Beginning
Cyrus Allows the Jews to Return from Babylon(A)
1 The promise the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah was about to come true in Cyrus’ first year as king of Persia. The Lord inspired the king to make this announcement throughout his whole kingdom and then to put it in writing.
2 This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: The Lord God 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). 3 May God be with all of you who are his people. You may go to Jerusalem (which is in Judah) and build a temple for the Lord God of Israel. He is the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 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 God’s temple in Jerusalem.
Sheshbazzar Returns with the Temple Furnishings
5 Then the heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin, the priests, and the Levites—everyone God had inspired—came forward to rebuild the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem. 6 All their neighbors ⌞who were remaining behind⌟ provided them with articles made from silver and gold, supplies, livestock, and valuable gifts besides everything that was freely offered. 7 King Cyrus brought out the utensils belonging to the Lord’s temple. Nebuchadnezzar had taken these utensils from Jerusalem and put them in the temple of his own god. 8 King Cyrus of Persia put the treasurer Mithredath in charge of bringing them out. So Mithredath made a list of them for Prince Sheshbazzar of Judah.[a] 9 This is the inventory:
gold dishes … 30
silver dishes … 1,000
knives … 29
10 gold bowls … 30
other silver bowls … 410
other utensils … 1,000
11 The gold and silver utensils totaled … 5,400.
Sheshbazzar took all these utensils with him when the exiles left Babylon to go to Jerusalem.
Those Who Returned with Zerubbabel(B)
2 These were the people in the province. They were the ones who left the place where the exiles had been taken captive. (King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had taken them to Babylon.) These exiles returned to Jerusalem and Judah. All of them went to their own cities. 2 They went with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.
Families Listed by Ancestor(C)
This is the number of Israelite men from the people in exile:
3 the descendants of Parosh … 2,172
4 of Shephatiah … 372
5 of Arah … 775
6 of Pahath Moab, that is, of Jeshua and Joab … 2,812
7 of Elam … 1,254
8 of Zattu … 945
9 of Zaccai … 760
10 of Bani … 642
11 of Bebai … 623
12 of Azgad … 1,222
13 of Adonikam … 666
14 of Bigvai … 2,056
15 of Adin … 454
16 of Ater, that is, Hezekiah … 98
17 of Bezai … 323
18 of Jorah … 112
19 of Hashum … 223
20 of Gibbar … 95
Families Listed by Cities(D)
21 The people of Bethlehem … 123
22 of Netophah … 56
23 of Anathoth … 128
24 of Azmaveth … 42
25 of Kiriath Jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth … 743
26 of Ramah and Geba … 621
27 of Michmas … 122
28 of Bethel and Ai … 223
29 of Nebo … 52
30 of Magbish … 156
31 of the other Elam … 1,254
32 of Harim 320
33 of Lod, Hadid, and Ono … 725
34 of Jericho … 345
35 of Senaah … 3,630
Priests(E)
36 These priests returned from exile:
the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family of Jeshua) … 973
37 of Immer … 1,052
38 of Pashhur … 1,247
39 of Harim … 1,017
Levites(F)
40 These Levites returned from exile:
the descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel, that is, of Hodaviah … 74
41 These singers returned from exile:
the descendants of Asaph … 128
42 These gatekeepers returned from exile:
the descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai … 139
Temple Servants(G)
43 These temple servants returned from exile: the descendants 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, Nephusim, 51 Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur, 52 Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha, 53 Barkos, Sisera, Temah, 54 Neziah, and Hatipha.
Descendants of Solomon’s Servants(H)
55 These descendants of Solomon’s servants returned from exile: the descendants of Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda, 56 Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel, 57 Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth Hazzebaim, and Ami.
58 The temple servants and the descendants of Solomon’s servants totaled 392.
Those of Unknown Origin(I)
59 The following people came from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, but they couldn’t prove they were Israelites on the basis of their father’s family or their genealogy: 60 the descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda. These people totaled 652.
61 These descendants of the priests ⌞couldn’t prove their families were Israelites⌟: the descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai (who had married one of the daughters of Barzillai from Gilead and took that ⌞family⌟ name). 62 These people searched for their ⌞family⌟ names in the genealogical records, but their names couldn’t be found there. For this reason they were considered contaminated and couldn’t be priests. 63 The governor told them not to eat any of the most holy food until a priest could use the Urim and Thummim [b] ⌞to settle the problem⌟.
The Total of the People and Animals Returning from Exile(J)
64 The whole assembly totaled 42,360. 65 In addition to the male and female servants who numbered 7,337, they also had 200 male and female singers. 66 They had 736 horses, 245 mules, 67 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
Gifts Given for the Temple(K)
68 When some of the heads of the families came to the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem, they contributed freewill offerings to help rebuild God’s temple on its ⌞former⌟ site. 69 They contributed as much as they could to the treasury for this work: 1,030 pounds of gold, 5,740 pounds of silver, and 100 robes for the priests.
70 The priests, the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants settled in their own cities. All the other Israelites settled in their own cities.
Worship at the Temple Site Begins Again
3 When the seventh month came, the people gathered together in Jerusalem. (The Israelites had already settled in their cities.) 2 Then Jozadak’s son Jeshua and his relatives ⌞who were⌟ priests and Shealtiel’s son Zerubbabel and his relatives built an altar for the God of Israel. They built it in order to sacrifice burnt offerings. They ⌞followed the directions⌟ written in Moses’ Teachings. (Moses was a man of God). 3 So they rebuilt the altar on its original site, though they were afraid of the people in the neighboring regions. They sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord every morning and evening.
4 Following the written directions, they celebrated the Festival of Booths. Each day they sacrificed the required number of burnt offerings. 5 After that, they sacrificed the daily burnt offerings, the offerings for the New Moon Festival and all the other holy festivals of the Lord, and all the freewill offerings brought to the Lord. 6 They started to bring these burnt offerings to the Lord on the first day of the seventh month, even though the foundation of the Lord’s temple had not yet been laid.
Work on the Temple Begins
7 So they gave money to the stonecutters and carpenters. Then they gave food, drink, and olive oil to the men from Sidon and Tyre in exchange for cedar, which the men would bring by sea from Lebanon to Joppa as King Cyrus of Persia had authorized them to do.
8 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 God’s house in Jerusalem. They began by appointing the Levites who were at least 20 years old to direct the work on the Lord’s house. 9 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 God’s house.
A Celebration After the Laying of the Temple’s Foundation
10 The builders laid the foundation of the Lord’s temple. Then the priests who were dressed in their robes took their places with trumpets, and the Levites who were Asaph’s descendants took their places with cymbals to praise the Lord according to the instructions of King David of Israel. 11 As they praised and gave thanks to the Lord, they sang antiphonally:
“He is good; his mercy toward Israel endures forever.”
Then all the people shouted, “Praise the Lord,” because the foundation for the house of the Lord had been laid.
12 But many of the priests, Levites, and the heads of the families who were old enough to have seen the first temple with their own eyes began to sob when they saw the foundation of this temple. Many others shouted for joy. 13 No one could distinguish between the joyful shouts and the loud sobbing because the people were shouting so loudly. The noise was heard from far away.
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