Ezra 1

Ezra 1

End of the Babylonian Captivity

1In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord from the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of King Cyrus of Persia so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also in writing, saying:[#2 Chr 36.22, 23; Ezra 5.13, 14; Jer 25.12; 29.10]

2“Thus says King Cyrus of Persia: The Lord , the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.[#Isa 44.28; 45.1, 12, 13]

3Let any of those among you who are of his people—may their God be with them!—go up to Jerusalem in Judah and rebuild the house of the Lord , the God of Israel; he is the God who is in Jerusalem.[#Dan 6.26]

4And let all survivors in whatever place they reside be assisted by the people of their place with silver and gold, with goods, and with livestock, besides freewill offerings for the house of God in Jerusalem.”

5Then the heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites—everyone whose spirit God had stirred—got ready to go up and rebuild the house of the Lord in Jerusalem.[#Phil 2.13]

6All their neighbors aided them with silver vessels, with gold, with goods, with livestock, and with valuable gifts, besides all that was freely offered.

7King Cyrus himself brought out the vessels of the house of the Lord that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the house of his gods.[#2 Kings 24.13; 2 Chr 36.7; Ezra 5.14; 6.5]

8King Cyrus of Persia had them released into the charge of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.[#Ezra 5.14]

9And this was the inventory: gold basins, thirty; silver basins, one thousand; knives, twenty-nine;[#1.9 Vg: Meaning of Heb uncertain]

10gold bowls, thirty; other silver bowls, four hundred ten; other vessels, one thousand;

11the total of the gold and silver vessels was five thousand four hundred. All these Sheshbazzar brought up when the exiles were brought up from Babylonia to Jerusalem.

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, copyright © 2021 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Published by: National Council of the Churches of Christ