Judah’s King Jehoahaz

36 Then i the common people j took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father.

2 Jehoahaz k was 23 years old when he became king and reigned three months in Jerusalem. 3 The king of Egypt deposed him in Jerusalem and fined the land 7,500 pounds l of silver and 75 pounds m of gold.

Judah’s King Jehoiakim

4 Then Neco king of Egypt made Jehoahaz’s brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem and changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took his brother Jehoahaz n and brought him to Egypt. o

5 Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he became king and reigned 11 years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God. p 6 Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked him q and bound him in bronze r shackles to take him to Babylon. s 7 Also Nebuchadnezzar took some of the utensils of the Lord’s temple to Babylon and put them in his temple in Babylon. t

8 The rest of the deeds of Jehoiakim, u the detestable things he did, and what was found against him, are written in the Book of Israel’s Kings. His son Jehoiachin became king in his place.

Judah’s King Jehoiachin

9 Jehoiachin was 18 v years old w when he became king and reigned three months and 10 days in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. 10 In the spring x y Nebuchadnezzar sent for him and brought him to Babylon along with the valuable utensils of the Lord’s temple. Then he made Jehoiachin’s brother Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem. z

Judah’s King Zedekiah

11 Zedekiah was 21 years old a when he became king and reigned 11 years in Jerusalem. 12 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God and did not humble himself b before Jeremiah the prophet at the Lord’s command. c 13 He also rebelled against d King Nebuchadnezzar who had made him swear allegiance by God. He became obstinate e f and hardened his heart against returning to * Yahweh, the God of Israel. 14 All the leaders of the priests and the people multiplied their unfaithful deeds, imitating all the detestable practices of the nations, and they defiled the Lord’s temple that He had consecrated in Jerusalem.

The Destruction of Jerusalem

15 But Yahweh, the God of their ancestors sent word against them by the hand of His messengers, sending them time and time again, g for He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. 16 But they kept ridiculing God’s messengers, h despising His words, i and scoffing at His prophets, until the Lord’s wrath was so stirred up against His people that there was no remedy. j 17 So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, k who killed their choice young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary. He had no pity on young men or young women, elderly or aged; He handed them all over to him. 18 He took everything to Babylon—all the articles of God’s temple, large and small, the treasures of the Lord’s temple, and the treasures of the king and his officials. 19 Then the Chaldeans burned God’s temple. l They tore down Jerusalem’s wall, burned down all its palaces, and destroyed all its valuable articles.

20 He deported those who escaped from the sword to Babylon, and they became servants to him and his sons until the rise of the Persian m kingdom. n 21 This fulfilled the word of the Lord through Jeremiah o and the land enjoyed its Sabbath rest all the days of the desolation p until 70 years were fulfilled.

The Decree of Cyrus

22 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, q the word of the Lord spoken through r Jeremiah s was fulfilled. The Lord put it into the mind of King Cyrus t of Persia to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and also to put it in writing:

23 This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build Him a temple at Jerusalem in Judah. Whoever among you of His people may go up, and may the Lord his God be with him.

Ezra

The Decree of Cyrus

1 In a the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, b the word of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah was fulfilled. c The Lord put it into the mind d of King Cyrus to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and to put it in writing:

2 This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build Him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. e 3 Whoever is among 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, f the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 Let every survivor, g 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.”

Return from Exile

5 So the family leaders of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites—everyone God had motivated h i—prepared to go up and rebuild the Lord’s house in Jerusalem. 6 All their neighbors supported them j k with silver articles, gold, goods, livestock, and valuables, in addition to all that was given as a freewill offering. 7 King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the Lord’s house that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and had placed in the house of his gods. l 8 King Cyrus of Persia had them brought out under the supervision of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. m 9 This was the inventory:

30 gold basins, 1,000 silver basins,

29 silver knives, 10 30 gold bowls,

410 various n silver bowls, and 1,000 other articles.

11 The gold and silver articles totaled 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought all of them when the exiles went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

The Exiles Who Returned

2 These o now are the people of the province who came from those captive exiles King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon p had deported to Babylon. q They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town. 2 They came with Zerubbabel, r Jeshua, s Nehemiah, Seraiah, t Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.

