July 13, 2025

Through My Bible Yr 02 – July 13

10 minutes

Through My Bible Yr 02 – July 13Ezra 1 – 2

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Through My Bible – July 13

Ezra 1 – 2 (EHV)

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-0713db.mp3

See series: Through My Bible

The Decree of Cyrus

Ezra 1

1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord given through the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia. Cyrus circulated a proclamation throughout his kingdom and recorded it in a written document.

2 This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:

The Lord, the God of Heaven, has given all the kingdoms of the earth to me. He has appointed me to build a house [1] for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 From all his people, whoever among you is willing (may the Lord his God be with him) is permitted to go up to Jerusalem in Judah. He may build the House of the Lord, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 Any of the exiles who have survived, in any place where they are living as resident aliens, may receive support from the people of that place: silver, gold, goods, and livestock, along with their voluntary contributions for the House of the God who is in Jerusalem.

Preparations for the Return

5 Then the heads of the families [2] of Judah and Benjamin, the priests, and the Levites arose—everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to build the House of the Lord, which is in Jerusalem. 6 All of their neighbors supported them with articles of silver, with gold, with goods, with livestock, and with valuables, in addition to all kinds of voluntary contributions.

7 King Cyrus also brought out the vessels of the House of the Lord which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and put into the house of his gods. 8 Now Cyrus king of Persia entrusted them to the treasurer Mithredath, and he counted them out to Sheshbazzar, the leader [3] of Judah.

9 This is a tally of several different kinds of vessels:

gold dishes

silver dishes

1,000

pans [4]

10 gold bowls

silver bowls of other kinds

410

other articles

1,000

11 The total number of all of the gold and silver vessels was 5,400.

Sheshbazzar brought these things up to Jerusalem along with the exiles who went up to Jerusalem.

The List of Those Who Returned

Ezra 2

1 Now these are the people [5] of the province who went up from the captivity of the exiles whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had exiled to Babylon. 2 The people who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, [6] Nehemiah, Seraiah, Re’elaiah, [7] Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Ba’anah returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each man to his own city.

This is the tally of the men from the people of Israel: [8]

3 the male descendants [9] of Parosh:

2,172

4 the male descendants of Shephatiah:

372

5 the male descendants of Arah:

775

6 the male descendants of Pahath Moab through the descendants of Jeshua and Joab:

2,812

7 the male descendants of Elam:

1,254

8 the male descendants of Zattu:

945

9 the male descendants of Zakkai:

760

10 the male descendants of Bani:

642

11 the male descendants of Bebai:

623

12 the male descendants of Azgad:

1,222

13 the male descendants of Adonikam:

666

14 the male descendants of Bigvai:

2,056

15 the male descendants of Adin:

454

16 the male descendants of Ater through Hezekiah:

17 the male descendants of Bezai:

323

18 the male descendants of Jorah:

112

19 the male descendants of Hashum:

223

20 the male descendants of Gibbar:

21 the citizens [10] of Bethlehem:

123

22 the men of Netophah:

23 the men of Anathoth:

128

24 the citizens of Azmaveth:

25 the citizens of Kiriath Arim, [11] Kephirah, and Be’eroth:

743

26 the citizens of Ramah and Geba:

621

27 the men of Mikmash:

122

28 the men of Bethel and Ai:

223

29 the citizens of Nebo:

30 the citizens of Magbish:

156

31 the citizens of the other Elam:

1,254

32 the citizens of Harim:

320

33 the citizens of Lod, Hadid, and Ono:

725

34 the citizens of Jericho:

345

35 the citizens of Sena’ah:

3,630

36 The priests:the descendants [12] of Jedaiah through the house of Jeshua:

973

37 the descendants of Immer:

1,052

38 the descendants of Pashhur:

1,247

39 the descendants of Harim:

1,017

40 The Levites:the descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel through the descendants of Hodaviah:

41 The singers:the descendants of Asaph:

128

42 The descendants of the gatekeepers:the descendants of Shallum, the descendants of Ater,the descendants of Talmon, the descendants of Akkub,the descendants of Hatita, the descendants of Shobai, in total:

139

43 The temple servants:

the descendants of Ziha, the descendants of Hasupha,

the descendants of Tabbaoth, 44 the descendants of Keros,

the descendants of Siaha, the descendants of Padon,

45 the descendants of Lebanah, the descendants of Hagabah,

the descendants of Akkub, 46 the descendants of Hagab,

the descendants of Shamlai, [13] the descendants of Hanan,

47 the descendants of Giddel, the descendants of Gahar,

the descendants of Reaiah, 48 the descendants of Rezin,

the descendants of Nekoda, the descendants of Gazzam,

49 the descendants of Uzza, the descendants of Paseah,

the descendants of Besai, 50 the descendants of Asnah,

the descendants of Meunim, the descendants of Nephusim, [14]

51 the descendants of Bakbuk, the descendants of Hakupha,

the descendants of Harhur, 52 the descendants of Bazluth,

the descendants of Mehida, the descendants of Harsha,

53 the descendants of Barkos, the descendants of Sisera,

the descendants of Temah, 54 the descendants of Neziah,

the descendants of Hatipha.

55 The descendants of the servants of Solomon:

the descendants of Sotai, the descendants of Hassophereth,

the descendants of Peruda, 56 the descendants of Ja’alah,

the descendants of Darkon, the descendants of Giddel,

57 the descendants of Shephatiah, the descendants of Hattil,

the descendants of Pokereth Hazzebaim, the descendants of Ami.

58 The total of the temple servants and the descendants of Solomon’s servants was 392.

59 The following are the people who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addan, and Immer. They were not able to prove their ancestry or descent—whether they were from Israel:

60 the descendants of Delaiah, the descendants of Tobiah,

the descendants of Nekoda: 652,

61 from the descendants of the priests: the descendants of Habaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, the descendants of Barzillai, through a man who married one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and so they were called by his family name.

62 These people searched for their genealogical records, but they could not find them, so they were disqualified from the priesthood. 63 The governor told them that they should not eat from the most holy sacrifices until a priest would arise who could serve with Urim and Thummim.

64 The entire assembly together numbered 42,360, 65 not counting their male slaves and their female slaves, who numbered 7,337. They also had 200 male and female singers. 66 Their horses numbered 736, their mules 245, 67 their camels 435, and their donkeys 6,720.

68 So when the heads of the families came to the House of the Lord in Jerusalem, they gave voluntary contributions for God’s house in order to construct it on its site. 69 On the basis of their wealth, they gave the following amounts to the treasury to support the work: 61,000 gold darics, [15] 5,000 silver minas, [16] and 100 garments for the priests.

70 The priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, the temple servants, and some of the people settled in Jerusalem and its towns, [17] and all the rest of Israel settled in their towns.

Footnotes

Ezra 1:2 In the historical books the temple in Jerusalem is frequently called a house (bayit) rather than a temple (hekal).

Ezra 1:5 Literally the heads of the fathers or the leading fathers

Ezra 1:8 The title leader (nasi) does not necessarily refer to a prince, the son of a king. Sheshbazzar is, however, traditionally called a prince because the line of the Messiah is traced through him.

Ezra 1:9 The precise identification of some of these objects is uncertain. For example, the term translated pans may mean knives.

Ezra 2:1 Literally sons. This term sons may include male descendants of multiple generations.

Ezra 2:2 Also known as Joshua

Ezra 2:2 The stop mark ′ indicates that the double vowel should be pronounced as two syllables, re-el, not as one syllable, reel.

Ezra 2:2 In this list and the similar list in Nehemiah, there are many variants of names and numbers. The translation provides footnotes only for some of the more important variants.

Ezra 2:3 Literally sons

Ezra 2:21 Literally sons

Ezra 2:25 Variant of Kiriath Jearim

Ezra 2:36 Literally sons

Ezra 2:46 Variant Shalmai

Ezra 2:50 Many of the names in these lists, including Meinim and Nephisim, have variant spellings. The most common variant is between i and u, which look alike in some phases of Hebrew.

Ezra 2:69 A daric is a unit of weight that appears in post-exilic books. It is a Persian term, equal to the Greek drachma, perhaps a third of an ounce. It is also the name for the standard gold coin of the Persian Empire.

Ezra 2:69 A mina weighed about 1¼ pounds.

Ezra 2:70 The word Jerusalem is not in the Hebrew text, but it is present in the Greek Old Testament. The first group of cities, therefore, refers to Jerusalem and its environs, and the second group of cities to the more distant cities and towns of Judah and Benjamin.

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