The Decree of Cyrus to Return

1Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that word of YHWH by Jeremiah’s mouth might be accomplished, YHWH stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,

2“Cyrus king of Persia says, ‘YHWH, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has commanded me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3Any of ʜɪꜱ people among y’all, may their God be with them, and let them go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of YHWH, the God of Israel. Hᴇ is the God who is in Jerusalem. 4Whoever is left, in any place where he lives, let the men of his place help him with silver, with gold, with goods, and with animals, in addition to the free will offering for God’s house which is in Jerusalem.’”

5Then the heads of fathers’ households of Judah and Benjamin, the priests and the Levites, all whose spirit God had stirred to go up, rose up to build the house of YHWH which is in Jerusalem. 6All those who were around them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with animals, and with precious things, in addition to all that was willingly offered. 7Also Cyrus the king brought out the vessels of the house of YHWH, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought out of Jerusalem, and had put in the house of his gods; 8even those, Cyrus king of Persia brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. 9This is the number of them: thirty platters of gold, one thousand platters of silver, twenty-nine knives, 10thirty bowls of gold, four hundred ten silver bowls of a second kind, and one thousand other vessels. 11All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand four hundred. Sheshbazzar brought all these up when the captives were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem.