1Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia , that the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished , Jehovah 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 , 2Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia , All the kingdoms of the earth hath Jehovah , the God of heaven , given me ; and he hath charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem , which is in Judah . 3Whosoever there is among you of all his people , his God be with him , and let him go up to Jerusalem , which is in Judah , and build the house of Jehovah , the God of Israel ( he is God ), which is in Jerusalem . 4And whosoever is left , in any place where he sojourneth , let the men of his place help him with silver , and with gold , and with goods , and with beasts, besides the freewill-offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem .
The Response of the Exiles
5Then rose up the heads of fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin , and the priests , and the Levites , even all whose spirit God had stirred to go up to build the house of Jehovah which is in Jerusalem . 6And all they that were round about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver , with gold , with goods , and with beasts, and with precious things , besides all that was willingly offered .
The Role of the Leaders
7Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of Jehovah , which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem , and had put in the house of his gods; 8even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer , and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar , the prince of Judah . 9And this is the number of them: thirty platters of gold , a thousand platters of silver , nine and twenty knives , 10thirty bowls of gold , silver bowls of a second sort four hundred and ten , and other vessels a thousand. 11All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred . All these did Sheshbazzar bring up , when they of the captivity were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem .