Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying:
“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him! Let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem.
Every survivor, at whatever place he may live, let the men of that place support him with silver and gold, with goods and cattle, together with a freewill offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.’”
Then the heads of fathers’ households of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites arose, even everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up and rebuild the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.
Also King Cyrus brought out the articles of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and put in the house of his gods;
and Cyrus, king of Persia, had them brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and he counted them out to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.
All the articles of gold and silver numbered 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.
Now these are the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his city.
These came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:
the sons of Parosh, 2,172;
the sons of Shephatiah, 372;
the sons of Arah, 775;
the sons of Pahath-moab of the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,812;
the sons of Elam, 1,254;
the sons of Zattu, 945;
the sons of Zaccai, 760;
the sons of Bani, 642;
the sons of Bebai, 623;
the sons of Azgad, 1,222;
the sons of Adonikam, 666;
the sons of Bigvai, 2,056;
the sons of Adin, 454;
the sons of Ater of Hezekiah, 98;
the sons of Bezai, 323;
the sons of Jorah, 112;
the sons of Hashum, 223;
the sons of Gibbar, 95;
the men of Bethlehem, 123;
the men of Netophah, 56;
the men of Anathoth, 128;
the sons of Azmaveth, 42;
the sons of Kiriath-arim, Chephirah and Beeroth, 743;
the sons of Ramah and Geba, 621;
the men of Michmas, 122;
the men of Bethel and Ai, 223;
the sons of Nebo, 52;
the sons of Magbish, 156;
the sons of the other Elam, 1,254;
the sons of Harim, 320;
the sons of Lod, Hadid and Ono, 725;
the men of Jericho, 345;
the sons of Senaah, 3,630.
The priests: the sons of Jedaiah of the house of Jeshua, 973;
the sons of Immer, 1,052;
the sons of Pashhur, 1,247;
the sons of Harim, 1,017.
The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodaviah, 74.
The singers: the sons of Asaph, 128.
The sons of the gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, in all 139.
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