Ezra 1

Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · 538 BC · Return & rebuilding · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·

11 verses · 312 words · ~2 min read · ~2 min listen

The Proclamation of Cyrus

¹In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah, the Lord stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as follows:

²“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:

‘The Lord, the God of heaven, who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for Him at Jerusalem in Judah.

³Whoever among you belongs to His people, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the Lord, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem. ⁴And let every survivor, wherever he lives, be assisted by the men of that region with silver, gold, goods, and livestock, along with a freewill offering for the house of God in Jerusalem.’”

⁵So the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites—everyone whose spirit God had stirred—prepared to go up and rebuild the house of the Lord in Jerusalem.

⁶And all their neighbors supported them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuables, in addition to all their freewill offerings.

Cyrus Restores the Holy Vessels

⁷King Cyrus also brought out the articles belonging to the house of the Lord that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the temple of his gods. ⁸Cyrus king of Persia had them brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. ⁹This was the inventory:

30 gold dishes,

1,000 silver dishes,

29 silver utensils,

¹⁰30 gold bowls,

410 matching silver bowls,

and 1,000 other articles.

¹¹In all, there were 5,400 gold and silver articles. Sheshbazzar brought all these along when the exiles went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Footnotes (2)

a v8 That is, the leader of the exiles returning to Judah
b v9 Or basins; twice in this verse

Study notes on this chapter · 2

Prophecy & fulfillmentDebated

Cyrus named as God's shepherd

Isaiah names Cyrus as the one who will say that Jerusalem shall be rebuilt and the temple's foundation laid. Ezra records exactly this decree in 538 BC. Scholars debate whether the name was given in advance (Isaiah of Jerusalem, c. 700 BC) or the text was written near Cyrus's time (c. 540 BC).

When: Isaiah 40–55 (c. 700 BC or c. 540 BC); Cyrus's decree, 538 BC.

Original passageIsaiah 44:28Isaiah 45:1

Where the New Testament applies itEzra 1:1–4

Ways people read this (2)

Predictive: Isaiah foretold Cyrus by name about 150 years earlier.
Critical: chapters 40–55 were composed during the exile, addressing a situation already unfolding.

Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.

Prophecy & fulfillmentWidely held reading

Seventy years of exile and Cyrus's decree

Jeremiah says the nations will serve Babylon seventy years, after which God will restore his people. Ezra opens by saying Cyrus of Persia's decree to rebuild the temple fulfilled Jeremiah's word (538 BC).

When: Jeremiah, c. 605 BC; Cyrus's decree, c. 538 BC (Babylon fell to Persia in 539 BC).

Original passageJeremiah 25:11–12Jeremiah 29:10

Where the New Testament applies it2 Chronicles 36:20–23Ezra 1:1–4

Echoed inDaniel 9:1–2

Ways people read this (1)

The seventy years may be counted from 605 BC to 539/538 BC, or from the temple's destruction (586 BC) to its rebuilding (c. 516 BC); it may also be a round number.