22. Now in the first year of Cyrus king of PERSIA, that The LORD's word by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD 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,

23. "Thus says Cyrus king of PERSIA, 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given all the kingdoms of the earth to me; and he has commanded me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all his people, the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.'"

1. Now in the first year of Cyrus king of PERSIA, that The LORD's word by Jeremiah's mouth might be accomplished, the LORD 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,

2. "Thus says Cyrus king of PERSIA, 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he has commanded me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

3. Whoever there is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of The LORD, the God of Israel (he is God), which is in Jerusalem.

4. Whoever is left, in any place where he lives, let the men of his place help him with silver, with gold, with goods, and with animals, besides the freewill offering for God's house which is in Jerusalem.'"

5. Then the heads of fathers' households of Judah and Benjamin, the priests, and the Levites, all whose spirit God had stirred to go up rose up to build The LORD's house which is in Jerusalem.

6. All those who were around them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with animals, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered.

7. Also Cyrus the king brought out the vessels of The LORD's house, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought out of Jerusalem, and had put in the house of his gods;

8. even those, Cyrus king of PERSIA brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.

9. This is the number of them: thirty platters of gold, one thousand platters of silver, twenty-nine knives,

10. thirty bowls of gold, four hundred ten silver bowls of a second sort, and one thousand other vessels.

11. All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand four hundred. Sheshbazzar brought all these up when the captives were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

They also gave money to the masons, and to the carpenters. They also gave food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant that they had from Cyrus King of PERSIA.

But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' households of Israel, said to them, "You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves together will build to The LORD, the God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of PERSIA has commanded us."

13. But in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree to build this house of God.

14. The gold and silver vessels of God's house, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that was in Jerusalem, and brought into the temple of Babylon, those Cyrus the king also took out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to one whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor.

15. He said to him, 'Take these vessels, go, put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let God's house be built in its place.'

16. Then the same Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of God's house which is in Jerusalem. Since that time even until now has it been in building, and yet it is not completed.

17. Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, let a search be made in the king's treasure house, which is there at Babylon, whether it is so, that a decree was made of Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem; and let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter."

In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king made a decree: Concerning God's house at Jerusalem, let the house be built, the place where they offer sacrifices, and let its foundations be strongly laid; with its height sixty cubits, and its width sixty cubits;

2. Who has raised up one from the east?Who called him to his foot in righteousness?He hands over nations to him,and makes him rule over kings.He gives them like the dust to his sword,like the driven stubble to his bow.

3. He pursues them,and passes by safely,Even by a way that he had not gone with his feet.