CHAPTER 1
In the first
year
of Cyrus
king
of Persia,
to fulfill
the word
of the LORD
spoken
through Jeremiah,
the LORD
stirred
the spirit
of Cyrus
king
of Persia
to send
a proclamation
throughout
his kingdom
and to put it in writing
as follows:
“This is what
Cyrus
king
of Persia
says:
‘The LORD,
the God
of heaven,
who
has given
me
all
the kingdoms
of the earth,
has appointed
me
to build
a house
for Him
at Jerusalem
in Judah.
Whoever
among you
belongs to
His people,
may his God
be
with him,
and may he go
to Jerusalem
in Judah
and build
the house
of the LORD,
the God
of Israel;
He is
the God
who
is in Jerusalem.
And let every
survivor,
wherever
he
lives,
be assisted
by the men
of that region
with silver,
gold,
goods,
and livestock,
along with
a freewill offering
for the house
of God
in Jerusalem.’”
So the family
heads
of Judah
and Benjamin,
along with the priests
and Levites—
everyone
whose spirit
God
had stirred—
prepared
to go up
and rebuild
the house
of the LORD
in Jerusalem.
And all
their neighbors
supported
them
with articles
of silver
and gold,
with goods
and livestock,
and with valuables,
in addition
to
all
their freewill offerings.
King
Cyrus
also brought out
the articles
belonging to the house
of the LORD
that
Nebuchadnezzar
had carried away
from Jerusalem
and placed
in the temple
of his gods.
Cyrus
king
of Persia
had them brought out
by
the hand
of Mithredath
the treasurer,
who counted them out
to Sheshbazzar
the prince
of Judah.
In all, there were
5,400
gold
and silver
articles.
Sheshbazzar
brought
all these
along
when the exiles
went up
from Babylon
to Jerusalem.