This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: Yahweh Elohim of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the world. Then he ordered me to build a temple for him in Jerusalem (which is in Judah).

May Elohim be with all of you who are his people. You may go to Jerusalem (which is in Judah) and build a temple for Yahweh Elohim of Israel. He is the Elohim who is in Jerusalem.

All who choose to remain behind, wherever they may be living, should provide the people who are leaving with silver, gold, supplies, livestock, and freewill offerings to be used in Elohim’s temple in Jerusalem.

Sheshbazzar Returns with the Temple Furnishings

Then the heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin, the priests, and the Levites—everyone Elohim had inspired—came forward to rebuild Yahweh’s temple in Jerusalem.

Gifts Given for the Temple

When some of the heads of the families came to Yahweh’s temple in Jerusalem, they contributed freewill offerings to help rebuild Elohim’s temple on its former site.

Then Jozadak’s son Jeshua and his relatives who were priests and Shealtiel’s son Zerubbabel and his relatives built an altar for the Elohim of Israel. They built it in order to sacrifice burnt offerings. They followed the directions written in Moses’ Teachings. (Moses was a man of Elohim).

Zerubbabel (who was Shealtiel’s son), Jeshua (who was Jozadak’s son), and the rest of the Jews, (the priests, Levites, and all the others who had come back from exile to Jerusalem) began to rebuild the temple. This happened in the second month of the second year following their return to the site of Elohim’s house in Jerusalem. They began by appointing the Levites who were at least 20 years old to direct the work on Yahweh’s house.

Then Jeshua with his sons and relatives and Kadmiel with his sons who were Judah’s descendants joined Henadad’s family and their sons and relatives, the Levites, in directing those working on Elohim’s house.

The Samaritans Stop the Work

When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people who returned from exile were building a temple for Yahweh Elohim of Israel,

they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the families. They told them, “We want to help you build because we worship the same Elohim you worship. We have been sacrificing to him since the time of King Esarhaddon of Assyria, who brought us here.”

But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of Israel’s families told them, “It isn’t right for your people and our people to build a temple for our Elohim together. We must build it alone for Yahweh Elohim of Israel, as King Cyrus of Persia ordered us to do.”

The lambs were eaten by the Israelites who had returned from exile and by all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of the non-Jews in the land to worship Yahweh Elohim of Israel.

So for seven days they celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread because Yahweh had made them joyful. Yahweh had made the king of Assyria change his mind so that he supported the people in their work on the temple of Elohim, the Elohim of Israel.

As a scribe, Ezra was an expert in Moses’ Teachings, which Yahweh Elohim of Israel had given. The king gave Ezra everything he requested because Yahweh his Elohim was guiding him.

He had left Babylon on the first day of the first month, and on the first day of the fifth month, he arrived in Jerusalem, since his Elohim was good to him.

I, Ezra, said: Thanks be to Yahweh Elohim of our ancestors. He put this into the king’s mind to make Yahweh’s temple in Jerusalem beautiful.

He made the king, his advisers, and all the king’s powerful officials treat me kindly. I was encouraged because Yahweh my Elohim was guiding me. So I gathered leaders in Israel to go with me.

I sent them to Iddo, the leader in Casiphia. I told them to tell Iddo and his relatives, the temple servants in Casiphia, that they should bring us men who can serve in our Elohim’s temple.

Elohim was guiding us, so Iddo and his relatives brought us someone competent, Sherebiah, who was a descendant of Mahli, Levi, and Israel. They brought us 18 of Sherebiah’s sons and relatives.

Then I announced a fast there at the Ahava River so that we might humble ourselves in the presence of our Elohim to ask him for a safe journey for ourselves, for our little ones, and for all our goods.

I was ashamed to ask the king for an armed escort with cavalry to help us against an enemy attack on the way. We had already told the king, “Our Elohim works things out for the good of everyone who dedicates his life to serving him, but his power and his anger oppose everyone who abandons him.”

So we fasted and asked our Elohim for a safe journey, and he answered our prayer.

I weighed for them the silver, the gold, and the utensils. These were the contributions that the king, his advisers, his officials, and all the Israelites had contributed for our Elohim’s temple.

I told them, “You and the utensils are holy to Yahweh. The silver and gold are freewill offerings to Yahweh Elohim of your ancestors.

So the priests and the Levites took charge of the silver, the gold, and the utensils. They were responsible for bringing these items to the temple of our Elohim in Jerusalem.