Cyrus

22In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, God's word through Jeremiah came true. The LORD stirred up Cyrus to make an announcement. Cyrus sent it all through his kingdom and also wrote it down.

Now 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,

NotePersia was a country that later beat Babylon and took over. Cyrus was its king. An announcement like this was read out loud in every town.

23Cyrus, king of Persia, said this: "The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has told me to build him a house in Jerusalem, in Judah. Is anyone here one of his people? May the LORD his God be with him. Let him go up there."

Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.

NoteThe house Cyrus means is the temple, which had been burned down. People said go up to Jerusalem because the city sits high on hills.

1Cyrus was the king of Persia. In his first year as king, God moved his heart. This made true what God had said long ago through Jeremiah, a man who told people God's words. Cyrus sent a message all through his kingdom. He also wrote it down. This is what it said:

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, 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,

NoteLong before this, the people of Judah were taken from home. Enemy soldiers marched them far away to Babylon. This chapter begins when a new king lets them go home. Persia was a large, strong country far to the east of Jerusalem.

2"King Cyrus of Persia says this. The LORD, the God of heaven, gave me every kingdom on earth. He has told me to build him a house in Jerusalem, a city in Judah.

Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

Note"The LORD" in capital letters is God's own name. A "house" for God means a temple. A temple is a special building where people worship God.

3Are any of God's people here? May God be with each one. Let him go to Jerusalem in Judah. Let him build the house of the LORD, the God of Israel. He is the God whose house is in Jerusalem.

Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.

NoteIsrael was the name of God's whole family of people. Jerusalem sits high on a hill. So people always said they would "go up" to it.

4Some of God's people are still left in other places. Wherever one of them lives, the neighbors there should help him. Give him silver, gold, goods, and farm animals. Give gifts for God's house in Jerusalem too."

And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.

NoteA freewill offering is a gift nobody makes you give. You give it because you want to.

5So the family leaders of Judah and Benjamin got ready to go. The priests and the Levites got ready too. Everyone whose heart God had stirred got ready. They would go build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem.

Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.

NoteJudah and Benjamin were two family groups of God's people. Priests were men who led people in worship at God's house. Levites came from one family, and they helped the priests with the work.

6All their neighbors helped them. They gave silver and gold things. They gave goods, farm animals, and other valuable things. They gave many gifts on top of that.

And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, beside all that was willingly offered.

NoteThese neighbors were people living near them in Babylon. They were not Israelites, but they still helped.

7King Cyrus also brought out the bowls and dishes from the LORD's house. King Nebuchadnezzar had taken them from Jerusalem long before. He had put them in the temple of his own gods.

Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods;

NoteNebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon years before. His army took the gold and silver dishes from God's house. He kept them in the temple of the gods he worshiped. Those gods were statues made by people.

8Cyrus had his treasurer, Mithredath, bring them out. Mithredath counted them out for Sheshbazzar, the leader of Judah.

Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.

NoteA treasurer is the man who takes care of a king's money and treasure. "Prince of Judah" means Sheshbazzar was a leader of his people.

9Here is the list. There were 30 gold dishes and 1,000 silver dishes. There were also 29 knives.

And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives,

NoteThese dishes and knives were not for eating at home. Priests used them in worship at God's house.

10There were 30 gold bowls. There were 410 matching silver bowls. There were 1,000 other things too.

Thirty basons of gold, silver basons of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand.

11All the gold and silver things added up to 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought all of them along. He went with the people who traveled home from Babylon to Jerusalem.

All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem.

NoteBabylon was the faraway city where the people had been kept. Now they were finally going home.

7They paid money to the stone workers and to craftsmen, people who make things with their hands. They gave food, drink, and olive oil to the men of Sidon and Tyre. Those men were to bring cedar logs down from Lebanon. The logs would come by sea to the town of Joppa. King Cyrus of Persia had given them permission to do this.

They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia.

NoteSidon and Tyre were busy towns by the sea. Cedar trees are very tall, with strong sweet-smelling wood. They grew far away in the hills of Lebanon. Joppa was a harbor town where ships came in. Cyrus was the king who let these people go home.

8They had come back to God's house in Jerusalem. In the second month of the next year, the work began. Zerubbabel, Jeshua, the priests, the Levites, and all who came home started it. Levites were men who helped the priests with temple work. They chose Levites who were twenty years old or older. These men would watch over the building work.

Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the LORD.

NoteLevites came from one family group of Israel. Their job was helping the priests at God's house. They carried things, sang, and kept the building in order.

9So Jeshua worked with his sons and his brothers. Kadmiel and his sons worked with them. The sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers helped too. All of them were Levites. Together they watched over the workers on God's house.

Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites.

10The builders laid the base of the temple. Then the priests put on their special clothes and took up trumpets. The Levites, the sons of Asaph, took up cymbals. Cymbals are round metal plates you clap together. They all stood ready to praise the LORD. They did it the way King David had told them long ago.

And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel.

NoteThe priests wore special clothes made just for temple work. Asaph had led the singing back in King David's day. His family kept doing that job for years and years. King David had made the plan for this music long before.

