Ezra 1
1
The Proclamation of Cyrus
1 # For ver. 1-3, see 2 Chr. 36:22, 23 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, #Jer. 25:12, 13; 29:10 that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so #ch. 5:13that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:
2“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and #Isa. 44:28; [Isa. 45:1, 13]he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel—#Dan. 6:26he is the God who is in Jerusalem. 4And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”
5Then rose up the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, #[Phil. 2:13] everyone whose spirit #ver. 1God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem. 6And all who were about them #[ch. 4:4]; Jer. 38:4aided them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with costly wares, besides all that was freely offered. 7#ch. 5:14; 6:5 Cyrus the king also brought out the vessels of the house of the Lord that #2 Kgs. 24:13; 2 Chr. 36:7Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the house of his gods. 8Cyrus king of Persia brought these out in the charge of #ch. 4:7 Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to #ch. 5:14Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. 9And this was the number of them: #[ch. 8:27; 1 Chr. 28:17]30 basins of gold, 1,000 basins of silver, 29 censers, 1030 bowls of gold, 410 bowls of silver, and 1,000 other vessels; 11all the vessels of gold and of silver were 5,400. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up, when the exiles were brought up from Babylonia to Jerusalem.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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