I.
The return of the captivity under the kingly leadership of Zerubbabel
1:1—6:22
A.
The decree of Cyrus the king of Persia
1:1-4
Ezra 1
:1
1:1
1aNow in the first year of Cyrus the king of Persia, so that the
bword of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Jehovah
2cstirred up the spirit of
3Cyrus the king of Persia; and he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and
put it also in writing, saying,
Ezra 1
:2
1:2
Thus says
aCyrus the king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth has Jehovah the
bGod of heaven given to me; and He has charged me to build Him a
1house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
Ezra 1
:3
1:3
Whoever there 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 let him build the house of Jehovah the God of Israel — He is God — who is in Jerusalem.
Ezra 1
:4
1:4
And everyone who is left, in whatever place he sojourns, let the men of his place support him with silver and with gold and with goods and with cattle, besides the freewill offering for the house of God, which is in Jerusalem.
B.
The response of the heads of the fathers' houses of Judah and Benjamin, the priests, and the Levites
1:5-6
Ezra 1
:5
1:5
Then the heads of the fathers’
houses of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites rose up, even everyone whose spirit God had
astirred up to go up to build the house of Jehovah, which is in Jerusalem.
Ezra 1
:6
1:6
And all those around them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with cattle and with precious things, besides all that was offered willingly.
C.
The cooperation of King Cyrus
1:7-11
Ezra 1
:7
1:7
Also King Cyrus brought out the
1avessels of the house of Jehovah, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought out from Jerusalem and had put in the house of his gods;
Ezra 1
:8
1:8
And Cyrus the king of Persia had them brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer and had them enumerated to
1aSheshbazzar the prince of Judah.
Ezra 1
:9
1:9
And this was
atheir number: thirty gold dishes, one thousand silver dishes, twenty-nine knives,
Ezra 1
:10
1:10
Thirty gold bowls, four hundred ten silver bowls of a different kind,
and one thousand other vessels.
Ezra 1
:11
1:11
There were five thousand four hundred vessels of gold and silver in all. Sheshbazzar brought up all
of them with those of the captivity who were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem.
