Thematic Bible: Persia


Thematic Bible



There was a certain Jew in Shushan the palace 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 captives who had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.


PERES, thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

The burden of the wilderness of the sea. As whirlwinds in the South sweep through, it comes from the wilderness, from a terrible land. A grievous vision is declared to me. The treacherous man deals treacherously, and the destroyer destroys. Go up, O Elam. Besiege, O Media, all the sighing of it I have made to cease. Therefore my loins are filled with anguish. Pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman in travail. I am pained so that I cannot hear. I am dismayed so that I cannot see. read more.
My heart flutters. Horror has frightened me. The twilight that I desired has been turned into trembling to me. They prepare the table, they set the watch, they eat, they drink. Rise up, ye rulers, anoint the shield. For thus has LORD said to me, Go, set a watchman. Let him declare what he sees. and when he sees a troop, horsemen in pairs, a troop of donkeys, a troop of camels, he shall hearken diligently with much heed. And he cried out as a lion, O LORD, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and am set in my ward whole nights, and, behold, here comes a troop of men, horsemen in pairs. And he answered and said, Fallen, fallen is Babylon. And all the graven images of her gods are broken to the ground. O my threshing, and the grain of my floor! That which I have heard from LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, I have declared to you.

And as for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him. And now I will show thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than them all. And when he has grown strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm o And a mighty king shall stand up, who shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. read more.
And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even f

Thou, O king, saw, and, behold, a great image. This image, which was mighty, and whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee, and the appearance of it was fearful. As for this image, its head was of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of brass, its legs of iron, its feet part of iron, and part of clay. read more.
Thou looked until a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon its feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, was broken in pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors. And the wind carried them away, so that no place was found for them. And the sto This is the dream, and we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. Thou, O king, are a king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory. And wherever the sons of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, he has given into thy hand, and has made thee to rule over them all. Thou are the 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 earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and subdues all things. And as iron that crushes all these, it shall break in pieces and crush. And whereas thou saw the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom. But there shall be of the strength of the iron in it, inasmuch as thou saw the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou saw the iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men, but they shall not cling one to another, even as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of those kings the God of heaven shall set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty of it be left to another people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it s Inasmuch as thou saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what shall come to pass here

Persia, Cush, and Put with them, all of them with shield and helmet,

Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who shall not regard silver, and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.

The word of LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, Thus says LORD of hosts: Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief 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.
And I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before those who seek their life. And I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger, says LORD. And I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them. And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from there king and rulers, says LORD. But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring back the captivity of Elam, says LORD.

