The Daily Audio Bible
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.
18 The message about the cross is nonsense to those who are being destroyed, but it is God’s power to us who are being saved. 19 Scripture says,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise.
I will reject the intelligence of intelligent people.”
20 Where is the wise person? Where is the scholar? Where is the persuasive speaker of our time? Hasn’t God turned the wisdom of the world into nonsense? 21 The world with its wisdom was unable to recognize God in terms of his own wisdom. So God decided to use the nonsense of the Good News we speak to save those who believe. 22 Jews ask for miraculous signs, and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but our message is that Christ was crucified. This offends Jewish people and makes no sense to people who are not Jewish. 24 But to those Jews and Greeks who are called, he is Christ, God’s power and God’s wisdom. 25 God’s nonsense is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
26 Brothers and sisters, consider what you were when God called you to be Christians. Not many of you were wise from a human point of view. You were not in powerful positions or in the upper social classes. 27 But God chose what the world considers nonsense to put wise people to shame. God chose what the world considers weak to put what is strong to shame. 28 God chose what the world considers ordinary and what it despises—what it considers to be nothing—in order to destroy what it considers to be something. 29 As a result, no one can brag in God’s presence. 30 You are partners with Christ Jesus because of God. Jesus has become our wisdom sent from God, our approval, our holiness, and our ransom from sin. 31 As Scripture says, “Whoever brags must brag about what the Lord has done.”
2 Brothers and sisters, when I came to you, I didn’t speak about God’s mystery [a] as if it were some kind of brilliant message or wisdom. 2 While I was with you, I decided to deal with only one subject—Jesus Christ, who was crucified. 3 When I came to you, I was weak. I was afraid and very nervous. 4 I didn’t speak my message with persuasive intellectual arguments. I spoke my message with a show of spiritual power 5 so that your faith would not be based on human wisdom but on God’s power.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud.
Have pity on me, and answer me.
8 ⌞When you said,⌟
“Seek my face,”
my heart said to you,
“O Lord, I will seek your face.” [a]
9 Do not hide your face from me.
Do not angrily turn me away.
You have been my help.
Do not leave me!
Do not abandon me, O God, my savior!
10 Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will take care of me.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord.
Lead me on a level path
because I have enemies who spy on me.
12 Do not surrender me to the will of my opponents.
False witnesses have risen against me.
They breathe out violence.
13 I believe that I will see the goodness of the Lord
in this world of the living.
14 Wait with hope for the Lord.
Be strong, and let your heart be courageous.
Yes, wait with hope for the Lord.
22 Do not say, “I’ll get even with you!”
Wait for the Lord, and he will save you.
23 A double standard of weights is disgusting to the Lord,
and dishonest scales are no good.
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