Chapter 1

Cyrus’s Proclamation

1 aNow in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he bsent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying:

2 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and aHe has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

3 ‘Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him! Let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel; aHe is the God who is in Jerusalem.

4 ‘Every survivor, at whatever place he may 1live, let the men of 2that place support him with silver and gold, with goods and cattle, together with a freewill offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.’ ”

Holy Vessels Restored

5 Then the heads of fathers’ households of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites arose, aeven everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up and rebuild the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem.

6 All those about them 1aencouraged them with articles of silver, with gold, with goods, with cattle and with valuables, aside from all that was given as a freewill offering.

7 aAlso King Cyrus brought out the articles of the house of the Lord, bwhich Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and put in the house of his gods;

8 and Cyrus, king of Persia, had them brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and he counted them out to aSheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.

9 Now this was their number: 30 agold dishes, 1,000 silver dishes, 29 1duplicates;

10 30 gold bowls, 410 silver bowls of a second kind and 1,000 other articles.

11 All the articles of gold and silver numbered 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Chapter 2

Number of Those Returning

1 aNow these are the 1people of the province who came up out of the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his city.

2 1These came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, 2Seraiah, 3Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, 4Mispar, Bigvai, 5Rehum and Baanah.

The number of the men of the people of Israel:

3 the sons of Parosh, 2,172;

4 the sons of Shephatiah, 372;

5 the sons of aArah, 775;

6 the sons of aPahath-moab of the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,812;

7 the sons of Elam, 1,254;

8 the sons of Zattu, 945;

9 the sons of Zaccai, 760;

10 the sons of 1Bani, 642;

11 the sons of Bebai, 623;

12 the sons of Azgad, 1,222;

13 the sons of aAdonikam, 666;

14 the sons of Bigvai, 2,056;

15 the sons of Adin, 454;

16 the sons of Ater of Hezekiah, 98;

17 the sons of Bezai, 323;

18 the sons of 1Jorah, 112;

19 the sons of Hashum, 223;

20 the sons of 1Gibbar, 95;

21 the 1men of aBethlehem, 123;

22 the men of Netophah, 56;

23 the men of Anathoth, 128;

24 the sons of 1Azmaveth, 42;

25 the sons of 1Kiriath-arim, Chephirah and Beeroth, 743;

26 the sons of aRamah and Geba, 621;

27 the men of Michmas, 122;

28 the men of Bethel and Ai, 223;

29 the sons of Nebo, 52;

30 the sons of Magbish, 156;

31 the sons of the other Elam, 1,254;

32 the sons of Harim, 320;

33 the sons of Lod, Hadid and Ono, 725;

34 the 1men of aJericho, 345;

35 the sons of Senaah, 3,630.

Priests Returning

36 aThe priests: the sons of Jedaiah of the house of Jeshua, 973;

37 the sons of aImmer, 1,052;

38 athe sons of Pashhur, 1,247;

39 the sons of aHarim, 1,017.

Levites Returning

40 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of 1Hodaviah, 74.

41 The singers: the sons of Asaph, 128.

42 The sons of the gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, in all 139.

43 The atemple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,

44 the sons of Keros, the sons of 1Siaha, the sons of Padon,

45 the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Akkub,

46 the sons of Hagab, the sons of Shalmai, the sons of Hanan,

47 the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah,

48 the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of Gazzam,

49 the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai,

50 the sons of Asnah, the sons of Meunim, the sons of 1Nephisim,

51 the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur,

52 the sons of 1Bazluth, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha,

53 the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah,

54 the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.

55 The sons of aSolomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of 1Hassophereth, the sons of 2Peruda,

56 the sons of Jaalah, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel,

57 the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the sons of 1Ami.

58 All the atemple servants and the sons of bSolomon’s servants were 392.

59 Now these are those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, 1Addan and Immer, but they were not able to 2give evidence of their fathers’ households and their 3descendants, whether they were of Israel:

60 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, 652.

Priests Removed

61 Of the sons of the priests: the sons of 1Habaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of aBarzillai, who took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and he was called by their name.

62 These searched among their ancestral registration, but they could not be located; atherefore they were considered unclean and excluded from the priesthood.

63 The 1governor said to them athat they should not eat from the most holy things until a priest stood up with bUrim and Thummim.

64 The whole assembly 1numbered 42,360,

65 besides their male and female servants 1who numbered 7,337; and they had 200 asinging men and women.

66 Their horses were 736; their mules, 245;

67 their camels, 435; their donkeys, 6,720.

68 Some of the heads of fathers’ households, when they arrived at the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, offered willingly for the house of God to 1restore it on its foundation.

69 According to their ability they gave ato the treasury for the work 61,000 gold drachmas and 5,000 silver minas and 100 priestly 1garments.

70 aNow the priests and the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers and the temple servants lived in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.