11They sang back and forth to each other, praising and thanking the LORD. They sang, "He is good. His faithful love for Israel lasts forever." Then all the people gave a huge shout of praise. They shouted because the base of the LORD's house was laid.

And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.

NoteSinging back and forth means one group sings, another answers. It is a bit like a song with two parts.

12Many older priests, Levites, and family leaders had seen the first temple. When they saw this new base, they cried out loud. But many other people shouted with joy.

But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:

NoteThe first temple was the beautiful one King Solomon built. Enemies had burned it down many years earlier. The old men remembered it and thought this one looked small. That memory made them cry.

13The noise was so loud that no one could tell the sounds apart. The happy shouts and the crying sounded like one big noise. People far away could hear it.

So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

1Some people nearby did not like Judah and Benjamin. They heard that the people who had come home from far away were building a temple. This one was for the LORD, the God of Israel.

Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel;

NoteA temple is a special building where people came to worship God. These people had been taken far away to another country. Now they were back home in their own land.

2So they came to Zerubbabel and to the leaders of the families. They said, "Let us build with you. We look for your God, just like you do. We have brought gifts to him ever since King Esarhaddon of Assyria brought us here."

Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.

NoteBringing gifts to God meant giving him animals and grain. Assyria was a strong country with a big army. Its kings moved whole groups of people away from their homes.

3But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other leaders of Israel said no. They said, "You have no part in building a house for our God. We will build it ourselves for the LORD, the God of Israel. King Cyrus of Persia told us to do it."

But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.

NoteCyrus was the king of Persia, a very large and powerful country. He was the one who let these people go home and build again.

4So the people of that land tried to stop them. They made the people of Judah lose heart and feel afraid to build.

Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,

Note"The people of that land" were folks living nearby. Some had moved in while the Jews were away. To "lose heart" means to feel too sad and tired to keep going.

5They paid officials to work against them and spoil their plans. They kept doing this all through the time of King Cyrus of Persia. It went on until Darius became king of Persia.

And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

NoteThey gave money to important men so they would speak against the builders. Kings listened to men like that. Cyrus and Darius were both kings of Persia, one after the other.

13"But in his first year as king, Cyrus king of Babylon gave an order. He said this house of God should be built again.

But in the first year of Cyrus the king of Babylon the same king Cyrus made a decree to build this house of God.

NoteLater on, Cyrus beat Babylon and became king of it too. When a king gave an order, it was written down and kept. Everyone had to obey it.

14"Nebuchadnezzar had taken the gold and silver dishes from God's house in Jerusalem. He had put them in the temple in Babylon. King Cyrus took them back out again. He gave them to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he made governor.

And the vessels also of gold and silver of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that was in Jerusalem, and brought them into the temple of Babylon, those did Cyrus the king take out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered unto one, whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor;

NoteThese gold and silver bowls and cups were used in worship at the temple. Nebuchadnezzar had put them in the house of his own god.

15"Cyrus said to him, "Take these bowls and cups. Carry them to the temple in Jerusalem. And let God's house be built again on the same spot."

And said unto him, Take these vessels, go, carry them into the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be builded in his place.

16"So Sheshbazzar came and laid the base of God's house in Jerusalem. From that time until now, people have been building it. But it is still not finished."

Then came the same Sheshbazzar, and laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem: and since that time even until now hath it been in building, and yet it is not finished.

NoteThe base of a building is called the foundation. It is the strong bottom part the rest sits on.

17"So now, if it pleases the king, please have someone look. Search the king's records kept in Babylon. See if King Cyrus really did give this order to build God's house in Jerusalem. Then send us word about what you decide."

Now therefore, if it seem 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 of Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter.

NoteKings kept their old orders written down and stored away. The room where they kept them was like a library.

1So King Darius gave an order. Workers searched the room in Babylon where old records were kept.

Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in the house of the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon.

NoteDarius was the king of Persia, a very large empire. Persia ruled Babylon and many other lands at this time. Kings kept written records of every order they gave.

2They found a scroll at Achmetha, a fort in the land of Media. This is what it said:

And there was found at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of the Medes, a roll, and therein was a record thus written:

NoteA scroll was a long sheet rolled up like a paper towel roll. People unrolled it to read it. Media was one of the lands the Persian kings ruled.

3In King Cyrus's first year, he gave an order about God's house in Jerusalem. He said to build it again as a place to offer sacrifices. Its base was to be laid strong. It was to be sixty cubits high and sixty cubits wide.

In the first year of Cyrus the king the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits;

NoteCyrus was the king of Persia before Darius. He was the one who first let the Jewish people go home. God's house means the temple. That was the one special building in Jerusalem where people worshiped God. A sacrifice was an animal given to God as a gift. A cubit was about as long as a grown-up's arm from elbow to fingers. That is about eighteen inches. Sixty cubits is about ninety feet, as tall as a big tree.

4It was to have three layers of big cut stones and one layer of new wood. The king's treasury would pay for it all.

With three rows of great stones, and a row of new timber: and let the expenses be given out of the king’s house:

NoteThe king's treasury was the room where he kept his gold and silver.

