1In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia. He made a proclamation throughout his kingdom and put it in writing, saying:
2This is what Cyrus, king of Persia, says: 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a temple in Jerusalem, in Judah.'
3Whoever among you belongs to His people, may their God be with them, and let them go up to Jerusalem, in Judah, and build the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel. He is the God who is in Jerusalem.
4And let every survivor, wherever they may reside, be supported by the people of that place with silver, gold, goods, and livestock, along with their voluntary offerings for the house of God in Jerusalem.
5Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, the priests, and the Levites—everyone whose spirit God had stirred—rose to go up and rebuild the house of the LORD in Jerusalem.