Old Testament · Ezra

Ezra 1

The Proclamation of Cyrus

(2 Chronicles 36:22–23; Isaiah 45:1–25)

1And in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, at the completion of the word of the LORD from the mouth of Jeremiah, the LORD stirred up the spirit^a of Cyrus king of Persia, and he caused a voice to pass throughout all his kingdom, and also in writing, saying:

2"Thus said Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD, the God of the heavens, has given to me; and He has charged upon me to build for Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

3Whoever among you of all His people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD, the God of Israel — He is the God who is in Jerusalem. 4And everyone who remains, from every place where he sojourns there, let the men^b of his place support him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with cattle, with the freewill offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem."

5And the heads of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin rose up, and the priests, and the Levites, all whose spirit God had stirred up, to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.

6And all those around them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with cattle, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered.

Cyrus Restores the Holy Vessels

7And the king Cyrus brought out the vessels of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought out from Jerusalem and had put in the house of his gods. 8And Cyrus king of Persia brought them out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. 9And this is their number: thirty basins of gold, a thousand basins of silver, nine and twenty knives,

10thirty bowls of gold, silver bowls of a second sort four hundred and ten, other vessels a thousand.

11All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up, with the bringing up of the exile from Babylon to Jerusalem.