1:1 | *In the first* year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the Lord’s message* spoken through* Jeremiah,* the Lord stirred the mind* of King Cyrus of Persia. He disseminated* a proclamation* throughout his entire kingdom, announcing in a written edict* the following:* |
1:2 | “Thus says King Cyrus of Persia: “‘The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has instructed me to build a temple* for him in Jerusalem,* which is in Judah. |
1:3 | Anyone from* his people among you (may his God be with him!) may go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and may build the temple of the Lord God of Israel – he is the God who is in Jerusalem. |
1:4 | Anyone who survives in any of those places where he is a resident foreigner must be helped by his neighbors* with silver, gold, equipment, and animals, along with voluntary offerings for the temple of God which is in Jerusalem.’” |
1:5 | Then the leaders* of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and the Levites – all those whose mind God had stirred – got ready* to go up in order to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem.* |
1:6 | All their neighbors assisted* them with silver utensils,* gold, equipment, animals, and expensive gifts, not to mention* all the voluntary offerings. |
1:7 | Then King Cyrus brought out the vessels of the Lord’s temple which Nebuchadnezzar had brought from Jerusalem and had displayed* in the temple of his gods. |
1:8 | King Cyrus of Persia entrusted* them to* Mithredath* the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar* the leader of the Judahite exiles.* |
1:9 | The inventory* of these items was as follows: 30 gold basins,* 1,000 silver basins, 29 silver utensils,* |
1:10 | 30 gold bowls, 410 other* silver bowls, and 1,000 other vessels. |
1:11 | All these gold and silver vessels totaled 5,400.* Sheshbazzar brought them all along when the captives were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem. |