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Ezra 1:1–2:70

THE DECREE OF CYRUS

Ina the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah,b the Lord roused the spiritc of King Cyrus to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and to put it in writing:

This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The Lord, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Judah.d Any of his people among you, 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,e the God who is in Jerusalem. Let every survivor,f wherever he resides, 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.”

RETURN FROM EXILE

So the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites—everyone whose spirit God had rousedg—prepared to go up and rebuild the Lord’s house in Jerusalem. All their neighbors supported themA,h with silver articles, gold, goods, livestock, and valuables, in addition to all that was given as a freewill offering. King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the Lord’s house that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and had placed in the house of his gods.i King Cyrus of Persia had them brought out under the supervision of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.j This was the inventory:

30 gold basins, 1,000 silver basins,

29 silver knives, 10 30 gold bowls,

410 variousB silver bowls, and 1,000 other articles.

11 The gold and silver articles totaled 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought all of them when the exiles went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

THE EXILES WHO RETURNED

Thesek now are the people of the province who came from those captive exiles King Nebuchadnezzar of BabylonC had deported to Babylon.l They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town. They came with Zerubbabel,m Jeshua,n Nehemiah, Seraiah,o Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.

The number of the Israelite men includedD

Parosh’s descendantsp

2,172

Shephatiah’s descendants

372

Arah’s descendants

775

Pahath-moab’s descendants:

Jeshua’s and Joab’s descendants

2,812

Elam’s descendants

1,254

Zattu’s descendants

945

Zaccai’s descendants

760

10 Bani’s descendants

642

11 Bebai’s descendants

623

12 Azgad’s descendants

1,222

13 Adonikam’s descendantsq

666

14 Bigvai’s descendants

2,056

15 Adin’s descendants

454

16 Ater’s descendants: of Hezekiah

98

17 Bezai’s descendants

323

18 Jorah’s descendants

112

19 Hashum’s descendants

223

20 Gibbar’s descendants

95

21 Bethlehem’sr people

123

22 Netophah’s men

56

23 Anathoth’s men

128

24 Azmaveth’s people

42

25 Kiriatharim’s, Chephirah’s, and Beeroth’s people

743

26 Ramah’ss and Geba’s people

621

27 Michmas’s men

122

28 Bethel’s and Ai’st men

223

29 Nebo’s people

52

30 Magbish’s people

156

31 the other Elam’s people

1,254

32 Harim’s people

320

33 Lod’s, Hadid’s, and Ono’s people

725

34 Jericho’su people

345

35 Senaah’s people

3,630

36 The priests included

Jedaiah’s descendants of the house of Jeshua

973

37 Immer’s descendants

1,052

38 Pashhur’s descendants

1,247

39 and Harim’s descendants

1,017

40 The Levites included

Jeshua’s and Kadmiel’s descendants

from Hodaviah’s descendants

74

41 The singers included Asaph’sa descendants

128

42 The gatekeepers’b descendants included

Shallum’s descendants, Ater’s descendants,

Talmon’s descendants, Akkub’s descendants,

Hatita’s descendants, Shobai’s descendants, in all

139

43 The temple servantsc included

Ziha’s descendants, Hasupha’s descendants,

Tabbaoth’s descendants, 44 Keros’s descendants,

Siaha’s descendants, Padon’s descendants,

45 Lebanah’s descendants, Hagabah’s descendants,

Akkub’s descendants, 46 Hagab’s descendants,

Shalmai’sA descendants, Hanan’s descendants,

47 Giddel’s descendants, Gahar’s descendants,

Reaiah’s descendants, 48 Rezin’s descendants,

Nekoda’s descendants, Gazzam’s descendants,

49 Uzza’s descendants, Paseah’s descendants,

Besai’s descendants, 50 Asnah’s descendants,

Meunim’sB descendants, Nephusim’sC descendants,

51 Bakbuk’s descendants, Hakupha’s descendants,

Harhur’s descendants, 52 Bazluth’s descendants,

Mehida’s descendants, Harsha’s descendants,

53 Barkos’s descendants, Sisera’s descendants,

Temah’s descendants, 54 Neziah’s descendants,

and Hatipha’s descendants.

55 The descendants of Solomon’s servantsd included

Sotai’s descendants, Hassophereth’s descendants,

Peruda’s descendants, 56 Jaalah’s descendants,

Darkon’s descendants, Giddel’s descendants,

57 Shephatiah’s descendants, Hattil’s descendants,

Pochereth-hazzebaim’s descendants, and Ami’s descendants.

58 All the temple servants

and the descendants of Solomon’s servants

392.

59 The following are those who came from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer but were unable to prove that their ancestral familiesD and their lineage were Israelite:

60 Delaiah’s descendants,

Tobiah’s descendants,

Nekoda’s descendants

652

61 and from the descendants of the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, the descendants of Barzillai—who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and who bore their name. 62 These searched for their entries in the genealogical records, but they could not be found, so they were disqualified from the priesthood. 63 The governore ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest who could consult the Urim and Thummim.f

64 The whole combined assembly numbered

42,360

65 not including their 7,337 male and female servants,

and their 200 male and female singers.g

66 They had 736 horses, 245 mules,

67 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

GIFTS FOR THE WORK

68 After they arrived at the Lord’s house in Jerusalem, some of the family heads gave freewill offeringsh for the house of God in order to have it rebuilt on its original site. 69 Based on what they could give, they gave 61,000 gold coins,A 6,250 poundsB of silver, and 100 priestly garments to the treasurya for the project. 70 The priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants, and some of the people settled in their towns, and the rest of Israel settled in their towns.b

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