Make sharp the arrows. Hold firm the shields. LORD has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because his purpose is against Babylon, to destroy it. For it is the vengeance of LORD, the vengeance of his temple. Set up a standard against the walls of Babylon. Make the watch strong. Set the watchmen. Prepare the ambushes. For LORD has both purposed and done that which he spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon. O thou who dwell upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end has come, the measure of thy covetousness. read more.
LORD of hosts has sworn by himself, [saying], Surely I will fill thee with men as with the canker-worm, and they shall lift up a shout against thee. He has made the earth by his power. He has established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding he has stretched out the heavens. When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth. He makes lightnings for the rain, and brings forth the wind out of his treasuries. Every man has become brutish, without knowledge. Every goldsmith is put to shame by his image, for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. They are vanity, a work of delusion. In the time of their visitation they shall perish. The portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the former of all things, and [Israel] is the tribe of his inheritance. LORD of hosts is his name. Thou are my battle-axe and weapons of war. And with thee I will break in pieces the nations, 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 chariot and him who rides in it, and with thee I will break in pieces man and woman, and with thee I will break in pieces the old man and the youth, and with thee I will break in pieces the and with thee I will break in pieces 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 governors and deputies. And I will render to Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, says LORD. Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, says 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 from thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations, but thou shall be desolate forever, says LORD. Set ye up a standard in the land. Blow the trumpet among the nations. Prepare the nations against her. Call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a marshal against her. Cause the horses to come u Prepare against her the nations, the kings of the Medes, the governors of it, and all the deputies of it, and all the land of their dominion. And the land trembles and is in pain, for the purposes of LORD against Babylon stand, to make the land of Babylon a desolation, without inhabitant. The mighty men of Babylon have ceased fighting; they remain in their strongholds. Their might has failed. They have become as women. Her dwelling-places are set on fire. Her bars are broken. One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to met another, to show the king of Babylon that his city is taken on every quarter. And the passages are seized, and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are frightened. For thus says LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing-floor at the time when it is trodden. Yet a little while, and the time of harvest shall come for her. Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon has devoured me. He has crushed me. He has made me an empty vessel. He has, like a monster, swallowed me up. He has filled his stomach with my delicacies. He has cast me out. The violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon, the inhabitant of Zion shall say. And, My blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, Jerusalem shall say. Therefore thus says LORD: Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee. And I will dry up her sea, and make her fountain dry. And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling-place for jackals, an astonishment, and a hissing, without inhabitant. They shall roar together like young lions. They shall growl as lions' whelps. When they are heated, I will make their feast. And I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, says LORD. I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with he-goats. How Sheshach is taken, and the praise of the whole earth seized! How Babylon has become a desolation among the nations! The sea has come up upon Babylon. She is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof. Her cities have become a desolation, a dry land, and a desert, a land in which no man dwells, nor does any son of man pass thereby. And I will execute judgment upon Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he has swallowed up. And the nations shall not flow any more to him. Yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall. My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and save yourselves each man from the fierce anger of LORD. And let not your heart faint. Neither fear ye for the news that shall be heard in the land. For news shall come one year, and after that in another year, news, and violence in the land, ruler against ruler. Therefore, behold, the days come, that I will execute judgment upon the graven images of Babylon. And her whole land shall be confounded, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her. Then the heavens and the earth, and all that is therein, shall sing for joy over Babylon. For the destroyers shall come to her from the north, says LORD. As Babylon has caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the land. Ye who have escaped the sword, go ye; do not stand still. Remember LORD from afar, and let Jerusalem come into your mind. We are confounded, because we have heard reproach. Confusion has covered our faces. For strangers have come into the sanctuaries of LORD's house. Therefore, behold, the days come, says LORD, that I will execute judgment upon her graven images, and through all her land the wounded shall groan. Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me destroyers shall come to her, says LORD. The sound of a cry from Babylon, and of great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans! For LORD lays Babylon waste, and destroys the great voice out of her, and their waves roar like many waters; the noise of their voice is uttered. For the destroyer has come upon her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken. Their bows are broken in pieces. For LORD is a God of recompenses; he will surely requite. And I will make drunk her rulers and her wise men, her governors and her deputies, and her mighty men. And they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, says the King, whose name is LORD of hosts. Thus says LORD of hosts: The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly overthrown, and her high gates shall be burned with fire. And the peoples shall labor for vanity, and the nations for the fire, and they shall be weary. The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. Now Seraiah was chief chamberlain. And Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that would come upon Babylon, even all these words that are written concerning Babylon. And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, When thou come to Babylon, then see that thou read all these words. And say, O LORD, thou have spoken concerning this place, to cut it off, that none shall dwell therein, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate forever. And it shall be, when thou have made an end of reading this book, that thou shall bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates. And thou shall say, Thus Babylon shall sink, and shall not rise again because of the evil that I will bring upon her, and they shall be weary. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.

There is Elam and all her multitude round about her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who have gone down uncircumcised into the nether parts of the earth, who caused their terror in the land of the living, and have bor They have set a bed for her in the midst of the slain with all her multitude. Her graves are round about her, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword. For their terror was caused in the land of the living, and they have borne


Also they gave money to the masons, and to the carpenters, and food, and drink, and oil, to those of Sidon, and to those of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus

who says of Cyrus, [He is] my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure, even saying of Jerusalem, She shall be built, and of the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.

calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. Yea, I have spoken. I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed. I will also do it.

Thus says LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held to subdue nations before him. And I will loose the loins of kings to open the doors before him. And the gates shall not be shut. I will go before thee, and make the rough places smooth. I will break in pieces the doors of brass, and cut apart the bars of iron. And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou may know that it is I, LORD, who call thee by thy name, even the God of Israel. read more.
For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel my chosen, I have called thee by thy name. I have surnamed thee, though thou have not known me.

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth has LORD, the God of heaven, given me. And he has charged me to build a house for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all his people, LORD

In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king made a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be built--the place where they offer sacrifices--and let the foundations of it be strongly laid, the height

I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will make straight all his ways. He shall build my city, and he shall let my exiles go free, not for price nor reward, says LORD of hosts.

Assemble yourselves, all ye, and hear: Who among them has declared these things? He whom LORD loves shall perform his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm, the Chaldeans. I, even I, have spoken, yea, I have called him. I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous.

But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers of Israel, said to them, Ye have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God, but we ourselves together will build to LORD, the God of Israel, as king Cyrus

But in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree to build this house of God. And also the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that was in Jerusalem, and brought into the temple of Babylon, those Cyrus the king took out of the temple of Babylon, and they w

Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, let there be search made in the king's treasure-house, which is there at Babylon, whether it be so, that a decree was made from Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem, an

Who raised up the righteous [man] from the east. He calls him to his foot? He gives nations before him, and makes him rule over kings. He gives them as the dust to his sword, as the driven stubble to his bow. He pursues them, and passes on safely, even by a way that he had not gone with his feet.


Write ye also to 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 no man reverse.

