Ezra 1; Ezra 2; John 19:23-42

Ezra 1

1 In the first year that Cyrus of Persia was emperor, the Lord made what he had said through the prophet Jeremiah come true. He prompted Cyrus to issue the following command and send it out in writing to be read aloud everywhere in his empire:

2 "This is the command of Cyrus, Emperor of Persia. The Lord, the God of Heaven, has made me ruler over the whole world and has given me the responsibility of building a temple for him in Jerusalem in Judah.

3 May God be with all of you who are his people. You are to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is worshiped in Jerusalem.

4 If any of his people in exile need help to return, their neighbors are to give them this help. They are to provide them with silver and gold, supplies and pack animals, as well as offerings to present in the Temple of God in Jerusalem."

5 Then the heads of the clans of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, the priests and Levites, and everyone else whose heart God had moved got ready to go and rebuild the Lord's Temple in Jerusalem.

6 All their neighbors helped them by giving them many things: silver utensils, gold, supplies, pack animals, other valuables, and offerings for the Temple.

7 Emperor Cyrus gave them back the bowls and cups that King Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem and had put in the temple of his gods.

8 He handed them over to Mithredath, chief of the royal treasury, who made an inventory of them for Sheshbazzar, the governor of Judah,

9 as follows: gold bowls for offerings 30 silver bowls for offerings 1,000 other bowls 29 small gold bowls 30 small silver bowls 410 other utensils 1,000

11 In all there were 5,400 gold and silver bowls and other articles which Sheshbazzar took with him when he and the other exiles went from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Ezra 2

1 Many of the exiles left the province of Babylon and returned to Jerusalem and Judah, all to their own hometowns. Their families had been living in exile in Babylonia ever since King Nebuchadnezzar had taken them there as prisoners.

2 Their leaders were Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. This is the list of the clans of Israel, with the number of those from each clan who returned from exile:

3 Parosh - 2,172

4 Shephatiah - 372

5 Arah - 775

6 Pahath Moab (descendants of Jeshua and Joab) - 2,812

7 Elam - 1,254

8 Zattu - 945

9 Zaccai - 760

10 Bani - 642

11 Bebai - 623

12 Azgad - 1,222

13 Adonikam - 666

14 Bigvai - 2,056

15 Adin - 454

16 Ater (also called Hezekiah) - 98

17 Bezai - 323

18 Jorah - 112

19 Hashum - 223

20 Gibbar - 95

21 People whose ancestors had lived in the following towns also returned: Bethlehem - 123

22 Netophah - 56

23 Anathoth - 128

24 Azmaveth - 42

25 Kiriath Jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth - 743

26 Ramah and Geba - 621

27 Michmash - 122

28 Bethel and Ai - 223

29 Nebo - 52

30 Magbish - 156

31 The other Elam - 1,254

32 Harim - 320

33 Lod, Hadid, and Ono - 725

34 Jericho - 345

35 Senaah - 3,630

36 This is the list of the priestly clans that returned from exile: Jedaiah (descendants of Jeshua) - 973

37 Immer - 1,052

38 Pashhur - 1,247

39 Harim - 1,017

40 Clans of Levites who returned from exile: Jeshua and Kadmiel (descendants of Hodaviah) - 74

41 Temple musicians (descendants of Asaph) - 128

42 Temple guards (descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai) - 139

43 Clans of temple workmen who returned from exile: Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,

44 Keros, Siaha, Padon,

45 Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub,

46 Hagab, Shamlai, Hanan,

47 Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah,

48 Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam,

49 Uzza, Paseah, Besai,

50 Asnah, Meunim, Nephisim,

51 Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,

52 Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,

53 Barkos, Sisera, Temah,

54 Neziah, and Hatipha

55 Clans of Solomon's servants who returned from exile: Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda,

56 Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel,

57 Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth Hazzebaim, and Ami

58 The total number of descendants of the temple workmen and of Solomon's servants who returned from exile was 392.

59 There were 652 belonging to the clans of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda who returned from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer;

60 but they could not prove that they were descendants of Israelites.

61 The following priestly clans could find no record to prove their ancestry: Habaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai. (The ancestor of the priestly clan of Barzillai had married a woman from the clan of Barzillai of Gilead and had taken the name of his father-in-law's clan.)

62 Since they were unable to prove who their ancestors were, they were not accepted as priests.

63 The Jewish governor told them that they could not eat the food offered to God until there was a priest who could use the Urim and Thummim.

64 Total number of exiles who returned - 42,360

65 Their male and female servants - 7,337

66 Male and female musicians - 200

67 Horses - 736 Mules - 245 Camels - 435 Donkeys - 6,720

68 When the exiles arrived at the Lord's Temple in Jerusalem, some of the leaders of the clans gave freewill offerings to help rebuild the Temple on its old site.

69 They gave as much as they could for this work, and the total came to 500 kilogrammes of gold, 2,800 kilogrammes of silver, and 100 robes for priests.

70 The priests, the Levites, and some of the people settled in or near Jerusalem; the musicians, the temple guards, and the temple workmen settled in nearby towns; and the rest of the Israelites settled in the towns where their ancestors had lived.

John 19:23-42

23 After the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier. They also took the robe, which was made of one piece of woven cloth without any seams in it.

24 The soldiers said to one another, "Let's not tear it; let's throw dice to see who will get it." This happened in order to make the scripture come true: "They divided my clothes among themselves and gambled for my robe." And this is what the soldiers did.

25 Standing close to Jesus' cross were his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

26 Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing there; so he said to his mother, "He is your son."

27 Then he said to the disciple, "She is your mother." From that time the disciple took her to live in his home.

28 Jesus knew that by now everything had been completed; and in order to make the scripture come true, he said, "I am thirsty."

29 A bowl was there, full of cheap wine; so a sponge was soaked in the wine, put on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted up to his lips.

30 Jesus drank the wine and said, "It is finished!" Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

31 Then the Jewish authorities asked Pilate to allow them to break the legs of the men who had been crucified, and to take the bodies down from the crosses. They requested this because it was Friday, and they did not want the bodies to stay on the crosses on the Sabbath, since the coming Sabbath was especially holy.

32 So the soldiers went and broke the legs of the first man and then of the other man who had been crucified with Jesus.

33 But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they did not break his legs.

34 One of the soldiers, however, plunged his spear into Jesus' side, and at once blood and water poured out

35 (The one who saw this happen has spoken of it, so that you also may believe. What he said is true, and he knows that he speaks the truth.)

36 This was done to make the scripture come true: "Not one of his bones will be broken."

37 And there is another scripture that says, "People will look at him whom they pierced."

38 After this, Joseph, who was from the town of Arimathea, asked Pilate if he could take Jesus' body. (Joseph was a follower of Jesus, but in secret, because he was afraid of the Jewish authorities.) Pilate told him he could have the body, so Joseph went and took it away.

39 Nicodemus, who at first had gone to see Jesus at night, went with Joseph, taking with him about one hundred pounds of spices, a mixture of myrrh and aloes.

40 The two men took Jesus' body and wrapped it in linen cloths with the spices according to the Jewish custom of preparing a body for burial.

41 There was a garden in the place where Jesus had been put to death, and in it there was a new tomb where no one had ever been buried.

42 Since it was the day before the Sabbath and because the tomb was close by, they placed Jesus' body there.