Cyrus’ Proclamation

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying:

“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 rebuild for Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

And every survivor, at whatever place he may live, the people of that place are to support him with silver and gold, with equipment and cattle, together with a voluntary offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.’”

Holy Vessels Restored

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

And all of those around them encouraged them with articles of silver, with gold, with equipment, cattle, and with valuables, aside from everything that was given as a voluntary offering.

and Cyrus, king of Persia, had them brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and he counted them out to Sheshbazzar, the leader of Judah.

Now this was their number: thirty gold dishes, a thousand silver dishes, twenty nine duplicates;

thirty gold bowls, 410 silver bowls of a second kind, and a thousand other articles.

All the articles of gold and silver totaled 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

These came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. This is 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 of 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, of Hezekiah, 98;

the sons of Bezai, 323;