Ezra 1

1 In the first [initial, beginning] year of Cyrus [king of the Persian Empire] king of Persia [a vast territory from India to Egypt], to fulfill [accomplish, complete] the word [divine message, prophecy] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] spoken [uttered, proclaimed] through Jeremiah [a major prophet and author], the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] stirred [roused, motivated] the spirit [breath of life, mind and emotions] of Cyrus king of Persia [the ruler of the Persian Empire] to send [issue, proclaim] a proclamation [official announcement, decree] throughout his kingdom [royal power, dominion] and to put it in writing [written record, document] as follows [saying, declaring]: word study 2 “This is what Cyrus [king of the Persian Empire] king of Persia says: ‘The LORD [Yehovah, the one true God], the God [Elohim, the supreme Creator] of heaven [the visible universe and the abode of God], who has given me all [every single one] the kingdoms [domains, territories] of the earth [the world, the land], has appointed [charged, commanded] me to build [construct, establish] a house [temple, dwelling place] for Him at Jerusalem [the city of peace] in Judah [the land of the tribe of Judah]. word study 3 Whoever among you belongs to His people [of all His people, from every nation], may his God [Elohim, the one supreme God] be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem [the city of peace] in Judah and build the house [the temple, a dwelling place] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], the God [El, the mighty God] of Israel [the descendants of Jacob]; He is the God [the only true God, in a unique relationship] who is in Jerusalem [the capital city of Palestine, the center of worship]. word study 4 And let every survivor [who remains, is left], wherever he lives [sojourns, resides], be assisted by the men of that region [place, location] with silver [money, payment], gold [valuable metal], goods [property, possessions], and livestock [animals, beasts], along with a freewill offering [voluntary donation, spontaneous gift] for the house [dwelling place, temple] of God [Elohim, the supreme God] in Jerusalem [the city of peace].’” word study 5 So the family heads [chiefs of the fathers’ houses] of Judah [the tribe descended from Judah] and Benjamin [son of the right hand], along with the priests [who serve God and lead others in worship] and Levites [descendants of Levi]—everyone whose spirit [breath of life, mind and emotions] God [Elohim, the supreme God] had stirred [roused, awakened to action]—prepared to go up [ascend, rise] and rebuild [restore, construct] the house [dwelling place, temple] of the LORD [Yehovah] in Jerusalem [the city of peace]. word study 6 And all [those surrounding them] their neighbors supported them with articles [utensils, vessels] of silver [money, wealth] and gold [a valuable metal], with goods [property, possessions] and livestock [animals, beasts], and with valuables [precious things, choice gifts], in addition to all their freewill [voluntary, willing] offerings. word study 7 King [the Persian ruler] Cyrus also brought out the articles [vessels, utensils] belonging to the house [temple, dwelling place] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] that Nebuchadnezzar [the king of Babylon] had carried away from Jerusalem [the city of peace] and placed [given, set] in the temple [house] of his gods [idols, false deities]. word study 8 Cyrus [the king who decreed the return] king of Persia [a vast and powerful empire] had them brought out [to come out, as in a new beginning] by the hand [an open hand; strength, a side or share] of Mithredath [given by Mithra, a Persian deity] the treasurer [in charge of money and valuables], who counted them out [to recount, as a scribe or secretary] to Sheshbazzar [a Jewish leader, prince of the people] the prince [leader, high-ranking official] of Judah [the tribe and region]. word study 9 This was the inventory [list of items, count]: 30 [thirty, a multitude] gold [precious, valuable] dishes [basins, platters], 1,000 [a thousand, a large number] silver [valuable, shining] dishes [chargers, bowls], 29 [nine and twenty, almost thirty] silver [pure, refined] utensils [knives, sacrificial tools], word study 10 30 gold [valuable metal] bowls [basins, covered vessels], 410 matching [of a second sort, duplicate] silver [silver; money, a price] bowls, and [a large number, a multitude] 1,000 other [different, additional] articles [utensils, objects, vessels]. word study 11 In all [everything, the total sum], there were 5,400 gold [valuable, precious metal] and silver [silver; money, a price] articles [utensils, vessels]. Sheshbazzar [a Jewish leader, governor] brought all these along when the exiles [captives, those in bondage] went up [ascended, returned] from Babylon [a place of confusion, exile] to Jerusalem [the city of peace, God’s dwelling place]. word study