Ezra 1; Ezra 2; Ezra 3

Ezra 1

1 In the first year of Cyrus king of the Persians, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremias might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of the Persians: and he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and in writing also, saying:

2 Thus saith Cyrus king of the Persians: The Lord the God of heaven hath given to me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he hath charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judea.

3 Who is there among you of all his people? His God be with him. Let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judea, and build the house of the Lord the God of Israel: he is the God that is in Jerusalem.

4 And let all the rest in all places wheresoever they dwell, help him every man from his place, with silver and gold, and goods, and cattle, besides that which they offer freely to the temple of God, which is in Jerusalem.

5 Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Juda and Benjamin, and the priests, and Levites, and every one whose spirit God had raised up, to go up to build the temple of the Lord, which was in Jerusalem.

6 And all they that were round about, helped their hands with vessels of silver, and gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with furniture, besides what they had offered on their own accord.

7 And king Cyrus brought forth vessels of the temple of the Lord, which Nabuchodonosor had taken from Jerusalem, and had put them in the temple of his god.

8 Now Cyrus king of Persia brought them forth by the hand of Mithridates the son of Gazabar, and numbered them to Sassabasar the prince of Juda.

9 And this is the number of them: thirty bowls of gold, a thousand bowls of silver, nine and twenty knives, thirty cups of gold,

10 Silver cups of a second sort, four hundred and ten: other vessels a thousand.

11 All the vessels of gold and silver, five thousand four hundred: all these Sassabasar brought with them that came up from the captivity of Babylon to Jerusalem.

Ezra 2

1 Now these are the children of the province, that went out of the captivity, which Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Juda, every man to his city.

2 Who came with Zorobabel, Josue, Nehemia, Saraia, Rahelaia, Mardochai, Belsan, Mesphar, Beguai, Rehum, Baana. The number of the men of the people of Israel:

3 The children of Pharos two thousand one hundred seventy-two.

4 The children of Sephatia, three hundred seventy-two.

5 The children of Area, seven hundred seventy-five.

6 The children of Phahath Moab, of the children of Josue: Joab, Two thousand eight hundred twelve.

7 The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty-four.

8 The children of Zethua, nine hundred forty-five.

9 The children of Zachai, seven hundred sixty.

10 The children of Bani, six hundred forty-two.

11 The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty-three.

12 The children of Azgad, a thousand two hundred twenty-two.

13 The children of Adonicam, six hundred sixty-six.

14 The children of Beguai, two thousand fifty-six.

15 The children of Adin, four hundred fifty-four.

16 The children of Ather, who were of Ezechias, ninety-eight.

17 The children of Besai, three hundred and twenty-three.

18 The children of Jora, a hundred and twelve.

19 The children of Hasum, two hundred twenty-three.

20 The children of Gebbar, ninety-five.

21 The children of Bethlehem, a hundred twenty-three.

22 The men of Netupha, fifty-six.

23 The men of Anathoth, a hundred twenty-eight.

24 The children of Azmaveth, forty-two.

25 The children of Cariathiarim, Cephira, and Beroth, seven hundred forty-three.

26 The children of Rama and Gabaa, six hundred twenty-one.

27 The men of Machmas, a hundred twenty-two.

28 The men of Bethel and Hai, two hundred twenty-three.

29 The children of Nebo, fifty-two.

30 The children of Megbis, a hundred fifty-six.

31 The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty-five.

32 The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.

33 The children of Lod, Hadid and Ono, seven hundred twenty-five.

34 The children of Jericho, three hundred forty-five.

35 The children of Senaa, three thousand six hundred thirty.

36 The priests: the children of Jadaia of the house of Josue, nine hundred seventy-three.

37 The children of Emmer, a thousand fifty-two.

38 The children of Pheshur, a thousand two hundred forty-seven.

39 The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.

40 The Levites: the children of Josue and of Cedmihel, the children of Odovia, seventy-four.

41 The singing men: the children of Asaph, a hundred twenty-eight.

42 The children of the porters: the children of Sellum, the children of Ater, the children of Telmon, the children of Accub, the children of Hatita, the children of Sobai: in all a hundred thirty-nine.

43 The Nathinites: the children of Siha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth,

44 The children of Ceros, the children of Sia, the children of Phadon,

45 The children of Lebana, the children of Hegaba, the children of Accub,

46 The children of Hagab, the children of Semlai, the children of Hanan,

47 The children of Gaddel, the children of Gaher, the children of Raaia,

48 The children of Rasin, the children of Necoda, the children of Gazam,

49 The children of Asa, the children of Phasea, the children of Besee,

50 The children of Asena, the children of Munim, the children of Nephusim,

51 The children of Bacbuc, the children of Hacupha, the children of Harhur,

52 The children of Besluth, the children of Mahida, the children of Harsa,

53 The children of Bercos, the children of Sisara, the children of Thema,

54 The children of Nasia, the children of Hatipha,

55 The children of the servants of Solomon, the children of Sotai, the children of Sopheret, the children of Pharuda,

56 The children of Jala, the children of Dercon, the children of Geddel,

57 The children of Saphatia, the children of Hatil, the children of Phochereth, which were of Asebaim, the children of Ami,

58 All the Nathinites, and the children of the servants of Solomon, three hundred ninety-two.

59 And these are they that came up from Thelmela, Thelharsa, Cherub, and Adon, and Emer. And they could not shew the house of their fathers and their seed, whether they were of Israel.

60 The children of Dalaia, the children of Tobia, the children of Necoda, six hundred fifty-two.

61 And of the children of the priests: the children of Hobia, the children of Accos, the children of Berzellai, who took a wife of the daughters of Berzellai, the Galaadite, and was called by their name:

62 These sought the writing of their genealogy, and found it not, and they were cast out of the priesthood.

63 And Athersatha said to them, that they should not eat of the holy of holies, till there arose a priest learned and perfect.

64 All the multitudes as one man, were forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty:

65 Besides their menservants, and womenservants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven: and among them singing men, and singing women two hundred.

66 Their horses seven hundred thirty-six, their mules two hundred forty-five,

67 Their camels four hundred thirty-five, their asses six thousand seven hundred and twenty.

68 And some of the chief of the fathers, when they came to the temple of the Lord, which is in Jerusalem, offered freely to the house of the Lord to build it in its place.

69 According to their ability, they gave towards the expenses of the work, sixty-one thousand solids of gold, five thousand pounds of silver, and a hundred garments for the priests.

70 So the priests and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singing men, and the porters, and the Nathinites dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.

Ezra 3

1 And now the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in their cities: and the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.

2 And Josue the son of Josedec rose up, and his brethren the priests, and Zorobabel the son of Salathiel, and his brethren, and they built the altar of the God of Israel that they might offer holocausts upon it, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.

3 And they set the altar of God upon its bases, while the people of the lands round about put them in fear, and they offered upon it a holocaust to the Lord morning and evening.

4 And they kept the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the holocaust every day orderly according to the commandment, the duty of the day in its day.

5 And afterwards the continual holocaust, both on the new moons, and on all the solemnities of the Lord, that were consecrated, and on all in which a freewill offering was made to the Lord.

6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer holocausts to the Lord: but the temple of God was not yet founded.

7 And they gave money to hewers of stones and to masons: and meat and drink, and oil to the Sidonians and Tyrians, to bring cedar trees from Libanus to the sea of Joppe, according to the orders which Cyrus king of the Persians had given them.

8 And in the second year of their coming to the temple of God in Jerusalem, the second month, Zorobabel the son of Salathiel, and Josue the son of Josedec, and the rest of their brethren the priests, and the Levites, and all that were come from the captivity to Jerusalem began, and they appointed Levites from twenty years old and upward, to hasten forward the work of the Lord.\par

9 Then Josue and his sons and his brethren, Cedmihel, and his sons, and the children of Juda, as one man, stood to hasten them that did the work in the temple of God: the sons of Henadad, and their sons, and their brethren the Levites.

10 And when the masons laid the foundations of the temple of the Lord, the priests stood in their ornaments with trumpets: and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise God by the hands of David king of Israel.

11 And they sung together hymns, and praise to the Lord: because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever towards Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, praising the Lord, because the foundations of the temple of the Lord were laid.

12 But many of the priests and the Levites, and the chief of the fathers and the ancients that had seen the former temple; when they had the foundation of this temple before their eyes, wept with a loud voice: and many shouting for joy, lifted up their voice.

13 So that one could not distinguish the voice of the shout of joy, from the noise of the weeping of the people: for one with another the people shouted with a loud shout, and the voice was heard afar off.