Now, O king, establish the interdict, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter. Therefore king Darius signed the writing and the interdict. And when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house (now his windows were open in his chamber toward Jerusalem) and he knelt upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he d read more.
Then these men assembled together, and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God. Then they came near, and spoke before the king concerning the king's interdict. Have thou not signed an interdict, that every man who shall make petition to any god or man within thirty days, except to thee, O king, shall be cast i


Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, [that is], twelve years, I and my brothers have not eaten the bre


On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains who ministered in the presence of Ahasuerus the king, to bring Vashti the queen before the king with the royal crown to show the peoples and the rulers her beauty, for she was fair to look on. But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment by the chamberlains. Therefore the king was very angry, and his fury burned in him. read more.
Then the king said to the wise men who knew the times (for so was the king's manner toward all who knew law and judgment, and next to him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven rulers of Persia and Media who saw the king's face, and sat first in the kingdom), What shall we do to queen Vashti according to law, because she has not done the bidding of king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains? And Memucan answered before the king and the rulers, Vashti the queen has not done wrong only to the king, but also to all the rulers, and to all the peoples that are in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus. For this deed of the queen will come abroad to all women, to make their husbands contemptible in their eyes when it shall be reported, King Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she did not come. And this day the ladies of Persia and Media who have heard of the deed of the queen will say [the like] to all the king's rulers. So [there will arise] much contempt and wrath. If it please 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 be not altered, that Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus, and let the king gi And when the king's decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his kingdom (for it is great), all the wives will give to their husbands honor, both to great and small. And the saying pleased the king and the rulers, 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 of it, and to every people after their language, that every man should bear rule in his own house, and should speak according to the la

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


And next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, repaired.

And next to him Shallum the son of Hallohesh, the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, repaired, he and his daughters.

After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of half the district of Beth-zur, repaired to the place opposite the sepulchers of David, and to the pool that was made, and to the house of the mighty men. After him the Levites, Rehum the son of Bani, repaired. Next to him Hashabiah, the ruler of half the district of Keilah, repaired for his district. After him their brothers, Bavvai the son of Henadad, the ruler of half the district of Keilah, repaired.


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 Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.


And in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his companions, wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. And the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian [character], and set forth in the Syrian [tongu Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this way. Then [wrote] Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions, the Dinaites, and the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Shushanchites, the Dehaites, read more.
and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar brought over, and set in the city of Samaria, and in the rest beyond the River, and so forth. This is a copy of the letter that they sent to Artaxerxes the king: Thy servants the men beyond the River, and so forth. Be it known to the king, that the Jews who came up from thee have come to us to Jerusalem. They are building the rebellious and the evil city, and have finished the walls, and repaired the foundations. Be it known now to the king, that, if this city be built, and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and in the end it will be hurtful to the kings. Now because we eat the salt of the palace, and it is not fitting for us to see the king's dishonor, therefore we have sent and certified to the king, that search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers. So thou shall find in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful to kings and provinces. And that they have made sedition wi We certify to the king that, if this city be built, and the walls finished, by this means thou shall have no portion beyond the River. [Then] the king sent an answer to Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions who dwell in Samaria, and in the rest beyond the River: Peace, and so forth. The letter which ye sent to us has been plainly read before me. And I decreed, 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 it. There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem who have ruled over all [the country] beyond the River, and tribute, custom, and toll, was paid to them. Make ye now a decree to cause these men to cease, and that this city not be built until a decree shall be made by me. And take heed that ye be not slack in this matter. Why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings? Then when the copy of king Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went in haste to Jerusalem to the Jews, and made them cease by force and power. Then the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem ceased, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.


Persia and Lud and Put were in thine army, thy men of war. They hung the shield and helmet in thee. They set forth thy comeliness.


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


It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty satraps, who should be throughout the whole kingdom, and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one, that these satraps might give account to them, and that the king should have no damage. Then this Daniel was distinguished above the presidents and the satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him, and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. read more.
Then the presidents and the satraps sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they could find no occasion nor fault, inasmuch as he was faithful, nor was there any error or fault found in him. Then these men said, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God. Then these presidents and satraps assembled together to the king, and said thus to him: King Darius, live forever. All the presidents of the kingdom, the deputies and the satraps, the counselors and the governors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a strong interdict, that whoever shall ask a petition of any god o




And thou, Ezra, according to the wisdom of thy God, that is in thy hand, appoint magistrates and judges, who may judge all the people who are beyond the River, all such as know the laws of thy God, and teach ye him who does not kno


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


in the third year of his reign, he made a feast to all his rulers and his servants, the power of Persia and Media, the ranking men and rulers of the provinces, being before him


And the king said to me (the queen also sitting by him), For how long shall thy journey be? And when will thou return? So it pleased the king to send me, and I set him a time.