1 The Proclamation of Cyrus Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—in order to complete the word of 1:1 The personal covenant name of God, a form of I AM WHO I AM, cf. Ex 3:14-15 Yahweh from the mouth of Jeremiah—Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he had a proclamation pass throughout all his kingdom, and alsoput itin writing, saying:
2 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia,‘Yahweh, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed 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 rebuild the house of Yahweh, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem.
4 So everyone who remains, at whatever place he may sojourn, let the men of 1:4 Lit his that place support him with silver and gold, with goods and cattle, together with a freewill offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.’ ”Articles from Yahweh’s House Brought to Jerusalem
5 Then the heads of fathers’householdsof Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites arose,that isof everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of Yahweh which is in Jerusalem.
6 All those around them 1:6Lit strengthened their hands strengthened them with articles of silver, with gold, with possessions, with cattle, and with precious things, aside from all that was given as a freewill offering.
7 Also King Cyrus brought out the articles of the house of Yahweh, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought out from Jerusalem and put in the house of his gods;
8 and Cyrus, king of Persia, had them brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and he counted them out to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.
9 Now thiswastheir number: 30 gold dishes,1,000silver dishes, 29 1:9 Heb obscure; other possible meanings are knives, censers duplicates;
10 30 gold bowls, 410 silver bowls of a secondkind and1,000other articles.
11 All the articles of gold and silvernumbered5,400.Sheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.