Ezra 1

The Decree of Cyrus

1In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfil the word of Yahweh spoken through Jeremiah, Yahweh stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, and he sent a proclamation through his whole kingdom, and put it in writing as well: 2Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: “Yahweh, the God of heaven, has given me every kingdom on earth, and he himself has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3Whoever among you belongs to his people — may his God be with him — let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of Yahweh, the God of Israel. He is the God who is in Jerusalem. 4And wherever any survivor is still living as a stranger, let the people of that place support him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, together with the freewill offering for the house of God in Jerusalem.”

The Return, and the Vessels of the House

5Then the heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin rose, and the priests and the Levites — everyone whose spirit God had stirred — to go up and build the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem. 6And all their neighbours strengthened their hands with articles of silver, with gold, with goods and livestock and costly gifts, over and above everything given freely. 7King Cyrus also brought out the vessels of the house of Yahweh that Nebuchadnezzar had carried off from Jerusalem and put in the house of his gods. 8Cyrus king of Persia had them brought out by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. 9This is their count: 30 gold dishes, 1,000 silver dishes, 29 knives, 1030 gold bowls, 410 silver bowls of a second kind, and 1,000 other vessels. 11In all, the vessels of gold and silver came to 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought all of them up when the exiles were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem.