1 No primeiro ano do rei Ciro, da Pérsia, o Senhor despertou o espírito deste rei, levando-o a fazer a seguinte proclamação, através de todo o reino, a qual mandou também pôr por escrito:
2 Todos os reinos da terra me foram dados pelo Senhor Deus dos céus, que me deu instruções para que lhe construísse um templo em Jerusalém, na terra de Judá. Todos os que são seu povo devem regressar a Israel, para dar cumprimento a essa tarefa, e o Senhor será com eles. Aqueles, de entre os judeus, que não partirem, deverão contribuir para as despesas dos que forem a Jerusalém, fornecendo-lhes também vestuário, meios de transporte e mantimento para a viagem, além de uma oferta voluntária para o templo.
5 Deus suscitou entre os chefes das tribos de Judá e de Benjamim, e entre os sacerdotes e levitas, um grande movimento de consagração no sentido de regressarem a Jerusalém e de começarem logo a reconstrução do templo.
6 Os outros que optaram por ficar deram-lhes tudo o que puderam, em prata, ouro, roupa, gado, e outras coisas de valor.
7 O próprio rei Ciro devolveu as taças de ouro e outros objectos valiosos que Nabucodonozor levara do templo em Jerusalém e depositara no templo dos seus deuses. Nesse sentido deu ordens a Mitredate, o tesoureiro do império, para que tais objectos fossem entregues a Sesbazar, o líder de todo o movimento de retorno a Judá.
9 É esta a lista daquilo que Ciro devolveu: 1.000 salvas de ouro,1.000 salvas de prata,29 incensários,30 bacias de ouro maciço,2.410 bacias de prata, para várias funções,1.000 outros objectos diversos.
11 Foram ao todo cinco mil quatrocentos e sessenta e nove objectos de ouro e de prata entregues a Sesbazar para que os levasse a Jerusalém.
1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and [put it] also in writing, saying,
2 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth has Yahweh, the God of heaven, given me; and he has charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
3 Whoever there is 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 Yahweh, the God of Israel (he is God), which is in Jerusalem.
4 And whoever is left, in any place where he sojourns, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, besides the freewill-offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.
5 Then the heads of fathers' [houses] of Judah and Benjamin rose up, and the priests, and the Levites, even all whose spirit God had stirred to go up to build the house of Yahweh which is in Jerusalem.
6 And all those who were round about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered.
7 Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of Yahweh, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put in the house of his gods;
8 even those Cyrus king of Persia brought forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.
9 And this is the number of them: thirty platters of gold, a thousand platters of silver, nine and twenty altered,
10 thirty bowls of gold, spare silver bowls four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand.
11 All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these Sheshbazzar had brought up, when those of the captivity were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem.