The Daily Audio Bible
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1 In the first year of Koresh king of Persia, in order for the word of Adonai prophesied by Yirmeyahu to be fulfilled, Adonai stirred up the spirit of Koresh king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his whole kingdom, which he also put in writing, as follows:
2 “Here is what Koresh king of Persia says: Adonai, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms on earth; and he has charged me to build him a house in Yerushalayim, in Y’hudah. 3 Whoever there is among you of all his people, may his God be with him! He may go up to Yerushalayim, in Y’hudah, and build the house of Adonai the God of Isra’el, the God who is in Yerushalayim. 4 Let every survivor, no matter where he lives, be helped by his neighbors with silver, gold, goods and animals, in addition to the voluntary offering for the house of God in Yerushalayim.”
5 The heads of fathers’ clans in Y’hudah and Binyamin, along with the cohanim, the L’vi’im, and indeed all whose spirit God had stirred, set out to go up and rebuild the house of Adonai in Yerushalayim. 6 All their neighbors supported them by giving them articles of silver, gold, goods, animals, and valuables, besides all their voluntary offerings.
7 In addition, Koresh the king brought out the vessels from the house of Adonai which N’vukhadnetzar had taken from Yerushalayim and put in the house of his god. 8 Koresh king of Persia had Mitr’dat the treasurer bring them out and make an inventory of them for Sheshbatzar the prince of Y’hudah. 9 The list was as follows:
Gold basins | 30 |
Silver basins | 1,000 |
Knives | 29 |
10 Gold bowls | 30 |
Silver bowls of a different kind | 410 |
Other vessels | 1,000 |
11 In all there were 5,400 articles of gold and silver. Sheshbatzar took all of them along when the exiles were brought up from Bavel to Yerushalayim.
2 Here is a list of the people of the province who had been exiled, carried off to Bavel by N’vukhadnetzar king of Bavel, but who later returned from exile and went up to Yerushalayim and Y’hudah, each to his own city; 2 they went with Z’rubavel, Yeshua, Nechemyah, S’rayah, Re‘elyah, Mordekhai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rechum and Ba‘anah.
The number of men from the people of Isra’el:
3 descendants of Par‘osh | 2,172 |
4 descendants of Sh’fatyah | 372 |
5 descendants of Arach | 775 |
6 descendants of Pachat-Mo’av, | |
from the descendants of Yeshua and Yo’av | 2,812 |
7 descendants of ‘Eilam | 1,254 |
8 descendants of Zatu | 945 |
9 descendants of Zakkai | 760 |
10 descendants of Bani | 642 |
11 descendants of B’vai | 623 |
12 descendants of ‘Azgad | 1,222 |
13 descendants of Adonikam | 666 |
14 descendants of Bigvai | 2,056 |
15 descendants of ‘Adin | 454 |
16 descendants of Ater, of Y’chizkiyah | 98 |
17 descendants of Betzai | 323 |
18 descendants of Yorah | 112 |
19 descendants of Hashum | 223 |
20 descendants of Gibbar | 95 |
21 descendants of Beit-Lechem | 123 |
22 people of N’tofah | 56 |
23 people of ‘Anatot | 128 |
24 descendants of ‘Azmavet | 42 |
25 descendants of Kiryat-‘Arim, K’firah and Be’erot | 743 |
26 descendants of Ramah and Geva | 621 |
27 people of Mikhmas | 122 |
28 people of Beit-El and ‘Ai | 223 |
29 descendants of N’vo | 52 |
30 descendants of Magbish | 156 |
31 descendants of the other ‘Eilam | 1,254 |
32 descendants of Harim | 320 |
33 descendants of Lod, Hadid and Ono | 725 |
34 descendants of Yericho | 345 |
35 descendants of S’na’ah | 3,630 |
36 The cohanim: |
descendants of Y’da‘yah, of the house of Yeshua | 973 |
37 descendants of Immer | 1,052 |
38 descendants of Pash’chur | 1,247 |
39 descendants of Harim | 1,017 |
40 The L’vi’im: |
descendants of Yeshua and Kadmi’el, | |
of the descendants of Hodavyah | 74 |
41 The singers: |
descendants of Asaf | 128 |
42 The descendants of the gatekeepers: |
descendants of Shalum, | |
descendants of Ater, | |
descendants of Talmon, | |
descendants of ‘Akuv, | |
descendants of Hatita, and | |
descendants of Shovai — | |
in all, | 139 |
43 The temple servants: |
descendants of Tzicha, |
descendants of Hasufa, |
descendants of Taba‘ot, |
44 descendants of Keros, |
descendants of Sia‘ha |
descendants of Padon, |
45 descendants of L’vanah, |
descendants of Hagavah, |
descendants of ‘Akuv, |
46 descendants of Hagav, |
descendants of Salmai, |
descendants of Hanan, |
47 descendants of Giddel, |
descendants of Gachar, |
descendants of Re’ayah, |
48 descendants of Retzin, |
descendants of N’koda, |
descendants of Gazam, |
49 descendants of ‘Uza, |
descendants of Paseach, |
descendants of Besai, |
50 descendants of Asnah, |
descendants of Me‘unim, |
descendants of N’fusim, |
51 descendants of Bakbuk, |
descendants of Hakufa, |
descendants of Harhur, |
52 descendants of Batzlut, |
descendants of M’chida, |
descendants of Harsha, |
53 descendants of Barkos, |
descendants of Sisra, |
descendants of Temach, |
54 descendants of N’tziach, and |
descendants of Hatifa. |
55 The descendants of Shlomo’s servants: |
descendants of Sotai, |
descendants of Hasoferet, |
descendants of P’ruda, |
56 descendants of Ya‘alah, |
descendants of Darkon, |
descendants of Giddel, |
57 descendants of Sh’fatyah, |
descendants of Hatil, |
descendants of Pokheret-Hatzvayim, and |
descendants of Ami. |
58 All the temple servants and the | |
descendants of Shlomo’s servants numbered | 392 |
59 The following went up from Tel-Melach, Tel-Harsha, K’ruv, Adan and Immer; but they could not state which fathers’ clan they or their children belonged to, [so it was not clear] whether they were from Isra’el:
60 descendants of D’layah, | |
descendants of Toviyah, and | |
descendants of N’koda | 652 |
61 and of the descendants of the cohanim:
descendants of Havayah,
descendants of Hakotz, and
descendants of Barzillai, who took a wife from the
daughters of Barzillai the Gil‘adi and was named after them.
