Through My Bible Yr 02 – July 13
Ezra 1 – 2
The Decree of Cyrus
Ezra 1
1Ā In 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.
2Ā This 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 [1] for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3Ā From 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 Israelāhe is the God who is in Jerusalem. 4Ā Any 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
5Ā Then the heads of the families [2] of Judah and Benjamin, the priests, and the Levites aroseāeveryone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to build the House of the Lord, which is in Jerusalem. 6Ā All 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.
7Ā King 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. 8Ā Now Cyrus king of Persia entrusted them to the treasurer Mithredath, and he counted them out to Sheshbazzar, the leader [3] of Judah.
9Ā This is a tally of several different kinds of vessels:
| gold dishes | 30 |
| silver dishes | 1,000 |
| pans [4] | 29 |
| 10Ā gold bowls | 30 |
| silver bowls of other kinds | 410 |
| other articles | 1,000 |
11Ā The 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.
The List of Those Who Returned
Ezra 2
1Ā Now these are the people [5] of the province who went up from the captivity of the exiles whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had exiled to Babylon. 2Ā The people who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, [6] Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reāelaiah, [7] Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baāanah returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each man to his own city.
This is the tally of the men from the people of Israel: [8]
| 3Ā the male descendants [9] of Parosh: | 2,172 |
| 4Ā the male descendants of Shephatiah: | 372 |
| 5Ā the male descendants of Arah: | 775 |
| 6Ā the male descendants of Pahath Moab through the descendants of Jeshua and Joab: | 2,812 |
| 7Ā the male descendants of Elam: | 1,254 |
| 8Ā the male descendants of Zattu: | 945 |
| 9Ā the male descendants of Zakkai: | 760 |
| 10Ā the male descendants of Bani: | 642 |
| 11Ā the male descendants of Bebai: | 623 |
| 12Ā the male descendants of Azgad: | 1,222 |
| 13Ā the male descendants of Adonikam: | 666 |
| 14Ā the male descendants of Bigvai: | 2,056 |
| 15Ā the male descendants of Adin: | 454 |
| 16Ā the male descendants of Ater through Hezekiah: | 98 |
| 17Ā the male descendants of Bezai: | 323 |
| 18Ā the male descendants of Jorah: | 112 |
| 19Ā the male descendants of Hashum: | 223 |
| 20Ā the male descendants of Gibbar: | 95 |
| 21Ā the citizens [10] of Bethlehem: | 123 |
| 22Ā the men of Netophah: | 56 |
| 23Ā the men of Anathoth: | 128 |
| 24Ā the citizens of Azmaveth: | 42 |
| 25Ā the citizens of Kiriath Arim, [11] Kephirah, and Beāeroth: | 743 |
| 26Ā the citizens of Ramah and Geba: | 621 |
| 27Ā the men of Mikmash: | 122 |
| 28Ā the men of Bethel and Ai: | 223 |
| 29Ā the citizens of Nebo: | 52 |
| 30Ā the citizens of Magbish: | 156 |
| 31Ā the citizens of the other Elam: | 1,254 |
| 32Ā the citizens of Harim: | 320 |
| 33Ā the citizens of Lod, Hadid, and Ono: | 725 |
| 34Ā the citizens of Jericho: | 345 |
| 35Ā the citizens of Senaāah: | 3,630 |
| 36Ā The priests:the descendants [12] of Jedaiah through the house of Jeshua: | 973 |
| 37Ā the descendants of Immer: | 1,052 |
| 38Ā the descendants of Pashhur: | 1,247 |
| 39Ā the descendants of Harim: | 1,017 |
| 40Ā The Levites:the descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel through the descendants of Hodaviah: | 74 |
| 41Ā The singers:the descendants of Asaph: | 128 |
| 42Ā The descendants of the gatekeepers:the descendants of Shallum, the descendants of Ater,the descendants of Talmon, the descendants of Akkub,the descendants of Hatita, the descendants of Shobai, in total: | 139 |
43Ā The temple servants:
the descendants of Ziha, the descendants of Hasupha,
the descendants of Tabbaoth, 44Ā the descendants of Keros,
the descendants of Siaha, the descendants of Padon,
45Ā the descendants of Lebanah, the descendants of Hagabah,
the descendants of Akkub, 46Ā the descendants of Hagab,
the descendants of Shamlai, [13] the descendants of Hanan,
47Ā the descendants of Giddel, the descendants of Gahar,
the descendants of Reaiah, 48Ā the descendants of Rezin,
the descendants of Nekoda, the descendants of Gazzam,
49Ā the descendants of Uzza, the descendants of Paseah,
the descendants of Besai, 50Ā the descendants of Asnah,
the descendants of Meunim, the descendants of Nephusim, [14]
51Ā the descendants of Bakbuk, the descendants of Hakupha,
the descendants of Harhur, 52Ā the descendants of Bazluth,
the descendants of Mehida, the descendants of Harsha,
53Ā the descendants of Barkos, the descendants of Sisera,
the descendants of Temah, 54Ā the descendants of Neziah,
the descendants of Hatipha.
