Ezra 1:1–6:22
1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to accomplish the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah, Yahweh stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia and he sent a message to all of his kingdom and also put the message in writing:
2 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: Yahweh, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. And he himself has appointed me to build a house for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 Whoever among you who is from all of his people, may his God be with him and may he go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and may he build the house of Yahweh, the God of Israel. He is the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 And let every survivor, from wherever he ⌊resides⌋a be assisted by the men of that place with silver and gold, with possessions and domestic animals, and with the freewill offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.”
5 So the heads of the ⌊families⌋b for Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites—to all whose spirit God had stirred—prepared to go up and build the house of Yahweh which is in Jerusalem. 6 And all of their neighbors ⌊helped them⌋c with objects of silver, gold, possessions, domestic animals, and with valuable gifts—besides all of the freewill offering. 7 And Cyrus the king brought out the objects of the house of Yahweh that Nebuchadnezzar had brought from Jerusalem and placed in the house of his gods. 8 Cyrus the king of Persia let them go out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and he counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. 9 Now these were the inventories: thirty gold metal dishes, one thousand silver metal dishes, twenty-nine vessels, 10 thirty bowls of gold, four hundred and ten matching silver metal bowls, and one thousand other objects. 11 All of the objects of gold and silver metal were five thousand four hundred. All this Sheshbazzar brought up along with the exiles from Babylonia to Jerusalem.
2 Now these were the peoplea of the province who came up from the captivity of the exile whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon carried captive to Babylonia. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own city. 2 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.
The number of the men of the people of Israel: 3 the descendantsb of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two; 4 the descendantsc of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two; 5 the descendantsd of Arah, seven hundred and seventy-five; 6 the descendantse of Pahath-moab, particularly the descendantsf of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and twelve; 7 the descendantsg of Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four; 8 the descendantsh of Zattu, nine hundred and forty-five; 9 the descendantsi of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty; 10 the descendantsj of Bani, six hundred and forty-two; 11 the descendantsk of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-three; 12 the descendantsl of Azgad, one thousand two hundred and twenty-two; 13 the descendantsm of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-six; 14 the descendantsn of Bigvai, two thousand fifty-six; 15 the descendantso of Adin, four hundred and fifty-four; 16 the descendantsp of Ater, particularly of Hezekiah, ninety-eight; 17 the descendantsq of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-three; 18 the descendantsr of Jorah, one hundred and twelve; 19 the descendantss of Hashum, two hundred and twenty-three; 20 the descendantst of Gibbar, ninety-five; 21 the peopleu of Bethlehem, one hundred and twenty-three; 22 the men of Netophah, fifty-six; 23 the men of Anathoth, one hundred and twenty-eight; 24 the peoplev of Azmaveth, forty-two; 25 the peoplew of Kiriath Αrim, Kephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three; 26 the peoplex of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty-one; 27 the men of Micmash, one hundred and twenty-two; 28 the men of Bethel and Ai, two hundred and twenty-three; 29 the peopley of Nebo, fifty-two; 30 the peoplez of Magbish, one hundred and fifty-six; 31 the peoplea of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four; 32 the peopleb of Harim, three hundred and twenty; 33 the peoplec of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-five; 34 the peopled of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five; 35 the peoplee of Senaah, three thousand six hundred and thirty.
36 The priests: the descendantsf of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three; 37 the descendantsg of Immer, one thousand fifty-two; 38 the descendantsh of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred and forty-seven; 39 the descendantsi of Harim, one thousand seventeen.
40 The Levites: the descendantsj of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the descendantsk of Hodaviah, seventy-four.
41 The singers: the descendantsl of Asaph, one hundred and twenty-eight.
42 The descendantsm of the gatekeepers: the descendantsn of Shallum, the descendantso of Ater, the descendantsp of Talmon, the descendantsq of Akkub, the descendantsr of Hatita, and the descendantss of Shobai; in total one hundred and thirty-nine.
43 The temple servants: the descendantst of Ziha, the descendantsu of Hasupha, the descendantsv of Tabbaoth, 44 the descendantsw of Keros, the descendantsx of Siaha, the descendantsy of Padon, 45 the descendantsz of Lebanah, the descendantsa of Hagabah, the descendantsb of Akkub, 46 the descendantsc of Hagab, the descendantsd of Shamlai, the descendantse of Hanan, 47 the descendantsf of Giddel, the descendantsg of Gahar, the descendantsh of Reaiah, 48 the descendantsi of Rezin, the descendantsj of Nekoda, the descendantsk of Gazzam, 49 the descendantsl of Uzza, the descendantsm of Paseah, the descendantsn of Besai, 50 the descendantso of Asnah, the descendantsp of Meunim, the descendantsq of Nephisim, 51 the descendantsr of Bakbuk, the descendantss of Hakupha, the descendantst of Harhur, 52 the descendantsu of Bazluth, the descendantsv of Mehida, the descendantsw of Harsha, 53 the descendantsx of Barkos, the descendantsy of Sisera, the descendantsz of Temah, 54 the descendantsa of Neziah, and the descendantsb of Hatipha.
55 The descendantsc of Solomon’s servants: the descendantsd of Sotai, the descendantse of Hassophereth, the descendantsf of Peruda, 56 the descendantsg of Jaalah, the descendantsh of Darkon, the descendantsi of Giddel, 57 the descendantsj of Shephatiah, the descendantsk of Hattil, the descendantsl of Pochereth-hazzebaim, and the descendantsm of Ami.
58 All the temple servants and the descendantsn of Solomon’s servants were three hundred and ninety-two.
59 Now these were the ones who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, but they were not able to prove their fathers’ household and their descent, if they were from Israel: 60 the descendantso of Delaiah, the descendantsp of Tobiah, and the descendantsq of Nekoda, six hundred and fifty-two. 61 And from the descendantsr of the priests: the descendantss of Habaiah, the descendantst of Hakkoz, and the descendantsu of Barzillai (who took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their name). 62 These sought their record in the genealogy records, but they were not found, and ⌊were excluded from the priesthood as unclean⌋.v 63 The governor said to them that they could not eat from the holy food of the sanctuaryw until there was present a priest for the Urim and Thummim.
64 The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty, 65 apart from their male and female servants, of whom were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred male and female singers. 66 Their horses numbered seven hundred and thirty-six, their mules numbered two hundred and forty-five, 67 their camels numbered four hundred and thirty-five, their donkeys numbered six thousand seven hundred and twenty.
68 When some of the heads of ⌊families⌋x came to the house of Yahweh that is in Jerusalem, they gave freewill offerings for the house of God to erect it on its place. 69 According to their ability they gave to the treasury room for the work sixty-one thousand darics of gold, five thousand minas of silver, and one hundred priestly tunics.
70 The priests, the Levites, and some of the people lived in Jerusalem, and the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.
3 Now the seventh month drew near and the ⌊Israelites⌋a were in the cities, so the people gathered as ⌊one⌋b in Jerusalem. 2 And Jeshua son of Jehozadak and his brothers the priests stood up, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brothers built the altar of the God of Israel, in order to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the law of Moses, the man of God. 3 They set up the altar on its foundations, because ⌊they were in terror⌋c because of the peoples of the lands. And they offered burnt offerings on it for Yahweh, burnt offerings for the morning and the evening. 4 And they kept the feast of booths, as it is written, and offered burnt offerings day by day in number according to the ordinance ⌊as described for each day⌋.d 5 After this, they presented the daily sacrifice of burnt offerings, the offerings for the New Moon Festival, and for all of the appointed times consecrated for Yahweh and for all who gave a freewill offering to Yahweh. 6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to Yahweh. But the temple of Yahweh was not yet founded. 7 So they gave money to the stone craftsmen and skilled craftsmen, and food, drink, and olive oil to the Sidonians and Tyrians, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the authorization over them of Cyrus king of Persia.
Foundation of the Temple is Laid
8 In the second year after their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jehozadak began their work, and the