5Also, the gold and silver bowls from God's house must be returned. Nebuchadnezzar had taken them from Jerusalem to Babylon. Each one must go back to its own place in God's house.

And also let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which is at Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and brought again unto the temple which is at Jerusalem, every one to his place, and place them in the house of God.

NoteNebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon long before this. His army broke into Jerusalem and took the temple's gold and silver away.

24The LORD bought you back. He formed you before you were born. He says: I am the LORD. I made everything there is. I spread out the heavens by myself. I spread out the earth all alone.

Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;

25I ruin the signs that liars give. I make fortune tellers look foolish. I turn clever people around. I make their smart ideas silly.

That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish;

NoteFortune tellers said they could tell what would happen next. People paid them to hear it. They looked at stars and other signs for clues.

26I make my servant's words come true. I do what my messengers said I would do. I say about Jerusalem, "People will live there again." I say about the towns of Judah, "They will be built again. I will fix the broken places."

That confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof:

NoteGod's servant and messengers here are prophets. A prophet is someone who told people what God said. Jerusalem was the most important city of God's people. Judah was the land around it. An enemy army had knocked their towns down.

27I say to the deep water, "Dry up. I will dry up your rivers."

That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers:

NoteThe deep water means the sea and the big rivers. Nobody can push water around like that except God.

28I say about Cyrus, "He is my shepherd. He will do everything I want." He will say about Jerusalem, "It will be built again." He will say about the temple, "Lay its foundation."

That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.

NoteCyrus was a king far away in the land of Persia. Later he let God's people go home again. A shepherd takes care of sheep. Calling a king a shepherd meant he looked after people. The temple was God's special house in Jerusalem. A foundation is the flat base you build on.

1This is what the LORD says to Cyrus, the king he chose for a job. "I have held your right hand. I will help you win over nations. I will take the strength away from kings. I will open the doors ahead of you, and the gates will not be shut."

Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;

NoteCyrus was a king of Persia, a land far from Israel. He lived long after these words were first spoken. The King James calls him God's "anointed." Anointed meant oil was poured on a person's head. It was a sign that God had picked them for a job.

2"I will go ahead of you. I will make the rough places smooth. I will smash gates made of bronze. I will cut through bars made of iron."

I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:

NoteCities back then had tall walls all around them. The gates were heavy and locked with thick iron bars. Getting through the gates meant the city was won.

3"I will give you treasure hidden in dark and secret places. Then you will know that I am the LORD. I am the God of Israel, and I call you by your name."

And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.

NoteThe King James prints LORD in big letters. Those big letters stand for God's own special name.

4"I call you by name for the sake of my servant Jacob. Israel is the people I chose. I gave you a name of honor, even though you do not know me."

For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.

NoteJacob was a man who lived long before this time. God gave him a second name, Israel. His family grew into a whole people called Israel.

5"I am the LORD, and there is no other. There is no God but me. I make you strong for battle, even though you do not know me."

I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:

NoteThe King James says "I girded thee." To gird meant to tie your belt on tight. Soldiers did that before going into a fight.

6"Then people will know, from where the sun comes up to where it goes down. There is no God but me. I am the LORD, and there is no other."

That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.

7"I make the light, and I make the dark. I bring good times, and I bring hard times. I, the LORD, do all these things."

I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

NoteThe King James says God can "create evil." Here the old word evil means trouble or hard times. It does not mean doing something wicked.

8"Rain down, you heavens above. Let the sky pour down what is right. Let the ground open up so that saving help grows. Let goodness grow up with it. I, the LORD, have made this happen."

Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it.

NoteThis talks about goodness the way farmers talk about rain. Rain falls from the sky, and then plants push up.

9Trouble comes to anyone who argues with God, who made him. He is only one clay pot among many clay pots. Does the clay ask the potter, "What are you making?" Does the pot say, "You have no hands"?

Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?

NoteA potter makes bowls and jars out of soft clay. The clay cannot tell the potter what to make. The King James word "potsherd" means a broken piece of a pot.

10Trouble comes to the one who says to his father, "Why did you have a child?" Or who says to his mother, "Why did you give me birth?"

Woe unto him that saith unto his father, What begettest thou? or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth?

11This is what the LORD says. He is the Holy One of Israel, and he made them. "How can you question me about my children? How can you tell me what to do with the things my hands have made?"

Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.

Note"The Holy One of Israel" is a name for God. Holy means completely good and set apart from everything else.

12"I made the earth. I made people to live on it. My own hands spread out the heavens. I gave orders to all the stars."

I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.

NoteThe King James says "all their host." A host meant a huge crowd, like an army. Here it means all the stars in the sky.

13"I will raise up Cyrus. What I do is right. I will make all his paths straight. He will build my city again. He will set my captured people free. He will not do it for money or a prize," says the LORD, who rules over all the armies of heaven.

I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts.

NoteGod's city means Jerusalem, where his temple stood. Enemies had knocked it down years before. They marched many Israelites far away to a land called Babylon. Those people were still there, waiting to go home. The King James calls God "the LORD of hosts." That means he leads armies too big to count.