Beginning
Cyrus Helps the Captives Return
1 In the first year Cyrus was king of Persia [C 539 bc], the Lord ·caused [L stirred up the spirit of] Cyrus to send an announcement to his whole kingdom and to put it in writing. This happened so the Lord’s ·message [prophecy; L word] ·spoken by [L by the mouth of] Jeremiah would ·come true [be fulfilled]. He wrote:
2 This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:
The Lord, the God of heaven, has given all the kingdoms of the earth to me, and he has ·appointed [instructed; charged] me to build a ·Temple [L house] for him at Jerusalem in Judah. 3 May God be with all ·of [among] you who are his people. You ·are free to [may] go to Jerusalem in Judah and ·build [or rebuild] the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord, the God of Israel, [L he is the God] who is in Jerusalem. 4 Those who ·stay behind [L survive], ·wherever they live [in those places; C referring to the Jews remaining in exile, to the Jewish remnant who remained in Israel during the exile, or to their non-Jewish neighbors], ·should [must] ·support [help; assist; provide for] those who want to go. Give them silver and gold, ·supplies [goods] and ·cattle [livestock], and ·special gifts [voluntary/freewill offerings] for the ·Temple [L house] of God in Jerusalem.
5 Then the ·family [clan] leaders of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and Levites ·got ready [L arose] to go to Jerusalem—everyone ·God had caused to want [L whose spirit/heart/mind God had stirred] to go to Jerusalem to ·build [or rebuild] the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. 6 All their neighbors ·helped them [encouraged/assisted/aided them; L strengthened their hands], giving them things made of silver and gold, along with ·supplies [goods], ·cattle [livestock], valuable gifts, and ·special gifts [voluntary/freewill offerings]. 7 Also, King Cyrus brought out the ·bowls and pans [L articles] that belonged in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had ·taken [carried away] from Jerusalem and put in the ·temple [L house] of his own ·god [gods; Dan. 1:2; 5:1–4]. 8 Cyrus king of Persia had Mithredath the treasurer bring them and count them out ·for [to] Sheshbazzar, the ·prince [leader of the exiles] of Judah.
9 He listed thirty gold dishes, one thousand silver dishes, twenty-nine ·pans [or knives; or utensils], 10 thirty gold bowls, four hundred ten matching silver bowls, and one thousand other pieces.
11 There was a total of fifty-four hundred ·pieces [articles; vessels] of gold and silver. Sheshbazzar brought all these things along when the ·captives [exiles] went from Babylon to Jerusalem.
The Captives Who Returned
2 These are the people of the ·area [province] who ·returned [were returning/on their way back] from ·captivity [exile], whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had ·taken [carried] away to Babylon [2 Kin. 25:11–12]. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each going back to his own town. 2 These people returned with Zerubbabel [3:2], Jeshua [3:2], Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.
·These are [This is the number/list of] the people from Israel: 3 the ·descendants [sons; C and so throughout the list] of Parosh—2,172; 4 the descendants of Shephatiah—372; 5 the descendants of Arah—775; 6 the descendants of Pahath-Moab (through the ·family [line] of Jeshua and Joab)—2,812; 7 the descendants of Elam—1,254; 8 the descendants of Zattu—945; 9 the descendants of Zaccai—760; 10 the descendants of Bani—642; 11 the descendants of Bebai—623; 12 the descendants of Azgad—1,222; 13 the descendants of Adonikam—666; 14 the descendants of Bigvai—2,056; 15 the descendants of Adin—454; 16 the descendants of Ater (through the ·family [line] of Hezekiah)—98; 17 the descendants of Bezai—323; 18 the descendants of Jorah—112; 19 the descendants of Hashum—223; 20 the descendants of Gibbar—95.
21 These are the people from the towns: of Bethlehem—123; 22 of Netophah—56; 23 of Anathoth—128; 24 of Azmaveth—42; 25 of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth—743; 26 of Ramah and Geba—621; 27 of Micmash—122; 28 of Bethel and Ai—223; 29 of Nebo—52; 30 of Magbish—156; 31 of the other town of Elam—1,254; 32 of Harim—320; 33 of Lod, Hadid and Ono—725; 34 of Jericho—345; 35 of Senaah—3,630.
36 These are the priests: the ·descendants [sons; C and so on throughout the list] of Jedaiah (through the ·family [line; L house] of Jeshua)—973; 37 the descendants of Immer—1,052; 38 the descendants of Pashhur—1,247; 39 the descendants of Harim—1,017.
40 These are the Levites: the descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel (through the ·family [line] of Hodaviah)—74.
41 These are the ·singers [musicians]: the descendants of Asaph—128.
42 These are the gatekeepers of the ·Temple [L house]: the descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai—139.
43 These are the Temple servants: the ·descendants [sons; C and so throughout the list] of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth, 44 Keros, Siaha, Padon, 45 Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub, 46 Hagab, Shalmai, Hanan, 47 Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah, 48 Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam, 49 Uzza, Paseah, Besai, 50 Asnah, Meunim, Nephussim, 51 Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur, 52 Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha, 53 Barkos, Sisera, Temah, 54 Neziah, and Hatipha.
55 These are the descendants of the servants of Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda, 56 Jaala, Darkon, Giddel, 57 Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth-Hazzebaim, and Ami.
58 The Temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon numbered 392.
59 ·Some [The following; Another group of] people came to Jerusalem from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer, but they could not prove that their ·ancestors [families; L house of their fathers and their seed] came from Israel. 60 They were the descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda—652.
61 Also these priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai, who had ·married a daughter [L taken a wife from the daughters] of Barzillai from Gilead and was called by her family name.
62 These people searched ·for their family [or in the genealogical] records but could not find them. So they could not be priests, because they were ·thought to be unclean [disqualified; L desecrated]. 63 The governor ordered them not to eat any of the ·food offered to God [sacred food; L most holy things] until a priest ·had settled this matter by using [L stood up with] the Urim and Thummim [Ex. 28:30].
64 The total number of ·those who returned [the company/assembly/group] was 42,360. 65 This is not counting their 7,337 male and female servants and the 200 male and female singers they had with them. 66 They had 736 horses, 245 mules, 67 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
68 When they arrived at the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord in Jerusalem, some of the ·leaders of families [L heads of the fathers] ·gave [made voluntary] offerings to rebuild the ·Temple [L house] of God on the same site as before. 69 They gave as much as they could to the treasury ·to rebuild the Temple [for this work]—·about 1,100 pounds [L 61,000 drachmas] of gold, ·about 6,000 pounds [L 5,000 minas] of silver, and 100 ·pieces of clothing for the priests [priestly garments/robes].
70 All the Israelites settled in their hometowns. The priests, Levites, ·singers [musicians], gatekeepers, and Temple servants, along with some of the other people, settled in their own towns as well.
Rebuilding the Altar
3 In the seventh month, after the Israelites were settled in their hometowns, they ·met together [assembled in unity/with one accord; L as one man] in Jerusalem. 2 Then Jeshua son of Jozadak [Zech. 3:1–9] and his ·fellow [L brothers the] priests joined Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel [and his brothers/colleagues; v. 8; 4:2–3; 5:2; Neh. 7:7; Hag. 1:1, 12, 14; 2:2, 4, 21, 23; Zech. 4:6–10; Matt. 1:12–13; Luke 3:27] and began to build the altar of the God of Israel where they could offer burnt offerings, just as ·it is written [instructed; required] in the ·Teachings [Law; L Torah] of Moses, the man of God. 3 ·Even though [or Because] they were afraid of the people living around them, they ·built [set up; established] the altar where it had been before. And they ·offered [sacrificed] burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] on it to the Lord morning and evening. 4 Then, to obey what was ·written [instructed; required], they celebrated the Feast of ·Shelters [Booths; Tabernacles; Ex. 23:16; Lev. 23:33–36]. They offered the ·right [specified; proper; fixed] number of sacrifices ·for [according to the ordinance/requirement for] each day. 5 After the Feast of Shelters, they had ·regular [continual] ·sacrifices [burnt offerings; Lev. 1:1–17], as well as sacrifices for the New Moon and all the festivals ·commanded by [of] the Lord. Also there were ·special [freewill; voluntary] offerings to the Lord. 6 On the first day of the seventh month [C fifteen days before the beginning of the festival] they began to ·bring [offer; sacrifice] burnt offerings to the Lord, ·but [though] the foundation of the Lord’s ·Temple [L house] had not yet been laid.
Rebuilding the Temple
7 Then they gave money to the ·bricklayers [masons] and carpenters. They also gave food, ·wine [drink], and olive oil to the cities of Sidon and Tyre so they would ·float [bring] cedar logs from Lebanon to the seacoast town of Joppa. Cyrus king of Persia had given permission for this.
8 In the second month [C midspring] of the second year after their arrival at the ·Temple [L house] of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel [v. 2], Jeshua son of Jozadak, their fellow priests and Levites, and all who had returned from ·captivity [exile] to Jerusalem began to work. They ·chose [appointed] Levites twenty years old and older to ·be in charge of [supervise] the building of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. 9 The workers building the ·Temple [L house] of God were supervised by Jeshua and his sons and brothers [3:2], together with Kadmiel and his sons who were the descendants of Hodaviah, and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers. They were all Levites.
10 The builders finished laying the foundation of the Temple of the Lord. Then the priests, dressed in their ·robes [vestments], stood with their ·trumpets [clarions; C a long, metallic instrument, not a ram’s horn], and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, stood with their cymbals. They all took their places and praised the Lord just as David king of Israel had ·said to do [instructed; prescribed]. 11 With praise and thanksgiving, they ·sang [L answered; C sang antiphonally] to the Lord:
“He is good;
his ·love [loyalty] for Israel ·continues [endures; lasts; is] forever.”
And then all the people shouted loudly, “Praise the Lord! The foundation of his ·Temple [L house] has been laid.” 12 But many of the older priests, Levites, and ·family leaders [L heads of fathers] who had seen the first ·Temple [L house] cried loudly when they saw the foundation of this Temple. ·Most of the other people [Many others] were shouting with joy. 13 The people made so much noise it could be heard far away, and no one could tell the difference between the joyful shouting and the sad crying.
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