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Cyrus’ Proclamation
1 (A)Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he (B)sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying:
2 “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and (C)He has appointed me to rebuild for 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! [a]Go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel; (D)He is the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 And every survivor, at whatever place he may [b]live, the people of [c]that place are to support him with silver and gold, with equipment and cattle, together with a [d]voluntary offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.’”
Holy Vessels Restored
5 Then the heads of fathers’ households of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites rose up, (E)everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem. 6 And all of those around them [e](F)encouraged them with articles of silver, with gold, with equipment, cattle, and with valuables, aside from everything that was given as a [f]voluntary offering. 7 (G)Also King Cyrus brought out the articles of the house of the Lord, (H)which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away 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 leader of Judah. 9 Now this was their number: thirty (J)gold dishes, a thousand silver dishes, twenty nine [g]duplicates; 10 thirty gold bowls, 410 silver bowls of a second kind, and a thousand other articles. 11 All the articles of gold and silver totaled 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.
Number of Those Returning
2 (K)Now these are the [h]people of the province who came up out of the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had taken into exile to Babylon, and they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his city. 2 [i]These came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, [j]Seraiah, [k]Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, [l]Mispar, Bigvai, [m]Rehum, and Baanah.
This is 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 [n]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 [o]Jorah, 112; 19 the sons of Hashum, 223; 20 the sons of [p]Gibbar, 95; 21 the [q]men of (O)Bethlehem, 123; 22 the men of Netophah, 56; 23 the men of Anathoth, 128; 24 the sons of [r]Azmaveth, 42; 25 the sons of [s]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 [t]men of (Q)Jericho, 345; 35 the sons of Senaah, 3,630.
Priests Returning
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.
Levites Returning
40 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of [u]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, and the sons of Shobai, 139 in all.
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 [v]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 [w]Nephisim, 51 the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, 52 the sons of [x]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, and the sons of Hatipha.
55 The sons of (W)Solomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of [y]Hassophereth, the sons of [z]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, and the sons of [aa]Ami.
58 All the (X)temple servants and the sons of (Y)Solomon’s servants totaled 392.
59 Now these were the ones who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, [ab]Addan, and Immer, but they were not able to [ac]provide evidence of their fathers’ households and their [ad]descendants, whether they were of Israel: 60 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, and the sons of Nekoda, 652.
Priests Removed
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 among their genealogical registration but they could not be located; (AA)so they were considered defiled and excluded from the priesthood. 63 The [ae]governor said to them (AB)that they were not to eat from the most holy things until a priest stood up with (AC)Urim and Thummim.
64 The whole assembly together totaled 42,360, 65 besides their male and female slaves [af]who totaled 7,337; and they had two hundred (AD)singing men and women. 66 Their horses numbered 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 the Lord which is in Jerusalem, offered willingly for the house of God to erect it on its site. 69 According to their ability they gave (AE)to the treasury for the work sixty-one thousand gold drachmas, five thousand silver minas, and a hundred priestly [ag]garments.
70 (AF)Now 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 Wisdom of God
18 For the word of the cross is (A)foolishness to (B)those who [a]are perishing, but to us who [b]are being saved it is (C)the power of God. 19 For it is written:
“(D)I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And the understanding of those who have understanding, I will confound.”
20 (E)Where is the wise person? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of (F)this age? Has God not (G)made foolish the wisdom of (H)the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God (I)the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, (J)God [c]was pleased through the (K)foolishness of the [d]message preached to (L)save those who believe. 22 For indeed (M)Jews ask for [e]signs and Greeks search for wisdom; 23 but we preach [f](N)Christ crucified, (O)to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles (P)foolishness, 24 but to those who are (Q)the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ (R)the power of God and (S)the wisdom of God. 25 For the (T)foolishness of God is wiser than mankind, and (U)the weakness of God is stronger than mankind.
26 For [g]consider your (V)calling, brothers and sisters, that there were (W)not many wise according to [h]the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but (X)God has chosen the foolish things of (Y)the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of (Z)the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the [i]insignificant things of (AA)the world and the despised God has chosen, (AB)the things that are not, so that He may (AC)nullify the things that are, 29 so that (AD)no [j]human may boast before God. 30 But it is [k]due to Him that you are in (AE)Christ Jesus, who became to us (AF)wisdom from God, [l]and (AG)righteousness and (AH)sanctification, and (AI)redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written: “(AJ)Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Paul’s Reliance upon the Spirit
2 And when I came to you, brothers and sisters, I (AK)did not come as someone superior in [m]speaking ability or [n]wisdom, as I proclaimed to you (AL)the [o]testimony of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except (AM)Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 I also was with you in (AN)weakness and (AO)fear, and in great trembling, 4 and my [p]message and my preaching were (AP)not in persuasive words of [q]wisdom, but in demonstration of (AQ)the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not [r]rest on the [s]wisdom of mankind, but on (AR)the power of God.
7 (A)Hear, Lord, when I cry with my voice,
And be gracious to me and (B)answer me.
8 When You said, “(C)Seek My face,” my heart said to You,
“(D)I shall seek Your face, Lord.”
9 (E)Do not hide Your face from me,
Do not turn Your servant away in (F)anger;
You have been (G)my help;
(H)Do not abandon me nor (I)forsake me,
God of my salvation!
10 [a]For my father and (J)my mother have forsaken me,
But (K)the Lord will take me up.
11 (L)Teach me Your way, Lord,
And lead me on a (M)level path
Because of my enemies.
12 Do not turn me over to the [b](N)desire of my enemies,
For (O)false witnesses have risen against me,
And the violent (P)witness.
13 I certainly believed that I would see the (Q)goodness of the Lord
In the (R)land of the living.
14 (S)Wait for the Lord;
Be (T)strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.