2:1 1 These are the people 2 of the province who were going up, 3 from the captives of the exile whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had forced into exile in Babylon. They returned to Jerusalem 4 and Judah, each to his own city.
1:1 5 In the first 6 year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the Lord’s message 7 spoken through 8 Jeremiah, 9 the Lord stirred the mind 10 of King Cyrus of Persia. He disseminated 11 a proclamation 12 throughout his entire kingdom, announcing in a written edict 13 the following: 14
1:2 “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 temple 15 for him in Jerusalem, 16 which is in Judah. 1:3 Anyone from 17 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. 1:4 Anyone who survives in any of those places where he is a resident foreigner must be helped by his neighbors 18 with silver, gold, equipment, and animals, along with voluntary offerings for the temple of God which is in Jerusalem.’”
1:5 Then the leaders 19 of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and the Levites – all those whose mind God had stirred – got ready 20 to go up in order to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. 21 1:6 All their neighbors assisted 22 them with silver utensils, 23 gold, equipment, animals, and expensive gifts, not to mention 24 all the voluntary offerings.
1:7 Then King Cyrus brought out the vessels of the Lord’s temple which Nebuchadnezzar had brought from Jerusalem and had displayed 25 in the temple of his gods. 1:8 King Cyrus of Persia entrusted 26 them to 27 Mithredath 28 the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar 29 the leader of the Judahite exiles. 30
1:9 The inventory 31 of these items was as follows:
30 gold basins, 32
1,000 silver basins,
29 silver utensils, 33
1:10 30 gold bowls,
410 other 34 silver bowls,
and 1,000 other vessels.
1:11 All these gold and silver vessels totaled 5,400. 35 Sheshbazzar brought them all along when the captives were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem.