Ezra 1
Cyrus King of Persia: "Build The Temple of God!"
1-4 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—this fulfilled the Message of God preached by Jeremiah—God prodded Cyrus king of Persia to make an official announcement throughout his kingdom. He wrote it out as follows:
From Cyrus king of Persia, a Proclamation: God, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has also assigned me to build him a Temple of worship in Jerusalem, Judah. Who among you belongs to his people? God be with you! Go to Jerusalem which is in Judah and build The Temple of God, the God of Israel, Jerusalem's God. Those who stay behind, wherever they happen to live, will support them with silver, gold, tools, and pack animals, along with Freewill-Offerings for The Temple of God in Jerusalem.
5-6 The heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites—everyone, in fact, God prodded—set out to build The Temple of God in Jerusalem. Their neighbors rallied behind them enthusiastically with silver, gold, tools, pack animals, expensive gifts, and, over and above these, Freewill-Offerings.
7-10 Also, King Cyrus turned over to them all the vessels and utensils from The Temple of God that Nebuchadnezzar had hauled from Jerusalem and put in the temple of his gods. Cyrus king of Persia put Mithredath the treasurer in charge of the transfer; he provided a full inventory for Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah, including the following:
30 gold dishes
1,000 silver dishes
29 silver pans
30 gold bowls
410 duplicate silver bowls
1,000 miscellaneous items.
11 All told, there were 5,400 gold and silver articles that Sheshbazzar took with him when he brought the exiles back from Babylon to Jerusalem.
Ezra 1
The Decree of Cyrus
1 s In the firsts year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the Lord's messaget spoken throughst Jeremiah,s the Lord stirred the mindt of King Cyrus of Persia. He disseminatedt a proclamationt throughout his entire kingdom, announcing in a written edicts the following:t
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 templet for him in Jerusalem,s which is in Judah.3 Anyone fromt 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.
4 Anyone who survives in any of those places where he is a resident foreigner must be helped by his neighborst with silver, gold, equipment, and animals, along with voluntary offerings for the temple of God which is in Jerusalem.’”
The Exiles Prepare to Return to Jerusalem
5 Then the leaderst of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and the Levites – all those whose mind God had stirred – got readyt to go up in order to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem.s
6 All their neighbors assistedt them with silver utensils,s gold, equipment, animals, and expensive gifts, not to mentiont all the voluntary offerings.
7 Then King Cyrus brought out the vessels of the Lord’s temple which Nebuchadnezzar had brought from Jerusalem and had displayedt in the temple of his gods.
8 King Cyrus of Persia entrustedt them tot Mithredaths the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzars the leader of the Judahite exiles.t
9 The inventoryt of these items was as follows:
30 gold basins,t
1,000 silver basins,
29 silver utensils,t
10 30 gold bowls,
410 othert silver bowls,
and 1,000 other vessels.
11 All these gold and silver vessels totaled 5,400.s Sheshbazzar brought them all along when the captives were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem.