EZRA

Ezra 1 ©

Cyrus, king of Persia, caused by God’s motivation, permits liberty to be proclaimed for the Jews to return home to their land out of the Babylonian captivity, and to build the temple of God, v. 1, etc. With a charge to his subjects, to help and assist them in all things, and to give a freewill gift toward the building of the temple, 4. Hereupon many of the people make themselves ready for the journey, and the subjects do to them according to the king’s command, 5. Cyrus, moreover, causes the holy vessels of the temple to be brought forth, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away, 7.

1

NOW in thea1first year of 2Cyrus king of Persia, that the wordb of the LORD by the mouth of 3Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD 4stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a 5proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,

2

Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath 6charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in 7Judah.

3

8Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in 9Jerusalem.

4

And whosoever 10remaineth 11in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place 12help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.

5

¶Then rose up the chief of the fathers of 13Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.

6

And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with 14precious things, beside 15all that was willingly offered.

7

¶Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzarc had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods;

8

Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numberedd them unto 16Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.

9

And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives,

10

Thirty basons of gold, silver basons of a 17second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a 18thousand.

11

All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up 19with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem.