Ezra 1–3

1ST CHAPTER

Cyrus Allows the Jews to Return from Babylon—2 Chronicles 36:22–23

¹The promise the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah was about to come true in Cyrus’ first year as king of Persia. The Lord inspired the king to make this announcement throughout his whole kingdom and then to put it in writing. 

²This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the world. Then he ordered me to build a temple for him in Jerusalem (which is in Judah). ³May God be with all of you who are his people. You may go to Jerusalem (which is in Judah) and build a temple for the Lord God of Israel. He is the God who is in Jerusalem. ⁴All who ⸤choose to⸥ remain behind, wherever they may be living, should provide the people who are leaving with silver, gold, supplies, livestock, and freewill offerings to be used in God’s temple in Jerusalem. 

Sheshbazzar Returns with the Temple Furnishings

⁵Then the heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin, the priests, and the Levites—everyone God had inspired—came forward to rebuild the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem. ⁶All their neighbors ⸤who were remaining behind⸥ provided them with articles made from silver and gold, supplies, livestock, and valuable gifts besides everything that was freely offered. ⁷King Cyrus brought out the utensils belonging to the Lord’s temple. Nebuchadnezzar had taken these utensils from Jerusalem and put them in the temple of his own god. ⁸King Cyrus of Persia put the treasurer Mithredath in charge of bringing them out. So Mithredath made a list of them for Prince Sheshbazzar of Judah.^a9This is the inventory: 

gold dishes 

30 

silver dishes 

1,000 

knives 

29 

¹⁰

gold bowls 

30 

other silver bowls 

410 

other utensils 

1,000 

¹¹The gold and silver utensils totaled 5,400. 

Sheshbazzar took all these utensils with him when the exiles left Babylon to go to Jerusalem. 

2ND CHAPTER

Those Who Returned with Zerubbabel—Nehemiah 7:6–7

¹These were the people in the province. They were the ones who left the place where the exiles had been taken captive. (King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had taken them to Babylon.) These exiles returned to Jerusalem and Judah. All of them went to their own cities. ²They went with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. 

Families Listed by Ancestor—Nehemiah 7:8–25

This is the number of Israelite men from the people in exile: 

³

the descendants of Parosh 

2,172 

⁴

of Shephatiah 

372 

⁵

of Arah 

775 

⁶

of Pahath Moab, that is, of Jeshua and Joab 

2,812 

⁷

of Elam 

1,254 

⁸

of Zattu 

945 

⁹

of Zaccai 

760 

¹⁰

of Bani 

642 

¹¹

of Bebai 

623 

¹²

of Azgad 

1,222 

¹³

of Adonikam 

666 

¹⁴

of Bigvai 

2,056 

¹⁵

of Adin 

454 

¹⁶

of Ater, that is, Hezekiah 

98 

¹⁷

of Bezai 

323 

¹⁸

of Jorah 

112 

¹⁹

of Hashum 

223 

²⁰

of Gibbar 

95 

Families Listed by Cities—Nehemiah 7:26–38

²¹

The people of Bethlehem 

123 

²²

of Netophah 

56 

²³

of Anathoth 

128 

²⁴

of Azmaveth 

42 

²⁵

of Kiriath Jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth 

743 

²⁶

of Ramah and Geba 

621 

²⁷

of Michmas 

122 

²⁸

of Bethel and Ai 

223 

²⁹

of Nebo 

52 

³⁰

of Magbish 

156 

³¹

of the other Elam 

1,254 

³²

of Harim 

320 

³³

of Lod, Hadid, and Ono 

725 

³⁴

of Jericho 

345 

³⁵

of Senaah 

3,630 

Priests—Nehemiah 7:39–42

³⁶These priests returned from exile: 

the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family of Jeshua) 

973 

³⁷

of Immer 

1,052 

³⁸

of Pashhur 

1,247 

³⁹

of Harim 

1,017 

Levites—Nehemiah 7:43–45

⁴⁰These Levites returned from exile: 

the descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel, that is, of Hodaviah 

74 

⁴¹These singers returned from exile: 

the descendants of Asaph 

128 

⁴²These gatekeepers returned from exile: 

the descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai 

139 

Temple Servants—Nehemiah 7:46–56

⁴³These temple servants returned from exile: the descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth, ⁴⁴Keros, Siaha, Padon, ⁴⁵Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub, ⁴⁶Hagab, Shalmai, Hanan, ⁴⁷Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah, ⁴⁸Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam, ⁴⁹Uzza, Paseah, Besai, ⁵⁰Asnah, Meunim, Nephusim, ⁵¹Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur, ⁵²Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha, ⁵³Barkos, Sisera, Temah, ⁵⁴Neziah, and Hatipha. 