The number of the Israelite men included: u

3 Parosh’s descendants v 2,172

4 Shephatiah’s descendants 372

5 Arah’s descendants 775

6 Pahath-moab’s descendants:

Jeshua’s and Joab’s descendants 2,812

7 Elam’s descendants 1,254

8 Zattu’s descendants 945

9 Zaccai’s descendants 760

10 Bani’s descendants 642

11 Bebai’s descendants 623

12 Azgad’s descendants 1,222

13 Adonikam’s descendants w 666

14 Bigvai’s descendants 2,056

15 Adin’s descendants 454

16 Ater’s descendants: of Hezekiah 98

17 Bezai’s descendants 323

18 Jorah’s descendants 112

19 Hashum’s descendants 223

20 Gibbar’s descendants 95

21 Bethlehem’s x people 123

22 Netophah’s men 56

23 Anathoth’s men 128

24 Azmaveth’s people 42

25 Kiriatharim’s, Chephirah’s, and Beeroth’s people 743

26 Ramah’s y and Geba’s people 621

27 Michmas’s men 122

28 Bethel’s and Ai’s z men 223

29 Nebo’s people 52

30 Magbish’s people 156

31 the other Elam’s people 1,254

32 Harim’s people 320

33 Lod’s, Hadid’s, and Ono’s people 725

34 Jericho’s a people 345

35 Senaah’s people 3,630

36 The priests included:

Jedaiah’s descendants of the house of Jeshua 973

37 Immer’s descendants 1,052

38 Pashhur’s descendants 1,247

39 and Harim’s descendants 1,017

40 The Levites included:

Jeshua’s and Kadmiel’s descendants

from Hodaviah’s descendants 74

41 The singers included:

* Asaph’s b descendants 128

42 The gatekeepers’ c descendants included:

Shallum’s descendants, Ater’s descendants,

Talmon’s descendants, Akkub’s descendants,

Hatita’s descendants, Shobai’s descendants, in all 139

43 The temple servants d included:

Ziha’s descendants, Hasupha’s descendants,

Tabbaoth’s descendants, 44 Keros’s descendants,

Siaha’s descendants, Padon’s descendants,

45 Lebanah’s descendants, Hagabah’s descendants,

Akkub’s descendants, 46 Hagab’s descendants,

Shalmai’s e descendants, Hanan’s descendants,

47 Giddel’s descendants, Gahar’s descendants,

Reaiah’s descendants, 48 Rezin’s descendants,

Nekoda’s descendants, Gazzam’s descendants,

49 Uzza’s descendants, Paseah’s descendants,

Besai’s descendants, 50 Asnah’s descendants,

Meunim’s f descendants, Nephusim’s g descendants,

51 Bakbuk’s descendants, Hakupha’s descendants,

Harhur’s descendants, 52 Bazluth’s descendants,

Mehida’s descendants, Harsha’s descendants,

53 Barkos’s descendants, Sisera’s descendants,

Temah’s descendants, 54 Neziah’s descendants,

and Hatipha’s descendants.

55 The descendants of Solomon’s servants h included:

Sotai’s descendants, Hassophereth’s descendants,

Peruda’s descendants, 56 Jaalah’s descendants,

Darkon’s descendants, Giddel’s descendants,

57 Shephatiah’s descendants, Hattil’s descendants,

Pochereth-hazzebaim’s descendants, and Ami’s descendants.

58 All the temple servants

and the descendants of Solomon’s servants 392.

59 The following are those who came from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer but were unable to prove that their families and ancestry were Israelite:

60 Delaiah’s descendants,

Tobiah’s descendants,

Nekoda’s descendants 652

61 and from the descendants of the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, the descendants of Barzillai—who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name. 62 These searched for their entries in the genealogical records, but they could not be found, so they were disqualified from the priesthood. 63 The governor i ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest who could consult the * Urim and Thummim. j

64 The whole combined assembly numbered 42,360

65 not including their 7,337 male and female slaves,

and their 200 male and female singers. k

66 They had 736 horses, 245 mules,

67 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

Gifts for the Work

68 After they arrived at the Lord’s house in Jerusalem, some of the family leaders gave freewill offerings l for the house of God in order to have it rebuilt on its original site. 69 Based on what they could give, they gave 61,000 gold coins, m 6,250 pounds n of silver, and 100 priestly garments to the treasury o for the project. 70 The priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants, and some of the people settled in their towns, and the rest of Israel settled in their towns. p