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Cyrus Helps the Exiles to Return
In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:
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“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 me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah.
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And in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’”
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All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings.
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Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.
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This was the inventory: gold dishes 30 silver dishes 1,000 silver pans 29
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gold bowls 30 matching silver bowls 410 other articles 1,000
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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.
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in company with Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah): The list of the men of the people of Israel:
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of Shephatiah 372
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of Senaah 3,630
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The gatekeepers of the temple: the descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita and Shobai 139
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The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,
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Keros, Siaha, Padon,
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Hagab, Shalmai, Hanan,
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Barkos, Sisera, Temah,
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The descendants of the servants of Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda,
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Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth-Hazzebaim and Ami
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The temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon 392
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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 from Israel:
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These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean.
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The governor ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there was a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim.
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besides their 7,337 male and female slaves; and they also had 200 male and female singers.
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When they arrived at the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, some of the heads of the families gave freewill offerings toward the rebuilding of the house of God on its site.
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According to their ability they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas of silver and 100 priestly garments.
