(KJV) Ezra 112

<< 2 Chronicles 36 Ezra 2 >>

⥃The Proclamation of Cyrus [ 2 Chronicles 36:22–23 † Isaiah 45:1–25 ]

[1] Now in the3 first year of Cyrus4 king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth5 of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord6 stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation7 throughout all his kingdom, and [put it] also in writing, saying, [2] Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God8 of heaven hath given9 me all the kingdoms10 of the earth; and he hath charged11 me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which [is] in Judah. [3] Who [is there] among you of all his people? his God12 be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which [is] in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, (he [is] the God13,) which [is] in Jerusalem. [4] And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men14 of his place help him15 with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill16 offering for the house of God that [is] in Jerusalem.

[5] Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all [them] whose spirit17 God had raised, to go up to build the house of the Lord which [is] in Jerusalem. [6] And all they that [were] about them strengthened their hands18 with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, beside all [that] was willingly offered19.

⥃Cyrus Restores the Holy Vessels

[7] [¶]Also Cyrus20 the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar21 had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods; [8] Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar22, the prince of Judah. [9] And this [is] the number of them: thirty chargers of gold23, a thousand chargers of silver, nine24 and twenty knives, [10] Thirty basons of gold, silver basons of a second [sort] four hundred and ten, [and] other vessels a thousand. [11] All the vessels25 of gold and of silver [were] five thousand26 and four hundred. All [these] did Sheshbazzar bring up with [them of] the captivity27 that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem.

<< 2 Chronicles 36 Ezra 2 >>

  1. This book details the events of a very interesting period of the Sacred History, when, according to the decree of Providence, the Jewish people were to be delivered from their captivity, at the expiration of seventy years, and restored to the land of their fathers. This book informs us how the Divine goodness accomplished this most gracious design, and the movers and agents He employed on the occasion. Ezra was undoubtedly the chief agent under God in effecting this arduous work; and his zeal, piety, knowledge, and discretion, appear here in a most conspicuous point of view, and claim our utmost admiration. Descended from Seraiah, in a direct line from Aaron, he seems to have united all the requisites of a profound statesmen with the functions of the sacerdotal character. He appears to have made the Sacred Scriptures, during the captivity, his peculiar study; and, perhaps assisted by Nehemiah and the great synagogue, he corrected the errors which had crept into the Sacred Writings, through the negligence or mistake of transcribers; he collected all the books of which the Sacred Scriptures then consisted, disposed them in their proper order, and settled the canon of Scriptures for his time; he occasionally added, under the dictation of the Holy Spirit, whatever appeared necessary for the purpose of illustrating, completing, or connecting them; he substituted the modern for the ancient names of some places, which had now become obsolete; and transcribed the whole of the Scriptures into the Chaldee character. He is said to have lived to the age of 120 years, and, according to Josephus, was buried in Jerusalem; but the Jews believe he died in Persia, in a second journey to Artaxerxes, where his tomb is shewn in the city of Zamusa. Though not styled a prophet, he wrote under the Divine Spirit; and the canonical authority of his book has never been disputed. It is written with all the spirit and fidelity that could be displayed by a writer of contemporary times; and those parts which chiefly consist of letters, decrees, etc., are written in Chaldee, because it seemed more suitable to the fidelity of a sacred historian to give these official documents, as they may be termed, in the original language, especially as the people, recently returned from the captivity, were familiar, and perhaps more conversant with the Chaldee, than with the Hebrew. ↩

  2. Ezra 1:1, The proclamation of Cyrus for the building of the temple; Ezra 1:5, The people provide for their return; Ezra 1:7, Cyrus restores the vessels of the temple to Sheshbazzar. ↩

  3. 2Chr 36:22-23 ↩

  4. Cyrus is said to have been the son of Cambyses, king of Persia, and Mandane, daughter of Astyages, king of Media. He was born about 600 years before Christ, and died at the age of 70, after a reign of 30 years. He was mentioned by name, and his conquests foretold, by the prophet Isaiah, about a century before his birth. Josephus states the partiality he evinced towards the Jews, arose from the circumstance of these prophecies being shewn him, probably by Daniel. ↩

  5. Jer 25:12-14, Jer 29:10, Jer 33:7-13 ↩

  6. Ezra 5:13-15, Ezra 6:22, Ezra 7:27; Ps 106:46; Prov 21:1; Dan 2:1 ↩

  7. Heb. caused a voice to pass, Matt 3:1-3; John 1:23 ↩

  8. 1Kgs 8:27; 2Chr 2:12; Isa 66:1; Jer 10:11; Dan 2:21, Dan 2:28, Dan 5:23 ↩

  9. Jer 27:6-7; Dan 2:37-38, Dan 4:25, Dan 4:32, Dan 5:19-21 ↩

  10. According to the testimony of ancient writers, Cyrus, at this time, reigned over the Medes, Persians, Hyrcanians, Syrians, Assyrians, Indians, etc., and all lesser Asia. ↩

  11. Isa 44:26-28, Isa 45:1, Isa 45:12-13 ↩

  12. Josh 1:9; 1Chr 28:20; Matt 28:20 ↩

  13. Deut 32:31; Ps 83:18; Isa 45:5; Jer 10:10; Dan 2:47, Dan 6:26; Acts 10:36 ↩

  14. Ezra 7:16-18; Acts 24:17; 3John 1:6-8 ↩

  15. Heb. lift him up, Eccl 4:9-10; Gal 6:2 ↩

  16. Ezra 2:68-70; 1Chr 29:3, 1Chr 29:9, 1Chr 29:17 ↩

  17. Ezra 1:1; 2Chr 36:22; Neh 2:12; Prov 16:1; 2Cor 8:16; Phil 2:13; Jas 1:16-17; 3John 1:11 ↩

  18. that is, helped them, Ezra 7:15-16, Ezra 8:25-28, Ezra 8:33 ↩

  19. Ezra 1:4; Ps 110:3; 2Cor 9:7 ↩

  20. Ezra 5:14, Ezra 6:5 ↩

  21. 2Kgs 24:13, 2Kgs 25:13-16; 2Chr 36:7, 2Chr 36:10, 2Chr 36:18; Jer 27:21-22, Jer 28:3-6; Dan 1:2; Dan 5:2-3, Dan 5:23 ↩

  22. Ezra 1:11, Ezra 5:14, Ezra 5:16; Hag 1:1, Hag 1:14, Hag 2:2-4; Zech 4:6-10 ↩

  23. Num 7:13, Num 7:19-89; 1Kgs 7:50; 2Chr 4:8, 2Chr 4:11, 2Chr 4:21-22, 2Chr 24:14; Matt 14:8 ↩

  24. Matt 10:29-31 ↩

  25. Rom 9:23; 2Tim 2:19-21 ↩

  26. Instead of 5,400, the enumeration of the articles in Ezra 1:9-10, only amounts to 2,499. It is supposed that they actually amounted to 5,400, but that only the chief of there specified, the spoons, etc. being omitted. ↩

  27. Heb. transportation, Matt 1:11-12 ↩