55Ā The descendants of the servants of Solomon:
the descendants of Sotai, the descendants of Hassophereth,
the descendants of Peruda, 56Ā the descendants of Jaāalah,
the descendants of Darkon, the descendants of Giddel,
57Ā the descendants of Shephatiah, the descendants of Hattil,
the descendants of Pokereth Hazzebaim, the descendants of Ami.
58Ā The total of the temple servants and the descendants of Solomonās servants was 392.
59Ā The following are the people who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addan, and Immer. They were not able to prove their ancestry or descentāwhether they were from Israel:
60Ā the descendants of Delaiah, the descendants of Tobiah,
the descendants of Nekoda: 652,
61Ā from the descendants of the priests: the descendants of Habaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, the descendants of Barzillai, through a man who married one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and so they were called by his family name.
62Ā These people searched for their genealogical records, but they could not find them, so they were disqualified from the priesthood. 63Ā The governor told them that they should not eat from the most holy sacrifices until a priest would arise who could serve with Urim and Thummim.
64Ā The entire assembly together numbered 42,360, 65Ā not counting their male slaves and their female slaves, who numbered 7,337. They also had 200 male and female singers. 66Ā Their horses numbered 736, their mules 245, 67Ā their camels 435, and their donkeys 6,720.
68Ā So when the heads of the families came to the House of the Lord in Jerusalem, they gave voluntary contributions for Godās house in order to construct it on its site. 69Ā On the basis of their wealth, they gave the following amounts to the treasury to support the work: 61,000 gold darics, [15] 5,000 silver minas, [16] and 100 garments for the priests.
70Ā The priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, the temple servants, and some of the people settled in Jerusalem and its towns, [17] and all the rest of Israel settled in their towns.
Footnotes
- Ezra 1:2 In the historical books the temple in Jerusalem is frequently called a house (bayit) rather than a temple (hekal).
- Ezra 1:5 Literally the heads of the fathers or the leading fathers
- Ezra 1:8 The title leader (nasi) does not necessarily refer to a prince, the son of a king. Sheshbazzar is, however, traditionally called a prince because the line of the Messiah is traced through him.
- Ezra 1:9 The precise identification of some of these objects is uncertain. For example, the term translated pans may mean knives.
- Ezra 2:1 Literally sons. This term sons may include male descendants of multiple generations.
- Ezra 2:2 Also known as Joshua
- Ezra 2:2 The stop mark ā² indicates that the double vowel should be pronounced as two syllables, re-el, not as one syllable, reel.
- Ezra 2:2 In this list and the similar list in Nehemiah, there are many variants of names and numbers. The translation provides footnotes only for some of the more important variants.
- Ezra 2:3 Literally sons
- Ezra 2:21 Literally sons
- Ezra 2:25 Variant of Kiriath Jearim
- Ezra 2:36 Literally sons
- Ezra 2:46 Variant Shalmai
- Ezra 2:50 Many of the names in these lists, including Meinim and Nephisim, have variant spellings. The most common variant is between i and u, which look alike in some phases of Hebrew.
- Ezra 2:69 A daric is a unit of weight that appears in post-exilic books. It is a Persian term, equal to the Greek drachma, perhaps a third of an ounce. It is also the name for the standard gold coin of the Persian Empire.
- Ezra 2:69 A mina weighed about 1Ā¼ pounds.
- Ezra 2:70 The word Jerusalem is not in the Hebrew text, but it is present in the Greek Old Testament. The first group of cities, therefore, refers to Jerusalem and its environs, and the second group of cities to the more distant cities and towns of Judah and Benjamin.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage VersionĀ®, EHVĀ®, Ā© 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
