2 Chronicles 36 · Ezra 1–2

1Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father’s place in Jerusalem.

2Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.

3The king of Egypt removed him from office at Jerusalem, and fined the land one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.

4The king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Neco took Joahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.

5Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did that which was evil in Yahweh his God’s sight.

6Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him, and bound him in fetters to carry him to Babylon.

7Nebuchadnezzar also carried some of the vessels of Yahweh’s house to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.

8Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah; and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.

9Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight.

10At the return of the year, King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon, with the valuable vessels of Yahweh’s house, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.

11Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.

12He did that which was evil in Yahweh his God’s sight. He didn’t humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from Yahweh’s mouth.

13He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God; but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart against turning to Yahweh, the God of Israel.

14Moreover all the chiefs of the priests and the people trespassed very greatly after all the abominations of the nations; and they polluted Yahweh’s house which he had made holy in Jerusalem.

15Yahweh, the God of their fathers, sent to them by his messengers, rising up early and sending, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place;

16but they mocked the messengers of God, despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until Yahweh’s wrath arose against his people, until there was no remedy.

17Therefore he brought on them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or infirm. He gave them all into his hand.

18All the vessels of God’s house, great and small, and the treasures of Yahweh’s house, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon.

19They burned God’s house, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all of its valuable vessels.

20He carried those who had escaped from the sword away to Babylon, and they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia,

21to fulfill Yahweh’s word by Jeremiah’s mouth, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. As long as it lay desolate, it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.

22Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that Yahweh’s word by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Yahweh 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“Cyrus king of Persia says, ‘Yahweh, 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, Yahweh his God be with him, and let him go up.’”

1Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that Yahweh’s word by Jeremiah’s mouth might be accomplished, Yahweh 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“Cyrus king of Persia says, ‘Yahweh, 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.

3Whoever 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 Yahweh, the God of Israel (he is God), which is in Jerusalem.

4Whoever 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, in addition to the free will offering for God’s house which is in Jerusalem.’”

5Then 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 Yahweh’s house which is in Jerusalem.

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

7Also Cyrus the king brought out the vessels of Yahweh’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought out of Jerusalem, and had put in the house of his gods;

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

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

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

11All 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.

1Now these are the children of the province who went up out of the captivity of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his city;

2who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:

3The children of Parosh, two thousand one hundred seventy-two.

4The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy-two.

5The children of Arah, seven hundred seventy-five.

6The children of Pahathmoab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred twelve.

7The children of Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four.

8The children of Zattu, nine hundred forty-five.

9The children of Zaccai, seven hundred sixty.

10The children of Bani, six hundred forty-two.

11The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty-three.

12The children of Azgad, one thousand two hundred twenty-two.

13The children of Adonikam, six hundred sixty-six.

14The children of Bigvai, two thousand fifty-six.

15The children of Adin, four hundred fifty-four.

16The children of Ater, of Hezekiah, ninety-eight.

17The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty-three.

18The children of Jorah, one hundred twelve.

19The children of Hashum, two hundred twenty-three.

20The children of Gibbar, ninety-five.

21The children of Bethlehem, one hundred twenty-three.

22The men of Netophah, fifty-six.

23The men of Anathoth, one hundred twenty-eight.

24The children of Azmaveth, forty-two.

25The children of Kiriath Arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred forty-three.

26The children of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty-one.

27The men of Michmas, one hundred twenty-two.

28The men of Bethel and Ai, two hundred twenty-three.

29The children of Nebo, fifty-two.

30The children of Magbish, one hundred fifty-six.

31The children of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four.

32The children of Harim, three hundred twenty.

33The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty-five.

34The children of Jericho, three hundred forty-five.

35The children of Senaah, three thousand six hundred thirty.

36The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy-three.

37The children of Immer, one thousand fifty-two.

38The children of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred forty-seven.

39The children of Harim, one thousand seventeen.

40The Levites: the children of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the children of Hodaviah, seventy-four.

41The singers: the children of Asaph, one hundred twenty-eight.

42The children of the gatekeepers: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, in all one hundred thirty-nine.

43The temple servants: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth,

44the children of Keros, the children of Siaha, the children of Padon,

45the children of Lebanah, the children of Hagabah, the children of Akkub,

46the children of Hagab, the children of Shamlai, the children of Hanan,

47the children of Giddel, the children of Gahar, the children of Reaiah,

48the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda, the children of Gazzam,

49the children of Uzza, the children of Paseah, the children of Besai,

50the children of Asnah, the children of Meunim, the children of Nephisim,

51the children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur,

52the children of Bazluth, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha,

53the children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Temah,

54the children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha.

55The children of Solomon’s servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Hassophereth, the children of Peruda,

56the children of Jaalah, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel,

57the children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth Hazzebaim, the children of Ami.

58All the temple servants, and the children of Solomon’s servants, were three hundred ninety-two.

59These were those who went up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer; but they could not show their fathers’ houses and their offspring, whether they were of Israel:

60the children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred fifty-two.

61Of the children of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Hakkoz, and the children of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name.

62These sought their place among those who were registered by genealogy, but they were not found; therefore they were deemed disqualified and removed from the priesthood.

63The governor told them that they should not eat of the most holy things until a priest stood up to serve with Urim and with Thummim.

64The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred sixty,

65in addition to their male servants and their female servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty-seven; and they had two hundred singing men and singing women.

66Their horses were seven hundred thirty-six; their mules, two hundred forty-five;

67their camels, four hundred thirty-five; their donkeys, six thousand seven hundred twenty.

68Some of the heads of fathers’ households, when they came to Yahweh’s house which is in Jerusalem, offered willingly for God’s house to set it up in its place.

69They gave according to their ability into the treasury of the work sixty-one thousand darics of gold, five thousand minas of silver, and one hundred priests’ garments.

70So the priests and the Levites, with some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants, lived in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.