Historical
An Edict to Rebuild the Temple(A)
1 During the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, in fulfillment of the message from the Lord spoken through Jeremiah, the Lord prompted[a] Cyrus, king of Persia, to make this proclamation throughout his entire kingdom, which was also released in written form:
2 An Official Statement
from[b] Cyrus, King of Persia
All of the kingdoms of the earth have been given to me by the Lord God of Heaven, and he specifically charged me to build a temple[c] for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 Therefore, who among the Lord’s[d] people trusts in his God? Whoever among this group wishes to do so may travel to Jerusalem of Judah to rebuild the Temple of the Lord[e] God of Israel, the God of Jerusalem. 4 Furthermore, everyone who wishes to repatriate[f] from any territory where he now resides is to receive assistance from his fellow residents in the form of silver, gold, equipment, and pack animals, in addition to voluntary offerings for the Temple of the God of Jerusalem.
5 In response, the heads of the families[g] of Judah and Benjamin, the priests and descendants of Levi, and all those who had been prompted[h] by God, prepared to travel to rebuild the Temple of the Lord, which was in Jerusalem. 6 So all of their neighbors equipped the travelers[i] with silver, gold, equipment, pack animals, and valuable goods, in addition to voluntary offerings.
Temple Instruments Returned
7 King Cyrus also brought out from storage[j] the service instruments from the Temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his gods.[k] 8 Cyrus, king of Persia, had them brought out to Mithredath the Treasurer, had them inventoried, and had them placed in care of[l] Sheshbazzar,[m] governor of Judah. 9 Here is a partial inventory:[n]
Gold dishes: 30
Silver dishes: 1,000
Sacrificial knives: 29
10 Gold bowls: 30
Silver bowls of another kind:[o] 410
Miscellaneous instruments: 1,000
11 The complete inventory of gold and silver vessels totaled 5,400. Sheshbazzar[p] brought them all to Jerusalem, along with the exiles from Babylon.
A List of Those who Returned(B)
2 Here is a list[q] of descendants of the province of Judah[r] who returned from the captivity, from those who had been exiled. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had taken them to Babylon. They came back to Jerusalem and Judah, each one to his town, 2 along with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah,[s] Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar,[t] Bigvai, Rehum,[u] and Baanah. Here is the enumeration of:
The Men of Israel:
3 Descendants of[v] Parosh: 2,172
4 Descendants of Shephatiah: 372
5 Descendants of Arah: 775[w]
6 Descendants of Pahath-moab; that is, through Jeshua and Joab: 2,812[x]
7 Descendants of Elam: 1,254
8 Descendants of Zattu: 945[y]
9 Descendants of Zaccai: 760
10 Descendants of Bani:[z] 642[aa]
11 Descendants of Bebai: 623[ab]
12 Descendants of Azgad: 1,222[ac]
13 Descendants of Adonikam: 666[ad]
14 Descendants of Bigvai: 2,056[ae]
15 Descendants of Adin: 454[af]
16 Descendants of Ater through Hezekiah: 98
17 Descendants of Bezai: 323[ag]
18 Descendants of Jorah:[ah] 112
19 Descendants of Hashum: 223[ai]
20 Descendants of Gibbar:[aj] 95
21 Descendants of exiles from[ak] Bethlehem: 123
22 People from[al] Netophah: 56[am]
23 People from Anathoth: 128
24 Descendants of exiles from Azmaveth:[an] 42
25 Descendants of exiles from Kiriath-arim;[ao] that is, Chephirah and Beeroth: 743
26 Descendants of exiles from Ramah and Geba: 621
27 People from Michmas: 122
28 People from Bethel and Ai: 223[ap]
29 Descendants of exiles from Nebo: 52
30 Descendants of exiles from Magbish: 156
31 Descendants of exiles from the other Elam: 1,254
32 Descendants of exiles from Harim: 320
33 Descendants of exiles from Lod, Hadid, and Ono: 725[aq]
34 Descendants of exiles from Jericho: 345
35 Descendants of exiles from Senaah: 3,630[ar]
36 The Priests:
Descendants of Jedaiah from the household of Jeshua: 973
37 Descendants of Immer: 1,052
38 Descendants of Pashhur: 1,247
39 Descendants of Harim: 1,017
40 The Descendants of Levi:
Descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel; that is, descendants of Hodaviah:[as] 74
41 The Singers:
Descendants of Asaph: 128[at]
42 The Descendants of the Gatekeepers:
Descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai, totaling: 139[au]
43 The Temple Servants:[av]
Descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, and Tabbaoth.
44 Descendants of Keros, Siaha,[aw] and Padon.
45 Descendants of Lebanah, Hagabah, and Akkub.[ax]
46 Descendants of Hagab, Shalmai, and Hanan.
47 Descendants of Giddel, Gahar, and Reaiah.
48 Descendants of Rezin, Nekoda, and Gazzam.
49 Descendants of Uzza, Paseah, and Besai.
50 Descendants of Asnah,[ay] Meunim, and Nephusim.
51 Descendants of Bakbuk, Hakupha, and Harhur.
52 Descendants of Bazluth, Mehida, and Harsha.
53 Descendants of Barkos, Sisera, and Temah.
54 Descendants of Neziah and Hatipha.
55 The Descendants of Solomon’s Servants:
Descendants of Sotai, Hassophereth,[az] and Peruda.[ba]
56 Descendants of Jaalah,[bb] Darkon, and Giddel.
57 Descendants of Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth-hazzebaim, and Ami.[bc]
58 All of the Temple Servants and descendants of Solomon’s servants numbered 392.
Non-Documented Persons(C)
59 Here is a list of returnees from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer who could not prove their ancestry and lineage from Israel:
60 Descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda: 652[bd]
61 Descendants of the Priests:
Descendants of Habaiah, Hakkoz,[be] and Barzillai, who married one of the daughters of Barzillai from Gilead and took that name.
62 These people searched for their ancestral registrations but they couldn’t be located. Accordingly, they were assigned an “unclean” status and couldn’t be priests. 63 Governor Zerubbabel[bf] also ruled that they shouldn’t eat anything holy until a priest arose with Urim and Thummim.[bg]
64 The entire assembly numbered 42,360, 65 not including 7,337 male and female servants, along with 200[bh] singing men and women. 66 In addition, they had 736 horses, 245 mules, 67 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
Gifts for the Temple(D)
68 When they arrived at the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, some of the heads of the families contributed toward building the Temple of God on its former site. 69 They contributed to the treasury for this work in accordance with their ability: 61,000 golden drachma, 5,000 units[bi] of silver, and 100 priestly robes. 70 As a result, the priests, descendants of Levi, certain people, the singers, door-keepers, and the Temple Servants were able to settle in their original cities, with the rest of the Israelis in their cities.
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