The Decree of Cyrus
1 In a the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, b the LORD roused the spirit c of King Cyrus to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and to put it in writing:
2 This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The LORD, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. d 3 Any of his people among you, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the LORD, the God of Israel, e the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 Let every survivor, f wherever he resides, be assisted by the men of that region with silver, gold, goods, and livestock, along with a freewill offering for the house of God in Jerusalem.”
Return from Exile
5 So the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites—everyone whose spirit God had roused g—prepared to go up and rebuild the LORD’S house in Jerusalem. 6 All their neighbors supported them ,h with silver articles, gold, goods, livestock, and valuables, in addition to all that was given as a freewill offering. 7 King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the LORD’S house that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and had placed in the house of his gods. i 8 King Cyrus of Persia had them brought out under the supervision of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. j 9 This was the inventory:
30 gold basins, 1,000 silver basins,
29 silver knives, 10 30 gold bowls,
410 various silver bowls, and 1,000 other articles.
11 The gold and silver articles totaled 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought all of them when the exiles went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.
1:1. The first verse begins with a specific time in history: “In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia” (539 BC). While the book is historical narrative, it does not pretend to give a complete history of the period. Rather, the author selects the material that can best present his message.
1:2–4. The proclamation is the famous Edict of Cyrus (see also 6:3–5). It seems to give the impression that Cyrus believed in Yahweh, the God of Israel. However, inscriptions from that time indicate that Cyrus made similar proclamations to other ethnic captives, honoring their gods and returning the people and their idols to their homelands. The Persian kings supported the temples and religious activities of their subject peoples as a means to keep peace throughout the empire.
B. Preparations for the return (1:5–11). 1:5–6. This section begins with a summary statement. Again we notice the emphasis on God’s providence (“everyone whose spirit God had roused”) and on the purpose of the mission (“to go up and rebuild the LORD’s house,” 1:5). In any project, the people need a goal. For the Jews returning from exile, their immediate objective is to build the house of God in Jerusalem. But not all the people are willing to return to Jerusalem. Many Jews have adapted to their context in Babylon and opt to stay there. In God’s work he takes the initiative; he moves in people’s hearts. But the people also have to obey God’s leading.
1:7–8. We see here the king’s generosity and his sincere interest in the well-being of his subject peoples. When Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah, he took the treasures and articles from the Jerusalem temple, to show that his gods were victors over the god of the people he had defeated (1:7). Now Cyrus allows the Jews to take many of the vessels that Nebuchadnezzar carried off to Babylon and return them to the temple of Yahweh, which they have been commissioned to build.
1:9–11. We see the author’s concern for detail in the list of articles that are returned. They represent considerable value and significance (see also 5:13–15). The inventory does not pretend to list all the vessels, since it includes only 2,490 of the 5,400 articles mentioned in 1:11. The inventory further attests God’s power to preserve and sustain—both people and temple artifacts are restored to the land of covenant promise.