Persia in the Bible

Meaning: that cuts or divides; a nail; a gryphon; a horsemanpar

Exact Match

Those who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia,

Verse ConceptsBabylon, Israel Exiled ToBabylonRemnantTravelExile Of Judah To Babylon

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 his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,

Verse ConceptsHuman WillHeart, Human

“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 the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up!’”

Verse ConceptsJerusalem, History OfKingdomsThe Second TempleGod Be With You

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:

Verse ConceptsHuman WillProclamationsImpulsesWords To Individuals FulfilledThe First Temple

“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.

Verse ConceptsKingdomsThe Second TempleResponsibility

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.

Verse ConceptsGovernorsPrincesTreasurer

Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and food, drink and oil to the Sidonians and to the Tyrians, to bring cedar wood from Lebanon to the sea at Joppa, according to the permission they had from Cyrus king of Persia.

Verse ConceptsCraftsmenCedarCarpentersMasonsBarteringMediterranean SeaAsking PermissionRaftsCedar WoodMoney For The Temple

But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers’ households of Israel said to them, “You have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to the Lord God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.”

Verse ConceptsCommands, in OTWhat Have We In Common?

and hired counselors against them to frustrate their counsel all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Verse ConceptsHiringTimes Of People

And in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his colleagues wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the text of the letter was written in Aramaic and translated from Aramaic.

Verse ConceptsCompanionsArtaxerxes The KingLanguagesLettersLanguages Mentioned In ScriptureAramaic LanguageTimes Of People

From Rehum the chief deputy, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues—the judges and magistrates from Tripolis, Persia, Erech, Babylon, Susa (that is, the people of Elam),

Verse ConceptsJudges

Then work on the house of God in Jerusalem ceased, and it was stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Verse ConceptsHouse Of GodRebuilding The Templeconstruction

And the elders of the Jews were successful in building through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they finished building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decree of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

Verse ConceptsAdministrationArtaxerxes The KingNamed Prophets Of The LordGay Marriageprospering

Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, there went up Ezra son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah,

Verse ConceptsArtaxerxes The KingTimes Of People

For we are slaves; yet in our bondage our God has not forsaken us, but has extended lovingkindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us reviving to raise up the house of our God, to restore its ruins and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.

Verse ConceptsKindnessUnkindnessWallsArchaeologyGod Not ForsakingGroups Of Slavesslaveryrevival

In the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him:

Verse ConceptsBanquets, Reasons

And the next unto him was Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, which saw the king's face, and which sat the first in the kingdom;)

Verse ConceptsSeven People

Likewise shall the ladies of Persia and Media say this day unto all the king's princes, which have heard of the deed of the queen. Thus shall there arise too much contempt and wrath.

If it pleases the king, let a royal edict be issued by him and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot be repealed, that Vashti may no longer come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal position to another who is more worthy than she.

Verse ConceptsHuman LawDeposing

And all the accomplishments of his authority and strength, and the full account of the greatness of Mordecai to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia?

Verse ConceptsBusiness, ExamplesHistorical Booksaccomplishments


Then it will happen on that day that the Lord
Will again acquire with His hand a second time
The remnant of His people, who will remain,
From Assyria, from [Lower] Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush (Ethiopia), from Elam [in Persia], from Shinar [Babylonia], from Hamath [in Aram],
And from the coastlands bordering the [Mediterranean] Sea.

Verse ConceptsDay of the LORDHand Of GodIslandsRemnantRestoring NationsThe Prophecy Towards AssyriaThe Prophecy Towards EgyptDoing Things TwiceSurvivors FavouredRecovery

And Persia carried the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.

Verse ConceptsQuiversThings Stripped


“Assemble, all of you, and listen!
Who among them [the idols and Chaldean astrologers] has declared these things?
The Lord loves him (Cyrus of Persia); he will do His pleasure and purpose against Babylon,
And his arm will be against the Chaldeans [who reign in Babylon].

Verse ConceptsAliancesGuidance, God's Promises OfPredestinationBabylon DestroyedPredicting The Future

all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam (Persia), and all the kings of Media;


“You [Cyrus of Persia, soon to conquer Babylon] are My battle-axe and weapon of war—
For with you I shatter nations,
With you I destroy kingdoms.

Verse ConceptsAxesPunishment, Nature OfWeaponsHammersWeapons Of GodWarSpiritual WarfareBattledrums

They of Persia and of Lud and of Phut were in thine army, thy men of war: they hanged the shield and helmet in thee; they set forth thy comeliness.

