Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A song to sing as we climb.

Lord, please help me^[a]

Cyrus sends the Jews back to Jerusalem

1 In the first year that Cyrus, king of Persia, was ruling Babylon, the Lord put a thought in his mind.^[a] King Cyrus decided to send a message to everybody who lived in his kingdom. His message would cause what God had already spoken to his prophet Jeremiah to become true.^[b] The message was written down and people took it all over Cyrus's kingdom. It said:

² ‘This is what Cyrus, the king of Persia says:

The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me power over all the kingdoms of the earth. He has said that I must build a temple for him in Jerusalem, the city that is in Judah.^{[c] 3} Any of God's people who live among you may now return to Jerusalem. I pray that their God will be with them. They must build a temple there for the Lord, Israel's God. He is the God whose home is in Jerusalem. ⁴ In places where there are some Israelites who want to return, their neighbours must help them with gifts. They should give them silver, gold and other things for their journey. They should also give them animals. They may also give them special gifts for God's temple that is in Jerusalem.’

⁵ Then the leaders of the families of Judah and Benjamin prepared to return to Jerusalem. The priests and the Levites also prepared to go. God had put a thought in the minds of all those people that they should go. So they prepared everything that they needed to go and build the Lord's temple in Jerusalem. ⁶ Their neighbours gave them silver things, gold things and other valuable gifts, as well as animals. They also gave them offerings for the temple.

⁷ Then King Cyrus brought the valuable things that King Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Lord's temple in Jerusalem.^[d] Nebuchadnezzar had taken them from Jerusalem and brought them to Babylon. He had put them in the temple of his own gods. ⁸ Cyrus told his officer, Mithredath, to count all the valuable things. Mithredath was the officer who took care of all Persia's riches. As he counted the things, he gave them to Sheshbazzar, the leader of Judah's people.

⁹ They counted the things and they made this list:

¹¹ There were 5,400 things made from gold and silver. Sheshbazzar took them all with him when he left Babylon to return to Jerusalem with the other exiles.

Paul explains why he did not visit Corinth earlier

¹² We can be proud of how we have lived in this world. We have been careful to be honest and good with everyone. And we have been like that with you even more. We are sure in our own minds that this is true. We have not tried to be clever in a human way. But we have lived in the way that God has helped us to live. ¹³ We are writing to you only about things that you yourselves can read and understand. And I hope that you will understand completely one day. ¹⁴ You do not understand us completely yet. But I hope that you will understand completely on the day when our Lord Jesus returns. Then you can be proud of us in the same way that we will be proud of you.

^15-16 So, because I was sure that you trusted me, I wanted to visit you twice. Then I could bring God's help to you twice. I decided to visit you first on my way to Macedonia.^[a] Then I would visit you again on my way back from Macedonia. After that, you could help to send me on my journey to Judea.^{[b] 17} I did not decide this in a careless way. I really wanted to do it. I do not decide to do things only to please myself, like someone who does not know God. I do not say ‘Yes,’ and then I immediately say ‘No’.

¹⁸ God always does what he says he will do. In the same way, my promise to you was not both ‘Yes’ and ‘No’. ¹⁹ Silas, Timothy and I told you the message about God's Son, Jesus Christ. Christ is not someone who changes his message between ‘Yes’ and ‘No’. Instead, he always says ‘Yes,’ and he does what he says.