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Now in the first year [539 B.C.E.] of Koresh Melech Paras (Persia), that the Devar Hashem by the mouth of Yirmeyah might be fulfilled, Hashem stirred up the ruach of Koresh Melech Paras (Persia), so that he made a proclamation throughout all his Malchut, and put it also in writing, saying,

Thus saith Koresh Melech Paras (Persia), Hashem Elohei HaShomayim hath given me all the kingdoms of ha’aretz; and he hath charged me to build him Beis [Hamikdash] at Yerushalayim, which is in Yehudah.

Who is there among you of all His people, Elohav be with him, let him go up to Yerushalayim, which is in Yehudah, and build the Beis Hashem Elohei Yisroel, (He is HaElohim) which is in Yerushalayim.

And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with kesef, and with zahav, and with goods, and with livestock, beside the nedavah (freewill offering) for the Beis HaElohim that is in Yerushalayim.

Then rose up the chief of the avot of Yehudah and Binyamin, and the kohanim, and the Levi’im, with all them whose ruach HaElohim had stirred up, to go up to build the Beis Hashem which is in Yerushalayim.

And all they that were about them did strengthen their hands with vessels of kesef, with zahav, with goods, and with livestock, and with precious things, in addition to all their nedavot (freewill offerings).

Also HaMelech Koresh brought forth the vessels of the Beis Hashem, which Nevuchadnetzar had carried off out of Yerushalayim, and had put them in the bais (temple) of his g-ds;

Even those did Koresh Melech Paras (Persia) bring forth by the hand of Mitredat the treasurer, and counted them unto Sheshbatzar, the Nasi of Yehudah.

And this is the number of them; thirty basins of zahav, a thousand basins of kesef, nine and twenty knives,

10 Thirty bowls of zahav, kesef basins of a second kind four hundred and ten, and other vessels one thousand.

11 All the vessels of zahav and of kesef were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbatzar bring up with them of the Golus that were brought up from Bavel unto Yerushalayim.

Cyrus Helps the Exiles to Return(A)

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah,(B) the Lord moved the heart(C) of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:

“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:

“‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed(D) me to build(E) a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them. And in any locality where survivors(F) may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold,(G) with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings(H) for the temple of God(I) in Jerusalem.’”(J)

Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin,(K) and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved(L)—prepared to go up and build the house(M) of the Lord in Jerusalem. All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold,(N) with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings.

Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god.[a](O) Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar(P) the prince of Judah.

This was the inventory:

gold dishes30
silver dishes1,000
silver pans[b]29
10 gold bowls30
matching silver bowls410
other articles1,000

11 In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and of silver. Sheshbazzar brought all these along with the exiles when they came up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 1:7 Or gods
  2. Ezra 1:9 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.