1:1¹ In the first² year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order that the LORD’s message through³ Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred the mind⁴ of Cyrus king of Persia. He disseminated⁵ a proclamation⁶ throughout all his kingdom, announcing in a written edict as follows.⁷

1:2 “So says Cyrus king of Persia: ‘The LORD God of heaven has given to me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has instructed me to build a temple⁸ for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 1:3 Whoever among you are from⁹ his people—may his God be with him!—may go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and may build the temple of the LORD God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem. 1:4 Let whoever survives in any of those places where he is an alien be helped by his neighbors¹⁰ with silver, gold, equipment, and animals, along with voluntary offerings for the temple of God which is in Jerusalem.’”

1:5 Then the leaders¹¹ of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and the Levites, arose—all those whose spirit God had stirred up—to go up in order to build the temple of the LORD which was in Jerusalem. 1:6 All their neighbors assisted¹² them with silver utensils,¹³ gold, equipment, animals, and expensive gifts, not to mention all the voluntary offerings.

1:7 Then King Cyrus brought out the vessels of the LORD’s temple, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought from Jerusalem and had displayed¹⁴ in the temple of his gods. 1:8 Cyrus king of Persia entrusted¹⁵ them to¹⁶ Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the leader of the Judahite exiles.¹⁷

1:9 The inventory¹⁸ of these things is as follows: 30 golden basins,¹⁹ 1,000 silver basins, 29 knives,²⁰ 1:10 30 golden bowls, 410 other²¹ silver bowls, and 1,000 other vessels. 1:11 All these golden and silver vessels amounted to 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought them all when the captives were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem.