The Proclamation of Cyrus

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:

“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”

Then rose up the heads of the fathers' houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem.

And all who were about them aided them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with costly wares, besides all that was freely offered.

Cyrus king of Persia brought these out in the charge of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.

And this was the number of them: 30 basins of gold, 1,000 basins of silver, 29 censers,

30 bowls of gold, 410 bowls of silver, and 1,000 other vessels;

all the vessels of gold and of silver were 5,400. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up, when the exiles were brought up from Babylonia to Jerusalem.

They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:

the sons of Parosh, 2,172.

The sons of Shephatiah, 372.

The sons of Arah, 775.

The sons of Pahath-moab, namely the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,812.

The sons of Elam, 1,254.

The sons of Zattu, 945.

The sons of Zaccai, 760.

The sons of Bani, 642.

The sons of Bebai, 623.

The sons of Azgad, 1,222.

The sons of Adonikam, 666.

The sons of Bigvai, 2,056.

The sons of Adin, 454.

The sons of Ater, namely of Hezekiah, 98.

The sons of Bezai, 323.