono | 725 |
| 34 of Jericho(AC) | 345 |
| 35 of Senaah | 3,630 |
36 The priests:
| the descendants of Jedaiah(AD) (through the family of Jeshua) | 973 |
| 37 of Immer(AE) | 1,052 |
| 38 of Pashhur(AF) | 1,247 |
| 39 of Harim(AG) | 1,017 |
40 The Levites:(AH)
| the descendants of Jeshua(AI) and Kadmiel (of the line of Hodaviah) | 74 |
41 The musicians:(AJ)
| the descendants of Asaph | 128 |
42 The gatekeepers(AK) of the temple:
| the descendants of | |
| Shallum, Ater, Talmon, | |
| Akkub, Hatita and Shobai | 139 |
43 The temple servants:(AL)
| the descendants of |
| Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth, |
| 44 Keros, Siaha, Padon, |
| 45 Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub, |
| 46 Hagab, Shalmai, Hanan, |
| 47 Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah, |
| 48 Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam, |
| 49 Uzza, Paseah, Besai, |
| 50 Asnah, Meunim, Nephusim, |
| 51 Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur, |
| 52 Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha, |
| 53 Barkos, Sisera, Temah, |
| 54 Neziah and Hatipha |
55 The descendants of the servants of Solomon:
| the descendants of |
| Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda, |
| 56 Jaala, Darkon, Giddel, |
| 57 Shephatiah, Hattil, |
| Pokereth-Hazzebaim and Ami |
| 58 The temple servants(AM) and the descendants of the servants of Solomon | 392 |
59 The following came up from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon and Immer, but they could not show that their families were descended(AN) from Israel:
| 60 The descendants of | |
| Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda | 652 |
61 And from among the priests:
| The descendants of |
| Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai (a man who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite(AO) and was called by that name). |
62 These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood(AP) as unclean. 63 The governor ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food(AQ) until there was a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim.(AR)
64 The whole company numbered 42,360, 65 besides their 7,337 male and female slaves; and they also had 200 male and female singers.(AS) 66 They had 736 horses,(AT) 245 mules, 67 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.
68 When they arrived at the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, some of the heads of the families(AU) gave freewill offerings toward the rebuilding of the house of God on its site. 69 According to their ability they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 darics[d] of gold, 5,000 minas[e] of silver and 100 priestly garments.
70 The priests, the Levites, the musicians, the gatekeepers and the temple servants settled in their own towns, along with some of the other people, and the rest of the Israelites settled in their towns.(AV)
Rebuilding the Altar
3 When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,(AW) the people assembled(AX) together as one in Jerusalem. 2 Then Joshua(AY) son of Jozadak(AZ) and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel(BA) and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses(BB) the man of God. 3 Despite their fear(BC) of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices.(BD) 4 Then in accordance with what is written, they celebrated the Festival of Tabernacles(BE) with the required number of burnt offerings prescribed for each day. 5 After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings, the New Moon(BF) sacrifices and the sacrifices for all the appointed sacred festivals of the Lord,(BG) as well as those brought as freewill offerings to the Lord. 6 On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, though the foundation of the Lord’s temple had not yet been laid.
Rebuilding the Temple
7 Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters,(BH) and gave food and drink and olive oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they would bring cedar logs(BI) by sea from Lebanon(BJ) to Joppa, as authorized by Cyrus(BK) king of Persia.
8 In the second month(BL) of the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel(BM) son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak and the rest of the people (the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem) began the work. They appointed Levites twenty(BN) years old and older to supervise the building of the house of the Lord. 9 Joshua(BO) and his sons and brothers and Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Hodaviah[f]) and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together in supervising those working on the house of God.
10 When the builders laid(BP) the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets,(BQ) and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise(BR) the Lord, as prescribed by David(BS) king of Israel.(BT) 11 With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:
“He is good;
his love toward Israel endures forever.”(BU)
And all the people gave a great shout(BV) of praise to the Lord, because the foundation(BW) of the house of the Lord was laid. 12 But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple,(BX) wept(BY) aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. 13 No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy(BZ) from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.
Footnotes
- Ezra 1:7 Or gods
- Ezra 1:9 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Ezra 2:25 See Septuagint (see also Neh. 7:29); Hebrew Kiriath Arim.
- Ezra 2:69 That is, about 1,100 pounds or about 500 kilograms
- Ezra 2:69 That is, about 3 tons or about 2.8 metric tons
- Ezra 3:9 Hebrew Yehudah, a variant of Hodaviah
New International Version (NIV) 
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