Ezra 1 - Evangelical Heritage Version - 2021（EHV）

The Decree of Cyrus

1In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord given through the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia. Cyrus circulated a proclamation throughout his kingdom and recorded it in a written document.

2This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:

The Lord, the God of Heaven, has given all the kingdoms of the earth to me. He has appointed me to build a house for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

3From all his people, whoever among you is willing (may the Lord his God be with him) is permitted to go up to Jerusalem in Judah. He may build the House of the Lord, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem.

4Any of the exiles who have survived, in any place where they are living as resident aliens, may receive support from the people of that place: silver, gold, goods, and livestock, along with their voluntary contributions for the House of the God who is in Jerusalem.

Preparations for the Return

5Then the heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin, the priests, and the Levites arose—everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to build the House of the Lord, which is in Jerusalem.

6All of their neighbors supported them with articles of silver, with gold, with goods, with livestock, and with valuables, in addition to all kinds of voluntary contributions.

7King Cyrus also brought out the vessels of the House of the Lord which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and put into the house of his gods.

8Now Cyrus king of Persia entrusted them to the treasurer Mithredath, and he counted them out to Sheshbazzar, the leader of Judah.

9This is a tally of several different kinds of vessels:

gold dishes 30

silver dishes 1,000

pans 29

10gold bowls 30

silver bowls of other kinds 410

other articles 1,000

11The total number of all of the gold and silver vessels was 5,400.

Sheshbazzar brought these things up to Jerusalem along with the exiles who went up to Jerusalem.