"Thus sayeth Cyrus the king of Persia: 'The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the land and hath commanded me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Judah.

Whosoever now among you is of his people, the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel. He is the God that is at Jerusalem.

And whosoever remaineth yet in any manner of place, where he is a stranger, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with good and cattle, beside that which they willingly offer, for the house of God at Jerusalem.'"

they came to Zerubbabel and to the principal fathers, and said unto them, "We will build with you: for we seek the Lord your God like as ye do. And we have done sacrifice unto him, since the time that Esarhaddon the king of Assyria brought us up hither."

But when Ahasuerus was king, even in the beginning of his reign, they wrote unto him a complaint against the inhabiters of Judah and Jerusalem.

And this is the intent of the words that they sent unto him: "Unto Darius the king, all peace.

and said unto him, 'Take these vessels, go thy way, and bring them unto the temple at Jerusalem, and let the house of God be builded in his place.'

This Ezra was a perfect scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel did give. And the king gave him all that he required, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.

For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon: and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of God upon him.

of the children of Shecaniah, of the children of Parosh; Zechariah, and with him were numbered a hundred and fifty men.

Of the children of Pahathmoab, Elihoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred men.

Of the children of Shecaniah; the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred men.

Of the children also of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty men.

Of the children of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy men.

Of the children of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him fourscore men.

Of the children of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen men.

Of the children of Shelomith; the son of Josiphiah, and with him a hundred and three men.

Of the children of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him eight and twenty men.

Of the children of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him a hundred and ten men.

And Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the children of Merari, with his brethren and their sons, twenty;

And even there at the water beside Ahava, I proclaimed a fast, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and our children and all our substance.

For I was ashamed to require of the king, soldiers and horsemen, to help us against the enemy in the way. For we had said unto the king, "The hand of our God is upon all them that seek him in goodness, and his violence and wrath is upon all them that forsake him."

But on the fourth day was the silver and gold and vessels weighed in the house of our God under the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him Eleazar the son of Phinehas, and with them Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, the Levites,

And when Ezra prayed after this manner, and knowledged, wept, and lay before the house of God, there resorted unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: For the people wept very sore.