Descendants of Solomon’s Servants—Nehemiah 7:57–60

⁵⁵These descendants of Solomon’s servants returned from exile: the descendants of Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda, ⁵⁶Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel, ⁵⁷Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth Hazzebaim, and Ami. 

⁵⁸The temple servants and the descendants of Solomon’s servants totaled 392. 

Those of Unknown Origin—Nehemiah 7:61–65

⁵⁹The following people came from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, but they couldn’t prove they were Israelites on the basis of their father’s family or their genealogy: ⁶⁰the descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda. These people totaled 652. 

⁶¹These descendants of the priests ⸤couldn’t prove their families were Israelites⸥: the descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai (who had married one of the daughters of Barzillai from Gilead and took that ⸤family⸥ name). ⁶²These people searched for their ⸤family⸥ names in the genealogical records, but their names couldn’t be found there. For this reason they were considered contaminated and couldn’t be priests. ⁶³The governor told them not to eat any of the most holy food until a priest could use the Urim and Thummim^a⸤to settle the problem⸥. 

The Total of the People and Animals Returning from Exile—Nehemiah 7:66–69

⁶⁴The whole assembly totaled 42,360. ⁶⁵In addition to the male and female servants who numbered 7,337, they also had 200 male and female singers. ⁶⁶They had 736 horses, 245 mules, ⁶⁷435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys. 

Gifts Given for the Temple—Nehemiah 7:70–73

⁶⁸When some of the heads of the families came to the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem, they contributed freewill offerings to help rebuild God’s temple on its ⸤former⸥ site. ⁶⁹They contributed as much as they could to the treasury for this work: 1,030 pounds of gold, 5,740 pounds of silver, and 100 robes for the priests. 

⁷⁰The priests, the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants settled in their own cities. All the other Israelites settled in their own cities. 

3RD CHAPTER

Worship at the Temple Site Begins Again

¹When the seventh month came, the people gathered together in Jerusalem. (The Israelites had already settled in their cities.) ²Then Jozadak’s son Jeshua and his relatives ⸤who were⸥ priests and Shealtiel’s son Zerubbabel and his relatives built an altar for the God of Israel. They built it in order to sacrifice burnt offerings. They ⸤followed the directions⸥ written in Moses’ Teachings. (Moses was a man of God). ³So they rebuilt the altar on its original site, though they were afraid of the people in the neighboring regions. They sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord every morning and evening. 

⁴Following the written directions, they celebrated the Festival of Booths. Each day they sacrificed the required number of burnt offerings. ⁵After that, they sacrificed the daily burnt offerings, the offerings for the New Moon Festival and all the other holy festivals of the Lord, and all the freewill offerings brought to the Lord. ⁶They started to bring these burnt offerings to the Lord on the first day of the seventh month, even though the foundation of the Lord’s temple had not yet been laid. 

Work on the Temple Begins

⁷So they gave money to the stonecutters and carpenters. Then they gave food, drink, and olive oil to the men from Sidon and Tyre in exchange for cedar, which the men would bring by sea from Lebanon to Joppa as King Cyrus of Persia had authorized them to do. 

⁸Zerubbabel (who was Shealtiel’s son), Jeshua (who was Jozadak’s son), and the rest of the Jews, (the priests, Levites, and all the others who had come back from exile to Jerusalem) began to rebuild the temple. This happened in the second month of the second year following their return to ⸤the site⸥ of God’s house in Jerusalem. They began by appointing the Levites who were at least 20 years old to direct the work on the Lord’s house. ⁹Then Jeshua with his sons and relatives and Kadmiel with his sons who were Judah’s descendants joined Henadad’s family and their sons and relatives, the Levites, in directing those working on God’s house. 

A Celebration After the Laying of the Temple’s Foundation

¹⁰The builders laid the foundation of the Lord’s temple. Then the priests who were dressed in their robes took their places with trumpets, and the Levites who were Asaph’s descendants took their places with cymbals to praise the Lord according to the instructions of King David of Israel. ¹¹As they praised and gave thanks to the Lord, they sang antiphonally: 

“He is good; his mercy toward Israel endures forever.” 

Then all the people shouted, “Praise the Lord,” because the foundation for the house of the Lord had been laid. 

¹²But many of the priests, Levites, and the heads of the families who were old enough to have seen the first temple with their own eyes began to sob when they saw the foundation of this temple. Many others shouted for joy. ¹³No one could distinguish between the joyful shouts and the loud sobbing because the people were shouting so loudly. The noise was heard from far away.