Verse ConceptsHead coveringArmoryHelmetsEarthly ArmiesSource Of Honour

There, is Persia with all her multitude, round about her grave, - All of them, thrust through The fallen by the sword Who have descended, uncircumcised into the earth below Who made themselves a terror in the land of the living, And so they have borne their confusion with them who descend into the pit:

Verse ConceptsdepthDying With The UncircumcisedFearing Other PeopleLife And DeathShame Has Come

After you will arise another kingdom (Medo-Persia) inferior to you, and then a third kingdom of bronze (Greece under Alexander the Great), which will rule over all the earth.

Verse ConceptsBrassInferiorityThings Like BronzeThird Person

Pharsin; Thy kingdom was divided, and it shall be given to the Medes and to Persia.

Verse ConceptsAbasement, Examples Of

Now, O king, thou dost establish the interdict, and sign the writing, that it is not to be changed, as a law of Media and Persia, that doth not pass away.'

Verse ConceptsHuman LawUnchanging Relationships

then they have come near, yea, they are saying before the king concerning the king's interdict: 'Hast thou not signed an interdict, that any man who seeketh from any god and man until thirty days, save of thee, O king, is cast into a den of lions?' Answered hath the king, and said, 'The thing is certain as a law of Media and Persia, that doth not pass away.'

Verse ConceptsAuthority, of human institutionsOne MonthThrowing PeopleHuman LawNot PrayingUnchanging Relationships

Then these men have assembled near the king, and are saying to the king, 'know, O king, that the law of Media and Persia is: That any interdict and statute that the king doth establish is not to be changed.'

Verse ConceptsAgreeing For EvilHuman LawUnchanging Relationships

I looked in the vision and it seemed that I was at the citadel of Susa, [the capital of Persia], which is in the province of Elam; and I looked in the vision and I saw myself by the Ulai Canal.

Verse ConceptsCitadelsRivers And StreamsCanals

Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, there in front of the canal stood a [lone] ram (the Medo-Persian Empire) which had two horns. The two horns were high, but one (Persia) was higher than the other (Media), and the higher one came up last.

Verse ConceptsRamsLong ThingsHorns In AllegoryTwo Of Body Parts

I saw the ram (Medo-Persia) charging westward and northward and southward; no beast could stand before him, nor was there anyone who could rescue [anything] from his power, but he did as he pleased and magnified himself.

Verse ConceptsAccording To His WillNorthRescueBeastsNo One Can SaveThe Power Of Other Creatures

[In my vision] I saw him come close to the ram (Medo-Persia), and he was filled with rage toward him; and the goat (Greece) struck the ram and shattered his two horns, and the ram had no strength to stand before him. So the goat threw him to the ground and trampled on him, and there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power.

Verse ConceptsWeak AnimalsBeating AnimalsTrampling AnimalsHorns BrokenTwo Of Body PartsNo One Can SavePutting Animals Down

In the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia, a matter, was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and faithful was the matter, but concerned a great warfare, and he marked the word, and had understanding in the revelation.

Verse ConceptsVisions From GodProper UnderstandingHard Tasks

And he said, Knowest thou wherefore I am come unto thee? But, now, must I return to fight with the ruler of Persia; I, therefore am going forth, and lo! the ruler of Greece, is coming.

Verse ConceptsPrincipalities And PowersFighting EnemiesRebellion of Satan and Angels

But I am going back to make war with the angel of Persia, and when I am gone, the angel of Greece will come. And there is no one on my side against these, but Michael, your angel.

Verse ConceptsArchangelsBooks, Metaphorical UseMichael The ArchangelBible, Names OfActing AloneAngelic GuardianshipTelling The Truth

and, now, the truth, I will tell thee: - Lo! there are, yet three kings, to arise - belonging to Persia, and, the fourth, will amass greater riches than they all, and, when he hath strengthened himself in his riches, the whole, will stir up, the kingdom of Greece.

Verse ConceptsAffirmationsThree MenFractions, One FourthFourthStrong IndividualsThe Rich Lording ItWealthy People

In the second year of Darius the king [of Persia], on the first day of the sixth month (Aug 29, 520 b.c.), the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying,

Verse ConceptsGovernorsMonthRankMonth 6Named Prophets Of The LordGay Marriage

On the twenty-first day of the seventh month (Oct 17, 520 b.c., the second year of Darius king of Persia), the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai, saying,

Verse ConceptsAutumnMonth 7Named Prophets Of The Lord

Now Jesus was born in Bethlehem [a small town] in Judea during the time when Herod [the Great] was king [of Judea]. About that time some astrologer/sages from the east [i.e., Persia] came to Jerusalem, saying,

Verse ConceptsWise MenHistoryBethlehemProphecies Concerning ChristOut Of The EastBabies As Prophetic SignsKings of judahNativity of Jesus ChristJesus Birthspringtimeepiphany

Thematic Bible



Now in Shushan, the palace, there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite; who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah, king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had carried away.


