Beginning
The Proclamation of Cyrus
1 (A)Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—in order to complete the word of [a]Yahweh from the mouth of Jeremiah—Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he (B)had a proclamation pass throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying:
2 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia,
‘Yahweh, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and (C)He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
3 Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him! Let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah and rebuild the house of Yahweh, the God of Israel; (D)He is the God who is in Jerusalem.
4 So everyone who remains, at whatever place he may sojourn, let the men of [b]that place support him with silver and gold, with goods and cattle, together with a freewill offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.’”
Articles from Yahweh’s House Brought to Jerusalem
5 Then the heads of fathers’ households of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites arose, (E)that is of everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of Yahweh which is in Jerusalem. 6 All those around them [c](F)strengthened them with articles of silver, with gold, with possessions, with cattle, and with precious things, aside from all that was given as a freewill offering. 7 (G)Also King Cyrus brought out the articles of the house of Yahweh, (H)which Nebuchadnezzar had brought out from Jerusalem and put in the house of his gods; 8 and Cyrus, king of Persia, had them brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and he counted them out to (I)Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. 9 Now this was their number: 30 (J)gold dishes, 1,000 silver dishes, 29 [d]duplicates; 10 30 gold bowls, 410 silver bowls of a second kind and 1,000 other articles. 11 All the articles of gold and silver numbered 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.
The Exiles Who Returned
2 (K)Now these are the [e]people of the province who came up out of the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had taken away into exile to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his city. 2 [f]These came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, [g]Seraiah, [h]Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, [i]Mispar, Bigvai, [j]Rehum, and Baanah.
The number of the men of the people of Israel:
3 the sons of Parosh, 2,172;
4 the sons of Shephatiah, 372;
5 the sons of (L)Arah, 775;
6 the sons of (M)Pahath-moab of the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,812;
7 the sons of Elam, 1,254;
8 the sons of Zattu, 945;
9 the sons of Zaccai, 760;
10 the sons of [k]Bani, 642;
11 the sons of Bebai, 623;
12 the sons of Azgad, 1,222;
13 the sons of (N)Adonikam, 666;
14 the sons of Bigvai, 2,056;
15 the sons of Adin, 454;
16 the sons of Ater of Hezekiah, 98;
17 the sons of Bezai, 323;
18 the sons of [l]Jorah, 112;
19 the sons of Hashum, 223;
20 the sons of [m]Gibbar, 95;
21 the sons of (O)Bethlehem, 123;
22 the men of Netophah, 56;
23 the men of Anathoth, 128;
24 the sons of [n]Azmaveth, 42;
25 the sons of [o]Kiriath-arim, Chephirah and Beeroth, 743;
26 the sons of (P)Ramah and Geba, 621;
27 the men of Michmas, 122;
28 the men of Bethel and Ai, 223;
29 the sons of Nebo, 52;
30 the sons of Magbish, 156;
31 the sons of the other Elam, 1,254;
32 the sons of Harim, 320;
33 the sons of Lod, Hadid and Ono, 725;
34 the [p]men of (Q)Jericho, 345;
35 the sons of Senaah, 3,630.
36 (R)The priests:
the sons of Jedaiah of the house of Jeshua, 973;
37 the sons of (S)Immer, 1,052;
38 (T)the sons of Pashhur, 1,247;
39 the sons of (U)Harim, 1,017.
40 The Levites:
the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of [q]Hodaviah, 74.
41 The singers:
the sons of Asaph, 128.
42 The sons of 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, in all 139.
43 The (V)temple servants:
the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,
44 the sons of Keros, the sons of [r]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 Shalmai, 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 Meunim, the sons of [s]Nephisim,
51 the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur,
52 the sons of [t]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 sons of (W)Solomon’s servants:
the sons of Sotai, the sons of [u]Hassophereth, the sons of [v]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 [w]Ami.
58 All the (X)temple servants and the sons of (Y)Solomon’s servants were 392.
59 Now these are those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, [x]Addan, and Immer, but they were not able to declare their fathers’ households and their fathers’ seed, whether they were of Israel: 60 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, 652. 61 Of the sons of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of (Z)Barzillai, who took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and he was called by their name. 62 These searched in their genealogical records, but they could not be found; (AA)therefore they were considered unclean and excluded from the priesthood. 63 The [y]governor said to them (AB)that they should not eat from the most holy things until a priest stood with (AC)Urim and Thummim.
64 The whole assembly together was 42,360,
65 besides their male and female slaves of whom there were 7,337;
and they had 200 (AD)male and female singers.
66 Their horses were 736; their mules, 245;
67 their camels, 435; their donkeys, 6,720.
68 Some of the heads of fathers’ households, when they arrived at the house of Yahweh which is in Jerusalem, gave a freewill offering for the house of God to [z]restore it on its foundation. 69 According to their ability, they gave (AE)to the treasury for the work 61,000 gold [aa]drachmas and 5,000 silver [ab]minas and 100 priestly tunics.
70 (AF)So the priests and the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.
The Altar Is Built and Daily Offerings Begin
3 Then the seventh month came, and (AG)the sons of Israel were in the cities. And the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. 2 Then (AH)Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers the priests, and (AI)Zerubbabel the son (AJ)of Shealtiel and his brothers arose and (AK)built the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings on it, (AL)as it is written in the law of Moses, the man of God. 3 So they set up the altar on its foundation, for [ac](AM)they were terrified because of the peoples of the lands; and they (AN)offered burnt offerings on it to Yahweh, burnt offerings morning and evening. 4 They celebrated the (AO)Feast of [ad]Booths, (AP)as it is written, and offered [ae]the fixed number of burnt offerings daily, (AQ)according to the legal judgment, as each day required; 5 and afterward there was a (AR)continual burnt offering, also (AS)for the new moons and (AT)for all the appointed times of Yahweh that were set apart as holy, and from everyone who offered a freewill offering to Yahweh. 6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to Yahweh, but the foundation of the temple of Yahweh had not been laid. 7 Then they gave money to the masons and [af]carpenters, and (AU)food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and to the Tyrians, (AV)to bring cedar wood from Lebanon to the sea at (AW)Joppa, according to the permission they had [ag]from (AX)Cyrus king of Persia.
The Foundation of the Temple of Yahweh
8 Now in the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem in the second month, (AY)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak and the rest of their brothers the priests and the Levites, and all who came from the captivity to Jerusalem, began the work and (AZ)appointed the Levites from twenty years and older to direct the work of the house of Yahweh. 9 Then (BA)Jeshua with his sons and brothers stood united with Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of [ah]Judah and the sons of Henadad with their sons and brothers the Levites, to direct those who do the work in the house of God.
10 So the builders (BB)laid the foundation of the temple of Yahweh. Then [ai]the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise Yahweh (BC)according to the [aj]directions of King David of Israel. 11 (BD)And they sang, praising and giving thanks to Yahweh, saying, “(BE)For He is good, for His lovingkindness endures forever upon Israel.” And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised Yahweh because the foundation of the house of Yahweh was laid. 12 Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, (BF)the old men who had seen the first house of Yahweh, were weeping with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many in loud shouts with gladness were raising their voice, 13 so that the people could not distinguish the [ak]voices of the shouting of gladness from the [al]voices of the weeping of the people, for the people were shouting with a loud shout, and those [am]voices were heard far away.
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