62 These tried to locate their genealogical records, but they weren’t found. Therefore they were considered defiled and were not allowed to serve as cohanim. 63 The Tirshata told them not to eat any of the especially holy food until a cohen appeared who could consult the urim and tumim.
64 The entire assembly numbered 42,360 — 65 not including their male and female slaves, of whom there were 7,337. They also had 200 male and female singers.
66 Their horses numbered 736; their mules, 245; 67 their camels, 435; and their donkeys, 6,720.
68 Some of the heads of fathers’ clans, when they came to the house of Adonai in Yerushalayim, made voluntary offerings for rebuilding the house of God on its site. 69 According to their means they gave into the treasury for the work 61,000 gold darkmonim [about two-thirds of a ton], 5,000 manim of silver [just over three tons], and a hundred tunics for the cohanim.
70 So the cohanim, the L’vi’im, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers and the temple servants lived in their towns and all Isra’el in their towns.
18 For the message about the execution-stake is nonsense to those in the process of being destroyed, but to us in the process of being saved it is the power of God. 19 Indeed, the Tanakh says,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise
and frustrate the intelligence of the intelligent.”[a]
20 Where does that leave the philosopher, the Torah-teacher, or any of today’s thinkers? Hasn’t God made this world’s wisdom look pretty foolish? 21 For God’s wisdom ordained that the world, using its own wisdom, would not come to know him. Therefore God decided to use the “nonsense” of what we proclaim as his means of saving those who come to trust in it. 22 Precisely because Jews ask for signs and Greeks try to find wisdom, 23 we go on proclaiming a Messiah executed on a stake as a criminal! To Jews this is an obstacle, and to Greeks it is nonsense; 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, this same Messiah is God’s power and God’s wisdom! 25 For God’s “nonsense” is wiser than humanity’s “wisdom.”
And God’s “weakness” is stronger than humanity’s “strength.” 26 Just look at yourselves, brothers — look at those whom God has called! Not many of you are wise by the world’s standards, not many wield power or boast noble birth. 27 But God chose what the world considers nonsense in order to shame the wise; God chose what the world considers weak in order to shame the strong; 28 and God chose what the world looks down on as common or regards as nothing in order to bring to nothing what the world considers important; 29 so that no one should boast before God. 30 It is his doing that you are united with the Messiah Yeshua. He has become wisdom for us from God, and righteousness and holiness and redemption as well! 31 Therefore — as the Tanakh says — “Let anyone who wants to boast, boast about Adonai.”[b]
2 As for me, brothers, when I arrived among you, it was not with surpassing eloquence or wisdom that I came announcing to you the previously concealed truth about God; 2 for I had decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Yeshua the Messiah, and even him only as someone who had been executed on a stake as a criminal. 3 Also I myself was with you as somebody weak, nervous and shaking all over from fear; 4 and neither the delivery nor the content of my message relied on compelling words of “wisdom” but on a demonstration of the power of the Spirit, 5 so that your trust might not rest on human wisdom but on God’s power.
7 Listen, Adonai, to my voice when I cry;
show favor to me; and answer me.
8 “My heart said of you, ‘Seek my face.’”
Your face, Adonai, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
don’t turn your servant away in anger.
You are my help; don’t abandon me;
don’t leave me, God my savior.
10 Even though my father and mother have left me,
Adonai will care for me.
11 Teach me your way, Adonai;
lead me on a level path
because of my enemies —
12 don’t give me up to the whims of my foes;
for false witnesses have risen against me,
also those who are breathing violence.
13 If I hadn’t believed that I would see
Adonai’s goodness in the land of the living, . . .
14 Put your hope in Adonai, be strong,
and let your heart take courage!
Yes, put your hope in Adonai!
22 Don’t say, “I’ll pay back evil for evil”;
wait for Adonai to save you.
23 Adonai detests a double standard in weights,
and false scales are not good.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.