Sep 18 Ezra 1-3
End of
The Babylonian Captivity
1 Now in
the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might
be fulfilled, the Lord stirred
up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation
throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing,
saying,
2 Thus says
Cyrus king of Persia:
All the
kingdoms of the earth the Lord God
of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at
Jerusalem which is in Judah. 3 Who is among
you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem
which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (He is God),
which is in Jerusalem. 4 And whoever is left in any
place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold,
with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God
which is in Jerusalem.
5 Then the heads of the
fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the
Levites, with all whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the
house of the Lord which is in
Jerusalem. 6 And all
those who were around them encouraged them with articles of
silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with precious things, besides
all that was willingly offered.
7 King
Cyrus also brought out the articles of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken
from Jerusalem and put in the temple of his gods; 8 and Cyrus king of Persia
brought them out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out
to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. 9 This is the
number of them: thirty gold platters, one thousand silver platters, twenty-nine
knives, 10 thirty
gold basins, four hundred and ten silver basins of a similar kind, and one
thousand other articles. 11 All the articles of gold
and silver were five thousand four hundred. All these Sheshbazzar
took with the captives who were brought from Babylon to Jerusalem.
The
Captives Who Returned to Jerusalem
2 Now[a] these are the
people of the province who came back from the captivity, of those who had been
carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to
Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his own city.
2 Those who
came with Zerubbabel were Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah,
Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar,[b] Bigvai, Rehum,[c] and Baanah.
The number of the men of the people of Israel: 3 the people of Parosh, two
thousand one hundred and seventy-two; 4 the people of Shephatiah,
three hundred and seventy-two; 5 the people of Arah, seven
hundred and seventy-five; 6 the people of Pahath-Moab,
of the people of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred
and twelve; 7 the
people of Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four; 8 the people of Zattu, nine
hundred and forty-five; 9 the people of Zaccai, seven
hundred and sixty; 10 the
people of Bani,[d] six
hundred and forty-two; 11 the people of Bebai, six
hundred and twenty-three; 12 the people of Azgad, one
thousand two hundred and twenty-two; 13 the people of Adonikam, six
hundred and sixty-six; 14 the people of Bigvai, two
thousand and fifty-six; 15 the people of Adin, four
hundred and fifty-four; 16 the people of Ater of
Hezekiah, ninety-eight; 17 the people of Bezai, three
hundred and twenty-three; 18 the people of Jorah,[e] one
hundred and twelve; 19 the people of Hashum, two
hundred and twenty-three; 20 the people of Gibbar,[f] ninety-five; 21 the people 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 people of Azmaveth,[g] forty-two; 25 the people of Kirjath Arim,[h] Chephirah,
and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three; 26 the people of Ramah and
Geba, six hundred and twenty-one; 27 the men of Michmas, one
hundred and twenty-two; 28 the men of Bethel and Ai,
two hundred and twenty-three; 29 the people of Nebo,
fifty-two; 30 the
people of Magbish, one hundred and fifty-six; 31 the people of the other
Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four; 32 the people of Harim, three
hundred and twenty; 33 the people of Lod, Hadid,
and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-five; 34 the people of Jericho,
three hundred and forty-five; 35 the people of Senaah, three
thousand six hundred and thirty.
36 The
priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and
seventy-three; 37 the sons
of Immer, one thousand and fifty-two; 38 the sons of Pashhur, one
thousand two hundred and forty-seven; 39 the sons of Harim, one
thousand and seventeen.
41 The
singers: the sons of Asaph, one hundred and twenty-eight.
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, and the sons of Shobai, one hundred and
thirty-nine in all.
43 The
Nethinim: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, 44 the sons of Keros, the sons
of Siaha,[j] 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 Nephusim,[k] 51 the sons of Bakbuk, the
sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, 52 the sons of Bazluth,[l] the
sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, 53 the sons of Barkos, the
sons of Sisera, the sons of Tamah, 54 the sons of Neziah, and the
sons of Hatipha.
55 The sons
of Solomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of
Peruda,[m] 56 the sons of Jaala, the sons
of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, 57 the sons of Shephatiah, the
sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth of Zebaim, and the sons of Ami.[n] 58 All the Nethinim and the
children of Solomon’s servants were three hundred and ninety-two.
59 And
these were the ones who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha,
Cherub, Addan,[o] and
Immer; but they could not identify their father’s house or their genealogy,[p] whether
they were of Israel: 60 the sons of Delaiah, the
sons of Tobiah, and the sons of Nekoda, six hundred and fifty-two; 61 and of the sons of the
priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Koz,[q] and
the sons of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the
Gileadite, and was called by their name. 62 These sought their
listing among those who were registered by genealogy, but they
were not found; therefore they were excluded from the
priesthood as defiled. 63 And the governor[r]said to
them that they should not eat of the most holy things till a priest could
consult with the Urim and Thummim.
64 The whole
assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty, 65 besides their male and
female servants, of whom there were seven thousand three
hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred men and women singers. 66 Their horses were seven
hundred and thirty-six, their mules two hundred and forty-five, 67 their camels four hundred
and thirty-five, and their donkeys six thousand seven hundred
and twenty.
68 Some of
the heads of the fathers’ houses, when they came to the house
of the Lord which is in
Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God, to erect it in its place: 69 According to their ability,
they gave to the treasury for the work sixty-one thousand gold drachmas, five
thousand minas of silver, and one hundred priestly garments.
70 So the
priests and the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the
gatekeepers, and the Nethinim, dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their
cities.
Worship
Restored at Jerusalem
3 And when
the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in
the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. 2 Then Jeshua the son of
Jozadak[s] and
his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brethren,
arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it,
as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. 3 Though fear had
come upon them because of the people of those countries, they set the
altar on its bases; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning
and evening burnt offerings. 4 They also kept the Feast of
Tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the
daily burnt offerings in the number required by ordinance for each day. 5 Afterwards they
offered the regular burnt offering, and those for New
Moons and for all the appointed feasts of the Lord that were consecrated, and those of
everyone who willingly offered a freewill offering to the Lord. 6 From the first day of the
seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, although the foundation of the
temple of the Lord had
not been laid. 7 They also
gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the
people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa,
according to the permission which they had from Cyrus king of Persia.
Restoration
of the Temple Begins
8 Now in
the second month of the second year of their coming to the house of God at
Jerusalem, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Jeshua the son of Jozadak,[t] and
the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all those who had
come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, began work and
appointed the Levites from twenty years old and above to oversee the work of
the house of the Lord. 9 Then Jeshua with his
sons and brothers, Kadmiel with his sons, and the sons of
Judah,[u] arose as one to
oversee those working on the house of God: the sons of Henadad with their
sons and their brethren the Levites.
10 When the
builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests stood[v] in
their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals,
to praise the Lord, according
to the ordinance of David king of Israel. 11 And they sang responsively,
praising and giving thanks to the Lord:
Then all
the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house
of the Lord was laid.
12 But many
of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses, old
men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation
of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy, 13 so that the people could
not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the
people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard afar
off.
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