PERES; Thy kingdom has been broken and is given to the Medes and Persians.

The burden of the desert of the sea. As the whirlwinds which pass through the wilderness in the land of the south, so they come from the terrible land. A grievous vision is shown unto me. For one who is treacherous, another who deals treacherously, and for one destroyer, another destroyer. Rise up, Elam; besiege Media; all the sighing thereof I have made to cease. Therefore my loins are filled with pain; pangs have taken hold upon me as the pangs of a woman that travails; I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it. read more.
My heart panted; the horror frightened me; the night of my pleasure he has turned into fear unto me. Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink; arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield. For thus has the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman who shall declare what he sees. And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; then he looked with more diligence; and he cried, A lion upon the watchman. My lord, I stand continually all the day and all night long upon my watchtower. And, behold, this chariot of men comes with a couple of horsemen. Afterwards he spoke and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he has broken unto the ground. O my harvest, and the people of my threshing floor, that which I have heard of the LORD of the hosts, the God of Israel, I have declared unto you.

And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood to encourage and to strengthen him. And now will I show thee the truth. Behold, there shall yet be three kings in Persia, and the fourth shall obtain far greater riches than they all; and by his strengthening himself with his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia. And a valiant king shall stand up, that shall rule over a great dominion and do according to his will. read more.
But when he is reigning, his kingdom shall be broken and shall be divided by the four winds of heaven, and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion by which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.

Thou, O king, didst see and behold a great image. This image, which was very large and whose glory was very sublime, stood before thee, and its form was terrible. The head of this image was of fine gold, its breasts and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of brass, its legs of iron, its feet part of iron and part of baked clay. read more.
Thou didst see until a stone was cut out, not with hands, which smote the image upon its feet that were of iron and baked clay and broke them to pieces. Then was the iron, the baked clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold broken to pieces together and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away that no place was found for them again; and the stone that smote the image was made into a great mountain that filled the whole earth. This is the dream, and we will tell its interpretation before the king. Thou, O king, art king of kings, for the God of heaven has given thee the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the majesty. And everything that is inhabited by children of men, beasts of the field, and fowls of the heaven, he has given into thine hand, and has made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the land. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron; and as iron breaks in pieces and subdues all things, and as iron that breaks all these things, it shall break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou didst see the feet and toes, part of baked potters' clay and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divisive; but there shall be in it some of the strength of the iron, such as thou didst see the iron mixed with baked clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of baked clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly fragile. Concerning that which thou didst see, the iron mixed with baked clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men, but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of those kings the God of heaven shall raise up a kingdom which eternally shall never become corrupted, and this kingdom shall not be left to another people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. In the manner which thou didst see that out of the mountain was cut one stone, not with hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God has shown the king what shall come to pass hereafter; and the dream is true, and its interpretation sure.

Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them, all of them with shield and helmet:

Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not look for silver, nor covet gold.

The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet regarding Elam in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, Thus hath the LORD of the hosts said: Behold, I break the bow of Elam, the foundation of their might. And upon Elam I will bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation where the outcasts of Elam shall not come. read more.
For I will cause Elam to fear before their enemies and before those that seek their soul; and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger, said the LORD; and I will send the sword after them until I have consumed them. And I will set my throne in Elam and will destroy from there the king and the princes, said the LORD. But it shall come to pass in the last of the days that I will turn again the captivity of Elam, said the LORD.

Make bright the arrows; gather the shields; the LORD has awakened the spirit of the kings of the Medes; for his thought is against Babylon to destroy her; for it is vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance of his temple. Set up the banner upon the walls of Babylon, make the watch strong, set up the watchmen, prepare the ambushes; for the LORD has deliberated and shall put into effect that which he spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon. O thou that dwellest among many waters, rich in treasures, thine end is come, the measure of thy covetousness. read more.
The LORD of the hosts has sworn by himself, saying, Surely I will fill thee with men as with locusts; and they shall sing the song of the winepress against thee. He is the one who makes the earth by his power; he upholds the world by his wisdom and extends the heavens by his intelligence; he who gives with his voice a multitude of waters from heaven, then he causes the clouds to ascend from the ends of the earth; he makes lightnings with the rain and brings forth the wind out of his treasures. Every man has become carnal and is without knowledge; let every founder be ashamed of the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. They are vanity, the work of errors; in the time of their visitation they shall perish. The portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the Former of all things; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance; the LORD of the hosts is his name. Thou art my hammer, O weapons of war: for with thee I will break in pieces the Gentiles, and with thee I will destroy kingdoms; and with thee I will break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee I will break in pieces the chariots and their riders; with thee also I will break in pieces men and women; and with thee I will break in pieces old and young; and with thee I will break in pieces young men and virgins; I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee I will break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee I will break in pieces dukes and princes. And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, said the LORD. Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, said the LORD, which destroys all the earth; and I will stretch out my hand upon thee and roll thee down from the rocks and will make thee a burnt mountain. And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate for ever, said the LORD. Set ye up a banner in the land, blow the shofar among the Gentiles, prepare the nations against her, call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz; appoint a captain against her; cause the horses to come up as raised up locusts. Prepare the nations against her: the kings of Media, the captains thereof, and all the princes thereof, and all the land of their dominion. And the land shall tremble and sorrow for every thought of the LORD is confirmed against Babylon, to make the land of Babylon a desolation without an inhabitant. The mighty men of Babylon have forborne to fight; they have remained in their holds; their might has failed; they became as women: the enemies have burned her dwellingplaces; they have broken her bars. One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to show the king of Babylon that his city is taken in all places, And the fords were taken, and they have burned the reeds with fire, and the men of war were astounded. For thus hath the LORD of the hosts, the God of Israel said: The daughter of Babylon is like a threshingfloor; it is now time to thresh her: yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall come. Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon has devoured me; he has crushed me; he has made me an empty vessel, he has swallowed me up like a dragon; he has filled his belly with my delicates; he has cast me out. The violence against me and my flesh be upon Babylon, shall the inhabitant of Zion say; and my blood upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say. Therefore thus hath the LORD said: Behold, I judge thy cause and shall take thy vengeance; and I will dry up her sea and make her flowing waters dry. And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwellingplace for dragons, an astonishment, and a hissing, without an inhabitant. They shall roar together like lions; they shall roar as lions' whelps. In their heat I will place their feasts before them, and I will make them drunken that they may rejoice and sleep an eternal sleep and not wake, said the LORD. I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with he goats. How is Sheshach a prey! and how is she who was the praise of the whole earth taken! how is Babylon become an astonishment among the Gentiles! The sea is come up upon Babylon; she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof. Her cities were devastated, the land dry and desert, a land in which no man dwells, neither shall any son of man pass thereby. And I will visit Bel himself in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he has swallowed up; and the Gentiles shall not flow together any more unto him; and the wall of Babylon shall fall. Come out of the midst of her, my people, and save each one his life from the fierce anger of the LORD. And lest your heart faint, and ye fear because of the news that shall be heard in the land; in one year shall the news come, and after that in the next year shall come the rumour, and then shall come the violence in the land, and the ruler over him who rules. Therefore, behold, the days come that I will visit the graven images of Babylon; and her whole land shall be ashamed, and all her dead shall fall in the midst of her. Then the heavens and the earth and all that is therein shall sing praises over Babylon; for the destroyers shall come unto her from the north, said the LORD. As Babylon has caused the dead of Israel to fall, so because of Babylon the dead of all the earth fell. Ye that have escaped the sword, go away, do not tarry: remember the LORD for many days, and remember Jerusalem. We are ashamed, because we have heard the reproach; confusion has covered our faces; for strangers are come against the sanctuaries of the LORD's house. Therefore, behold, the days come, said the LORD, that I will visit her graven images; and through all her land the wounded unto death shall groan. Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify her strength upon high, yet from me shall destroyers come unto her, said the LORD. The sound of a cry comes from Babylon, and great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans! Because the LORD destroys Babylon and takes out of her the many thunders, her waves shall roar; like many waters shall be the sound of their voice: because the destroyer is come against her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken, their bow is broken: for the LORD God of recompenses shall surely requite. And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men; and they shall sleep an eternal sleep and shall not wake, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of the hosts. Thus hath the LORD of the hosts said; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly cast down, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and peoples and nations shall labour in vain in the fire to save her, and they shall become weary. The word which Jeremiah the prophet sent to Seraiah the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah into Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. And this Seraiah was the chief steward of the bedchambers. So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should come upon Babylon, even all these words that are written against Babylon. And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, When thou comest to Babylon and shalt see and shalt read all these things; then thou shalt say, O LORD, thou hast spoken against this place, to cut it off, that no one shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate for ever. And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates; and thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be overcome. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.

There is Elam and all his multitude round about his grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which are gone down uncircumcised into the lowest parts of the earth because they spread their terror in the land of the living; yet they have borne their shame with those that go down to the grave. They have set him a bed in the midst of the slain with all his multitude: his graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword because they spread their terror in the land of the living, yet they have borne their shame with those that go down to the pit; he was put in the midst of the dead.


And they gave money unto the masons and to the carpenters; and food and drink and oil unto the Zidonians and to those of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the will of Cyrus, king of Persia, over them.

that calls Cyrus, my shepherd, and all that I desire, he shall fulfil, by saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.

Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executes my counsel from a far country; I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it; I will also do it.

Thus saith the LORD to his Messiah, to Cyrus, whom I have taken by his right hand to subdue Gentiles before him and to loose the loins of kings. To open before him the two-leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut: I will go before thee and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the hidden treasures and the well-guarded secrets that thou may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who gives thee thy name. read more.
For Jacob my slave's sake and Israel my elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.

But in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus, king of Persia, The LORD God of the heavens has given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he has charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? Let the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.

In the first year of Cyrus, the king, the same Cyrus, the king, gave a commandment concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, that the house be built as a place for sacrifices to be offered, and let the walls thereof be covered; the height thereof sixty cubits, and the breadth thereof sixty cubits;

I have awakened him in righteous ness, and I will make straight all his ways; he shall build my city, and he shall loose my captives, not for price nor for bribes, saith the LORD of the hosts.

All ye, assemble yourselves and hear; who is there among them that declares these things? The LORD has loved him, the one who will execute his will on Babylon and his arm upon the Chaldeans. I, even I, have spoken; I have called him: I have brought him, and therefore his way shall be prospered.

But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build a house unto our God; but we alone will build unto the LORD God of Israel as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.

But in the first year of Cyrus the king of Babylon the same King Cyrus made a decree to build this house of God. And the vessels also of gold and silver of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple that was in Jerusalem and had brought them into the temple of Babylon, those did Cyrus, the king take out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered unto Sheshbazzar, whom he had made captain;

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Now, therefore, if it seems good to the king, let there be a search made in the king's treasure house, which is there in Babylon, whether it is so, that a decree was made by Cyrus, the king, to build this house of God in Jerusalem, and let the king send unto us his will concerning this matter.

Who raised up righteousness from the east, called him that he might follow him, gave the Gentiles before him, and made him rule over kings? He gave them as the dust to his sword and as driven stubble to his bow. He pursued them and passed in peace by the way that his feet had never entered.


Write ye also for the Jews, as it pleases you, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's ring; for the writing which is written in the king's name and sealed with the king's ring may not be revoked.

Now, O king, confirm the decree and sign the writing that it not be moved, according to the law of Media and of Persia, which does not change. Therefore King Darius signed the writing and the decree. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he entered into his house; and with the windows open toward Jerusalem in his dining chamber, he knelt three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he was used to doing before. read more.
Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. Then they went and spoke before the king concerning the royal decree; Hast thou not confirmed a decree that whoever shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Media and Persia, which does not change.


Moreover, from the day that I was appointed by the king to be their captain in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes, the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the captain.


On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven eunuchs that served in the presence of Ahasuerus, the king, to bring Vashti, the queen, before the king with the crown of the kingdom, to show the people and the princes her beauty, for she was fair to behold. But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's word by his eunuchs; therefore, the king was very wroth, and his anger burned in him. read more.
Then the king asked the wise men, who knew the times, (for so was the king's manner toward all that knew about the law and rights, and the next to him was Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king's face, and who sat first in the kingdom;) What shall we do unto Queen Vashti according to law because she has not performed the decree of King Ahasuerus by the eunuchs? And Memucan answered before the king and the princes, Vashti, the queen, has not only committed iniquity against the king, but also against all the princes and against all the people that are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. For this deed of the queen shall be known abroad unto all the women so that they shall despise their husbands, saying, King Ahasuerus commanded Vashti, the queen, to be brought in before him, but she did not come. And now the princesses of Persia and Media who have heard of the deed of the queen shall say this unto all the king's princes, and there shall be much contempt and wrath. If it pleases the king, let there go forth a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it not be altered, That Vashti come no more before King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she. And this sentence which the king shall make shall be heard throughout all his empire, although it is great, and all the wives shall give their husbands honour, from the greatest to the least. And this word pleased the king and the princes, and the king did according to the word of Memucan; for he sent letters into all the king's provinces, into every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language, saying, That every man should bear rule in his own house and that it should be published according to the language of every people.

and let the maiden which pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king, and he did so.


