Cyrus Lets the Jews Return

1 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the words of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah came true. The Lord worked in the spirit of King Cyrus of Persia so that he made it known through all his nation, and also put it in writing, saying, ² “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the nations of the earth. He has chosen me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. ³ Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him! Let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build again the house of the Lord, the God of Israel. He is the God Who is in Jerusalem. ⁴ Let each one who is still alive, at whatever place he may live, be helped by the men of his place with silver and gold and with good things and cattle. Let the men also give a free-will gift for the house of God in Jerusalem.’”

⁵ Then the leaders of the family groups of Judah and Benjamin and the religious leaders and Levites stood up, everyone in whose spirit the Lord had worked to go up and build the Lord’s house in Jerusalem again. ⁶ All those around them helped them with gifts of silver, gold, good things, cattle, and things worth much money, besides all that was given as a free-will gift. ⁷ King Cyrus brought out the objects of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and put in the house of his gods. ⁸ King Cyrus of Persia had them brought out by Mithredath, the man who took care of the nation’s riches. And he numbered them as he handed them over to Sheshbazzar, the leader of Judah. ⁹ This was their number: 30 gold dishes, 1,000 silver dishes, 29 other dishes, ¹⁰ 30 gold pots, 410 silver pots, and 1,000 other objects. ¹¹ There were 5,400 objects of gold and silver in all. Sheshbazzar brought all of them back when the people who had been taken away went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.