The Daily Audio Bible

Cyrus Commands the Jews to Return

1 ^(A)In the first year that Cyrus of Persia was emperor,^[a] the Lord made what he had said through the prophet Jeremiah come true. He prompted Cyrus to issue the following command and send it out in writing to be read aloud everywhere in his empire:

⁵ Then the heads of the clans of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, the priests and Levites, and everyone else whose heart God had moved got ready to go and rebuild the Lord's Temple in Jerusalem. ⁶ All their neighbors helped them by giving them many things: silver utensils, gold, supplies, pack animals, other valuables, and offerings for the Temple.

⁷ Emperor Cyrus gave them back the bowls and cups that King Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem and had put in the temple of his gods. ⁸ He handed them over to Mithredath, chief of the royal treasury, who made an inventory of them for Sheshbazzar, the governor of Judah, ^9-10 as follows:

¹¹ In all there were 5,400 gold and silver bowls and other articles which Sheshbazzar took with him when he and the other exiles went from Babylon to Jerusalem.

The List of Those Who Returned from Exile^(C)

2 Many of the exiles left the province of Babylon and returned to Jerusalem and Judah, all to their own hometowns. Their families had been living in exile in Babylonia ever since King Nebuchadnezzar had taken them there as prisoners. ² Their leaders were Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.

This is the list of the clans of Israel, with the number of those from each clan who returned from exile:

• ^3-20 Parosh - 2,172
• Shephatiah - 372
• Arah - 775
• Pahath Moab (descendants of Jeshua and Joab) - 2,812
• Elam - 1,254
• Zattu - 945
• Zaccai - 760
• Bani - 642
• Bebai - 623
• Azgad - 1,222
• Adonikam - 666
• Bigvai - 2,056
• Adin - 454
• Ater (also called Hezekiah) - 98
• Bezai - 323
• Jorah - 112
• Hashum - 223
• Gibbar - 95

^21-35 People whose ancestors had lived in the following towns also returned:

• Bethlehem - 123
• Netophah - 56
• Anathoth - 128
• Azmaveth - 42
• Kiriath Jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth - 743
• Ramah and Geba - 621
• Michmash - 122
• Bethel and Ai - 223
• Nebo - 52
• Magbish - 156
• The other Elam - 1,254
• Harim - 320
• Lod, Hadid, and Ono - 725
• Jericho - 345
• Senaah - 3,630

^36-39 This is the list of the priestly clans that returned from exile:

• Jedaiah (descendants of Jeshua) - 973
• Immer - 1,052
• Pashhur - 1,247
• Harim - 1,017

^40-42 Clans of Levites who returned from exile:

• Jeshua and Kadmiel (descendants of Hodaviah) - 74
• Temple musicians (descendants of Asaph) - 128
• Temple guards (descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai) - 139

^43-54 Clans of Temple workers who returned from exile:

• Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,
• Keros, Siaha, Padon,
• Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub,
• Hagab, Shamlai, Hanan,
• Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah,
• Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam,
• Uzza, Paseah, Besai,
• Asnah, Meunim, Nephisim,
• Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,
• Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,
• Barkos, Sisera, Temah,
• Neziah, and Hatipha

^55-57 Clans of Solomon's servants who returned from exile:

• Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda,
• Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel,
• Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth Hazzebaim, and Ami

⁵⁸ The total number of descendants of the Temple workers and of Solomon's servants who returned from exile was 392.

^59-60 There were 652 belonging to the clans of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda who returned from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer; but they could not prove that they were descendants of Israelites.

^61-62 The following priestly clans could find no record to prove their ancestry: Habaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai. (The ancestor of the priestly clan of Barzillai had married a woman from the clan of Barzillai of Gilead and had taken the name of his father-in-law's clan.) Since they were unable to prove who their ancestors were, they were not accepted as priests. ^63 (D)The Jewish governor told them that they could not eat the food offered to God until there was a priest who could use the Urim and Thummim.^[b]

• ^64-67 Total number of exiles who returned - 42,360
• Their male and female servants - 7,337
• Male and female musicians - 200
• Horses - 736
• Mules - 245
• Camels - 435
• Donkeys - 6,720

⁶⁸ When the exiles arrived at the Lord's Temple in Jerusalem, some of the leaders of the clans gave freewill offerings to help rebuild the Temple on its old site. ⁶⁹ They gave as much as they could for this work, and the total came to 1,030 pounds of gold, 5,740 pounds of silver, and 100 robes for priests.

^70 (E)The priests, the Levites, and some of the people settled in or near Jerusalem;^[c] the musicians, the Temple guards, and the Temple workers settled in nearby towns; and the rest of the Israelites settled in the towns where their ancestors had lived.

Christ the Power and the Wisdom of God

¹⁸ For the message about Christ's death on the cross is nonsense to those who are being lost; but for us who are being saved it is God's power. ^19 (A)The scripture says,

^20 (B)So then, where does that leave the wise? or the scholars? or the skillful debaters of this world? God has shown that this world's wisdom is foolishness!

^21 (C)For God in his wisdom made it impossible for people to know him by means of their own wisdom. Instead, by means of the so-called “foolish” message we preach, God decided to save those who believe. ²² Jews want miracles for proof, and Greeks look for wisdom. ²³ As for us, we proclaim the crucified Christ, a message that is offensive to the Jews and nonsense to the Gentiles; ²⁴ but for those whom God has called, both Jews and Gentiles, this message is Christ, who is the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For what seems to be God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and what seems to be God's weakness is stronger than human strength.

²⁶ Now remember what you were, my friends, when God called you. From the human point of view few of you were wise or powerful or of high social standing. ²⁷ God purposely chose what the world considers nonsense in order to shame the wise, and he chose what the world considers weak in order to shame the powerful. ²⁸ He chose what the world looks down on and despises and thinks is nothing, in order to destroy what the world thinks is important. ²⁹ This means that no one can boast in God's presence. ³⁰ But God has brought you into union with Christ Jesus, and God has made Christ to be our wisdom. By him we are put right with God; we become God's holy people and are set free. ^31 (D)So then, as the scripture says, “Whoever wants to boast must boast of what the Lord has done.”

The Message about the Crucified Christ

2 When I came to you, my friends, to preach God's secret truth,^[a] I did not use big words and great learning. ² For while I was with you, I made up my mind to forget everything except Jesus Christ and especially his death on the cross. ^3 (E)So when I came to you, I was weak and trembled all over with fear, ⁴ and my teaching and message were not delivered with skillful words of human wisdom, but with convincing proof of the power of God's Spirit. ⁵ Your faith, then, does not rest on human wisdom but on God's power.

²² Don't take it on yourself to repay a wrong. Trust the Lord and he will make it right.

²³ The Lord hates people who use dishonest scales and weights.