And next unto them Rephaiah, the son of Hur, prince of the half part of Jerusalem, restored.

And next to them restored Shallum, the son of Halohesh, prince of the half part of Jerusalem, he and his daughters.

After him restored Nehemiah, the son of Azbuk, the prince of half the region of Bethzur, unto the place over against the sepulchres of David and to the pool that was made and unto the house of the mighty. After him restored the Levites, Rehum, the son of Bani. Next unto him Hashabiah, prince of half the region of Keilah, restored in his part. After him their brethren, Bavai, the son of Henadad, prince of the half the region of Keilah restored.


In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;

And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being sixty-two years old.


And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes, king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue and interpreted in the Syrian tongue. Rehum, the chancellor, and Shimshai, the scribe, wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes, the king, in this sort: Then wrote Rehum, the chancellor, and Shimshai, the scribe, and the rest of their companions, the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, the Dehavites, and the Elamites, read more.
and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Asnappar (Sennacherib) brought over and set in the cities of Samaria and the rest that are on the other side of the river, and of Cheenet. This is the copy of the letter that they sent: Unto Artaxerxes, the king: Thy servants, the men of the other side of the river, and of Cheenet. Be it known unto the king that the Jews who came up from thee to us are come unto Jerusalem, building the rebellious and the bad city, and have founded the walls thereof and joined the foundations. Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city is rebuilt, and the walls founded, they will not pay toll, tribute, and custom, and so the revenue of the kings shall be reduced. Now because we are salted with the salt of the palace, and it is not just unto us to see the king's dishonour; therefore, we have sent to make this known unto the king, that search may be made in the book of the records of our fathers; so shalt thou find in the book of the records and know that this city is a rebellious city and hurtful unto kings and provinces and that from old time they form rebellions in the midst of her, for which cause this city was destroyed. We notify the king that if this city is built again, and its walls founded, the portion on the other side of the river shall no longer be yours. The king sent this answer unto Rehum, the chancellor, and to Shimshai, the scribe, and to the rest of their companions that dwell in Samaria and to the rest of those of the other side of the river and to Cheenet. The letter which you sent unto us has been plainly read before me. And I commanded, and search has been made, and it is found that this city of old time has made insurrection against kings and that rebellion and sedition have been made in her and that there have been mighty kings in Jerusalem, who have ruled over all that is beyond the river, and that toll, tribute, and custom, was paid unto them. Give ye now commandment to cause these men to cease and that this city not be built until another commandment shall be given from me. Take heed now that ye not fail to do this; why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings? Now when the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai, the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews and made them to cease by force and power. Then the work of the house of God which was at Jerusalem ceased. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius, king of Persia.


Those of Persia and of Lud and of Africa were in thine army, thy men of war: they hung the shield and helmet in thee; they extolled thy beauty.


And those that escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon; where they were slaves to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia,


It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty governors who should be in all the kingdom; and over these three presidents, of whom Daniel was first, that the governors might give accounts unto them, and the king should not be bothered. Then this Daniel was preferred above these governors and presidents because an overabundance of the Spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole kingdom. read more.
Then the presidents and governors looked for occasions against Daniel on behalf of the kingdom, but they could find no occasion or fault because he was faithful, and no vice nor fault was found in him. Then these men said, We shall never find any occasion against this Daniel except we find it against him in the law of his God. Then these governors and presidents assembled together before the king and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever. All the presidents of the kingdom, magistrates, governors, great ones, and captains have agreed in common accord to promote a royal decree and to confirm it that whoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, except of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.


Samaria shall be condemned; for she has rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword; their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped open.


And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thy hand, set as judges and governors, who govern all the people that are on the other side of the river, all such as know the laws of thy God, and teach those that do not know them.


and the next to him was Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king's face, and who sat first in the kingdom;)


In the third year of his reign, he made a banquet unto all his princes and his slaves, having before him the power of Persia and Media, the governors and princes of the provinces, --


Then the king said unto me (the queen also sitting by him), For how long shall thy journey be, and when wilt thou return? So the matter pleased the king, and he sent me; and I set him a time.


References

Hastings

Morish

Easton

American

Fausets

Smith

Watsons