God's Sovereignty (Ezra 1-2)

God is Sovereign. He is the King of His own Universe and is gloriously unstoppable in fulfilling His own purposes. He fulfills every word and promise He speaks. He changes the hearts of people so they more fully align with His great purposes. Is this the God you worship? And have you gone all-in on His good purposes for you?

1 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD roused the spirit 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. 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, the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 Let every survivor, 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.”

5 So the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites ​— ​everyone whose spirit God had roused ​— ​prepared to go up and rebuild the LORD’s house in Jerusalem. 6 All their neighbors supported them[fn] 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. 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. 9 This was the inventory:

30 gold basins, 1,000 silver basins,

29 silver knives, 10 30 gold bowls,

410 various[fn] 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 These now are the people of the province who came from those captive exiles King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon[fn] had deported to Babylon. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town. 2 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.

The number of the Israelite men included[fn]

3 Parosh’s descendants2,172

4 Shephatiah’s descendants372

5 Arah’s descendants775

6 Pahath-moab’s descendants:

Jeshua’s and Joab’s descendants2,812

7 Elam’s descendants1,254

8 Zattu’s descendants945

9 Zaccai’s descendants760

10 Bani’s descendants642

11 Bebai’s descendants623

12 Azgad’s descendants1,222

13 Adonikam’s descendants666

14 Bigvai’s descendants2,056

15 Adin’s descendants454

16 Ater’s descendants: of Hezekiah98

17 Bezai’s descendants323

18 Jorah’s descendants112

19 Hashum’s descendants223

20 Gibbar’s descendants95

21 Bethlehem’s people123

22 Netophah’s men56

23 Anathoth’s men128

24 Azmaveth’s people42

25 Kiriatharim’s, Chephirah’s, and Beeroth’s people743

26 Ramah’s and Geba’s people621

27 Michmas’s men122

28 Bethel’s and Ai’s men223

29 Nebo’s people52

30 Magbish’s people156

31 the other Elam’s people1,254

32 Harim’s people320

33 Lod’s, Hadid’s, and Ono’s people725

34 Jericho’s people345

35 Senaah’s people3,630

36 The priests included

Jedaiah’s descendants of the house of Jeshua973

37 Immer’s descendants1,052

38 Pashhur’s descendants1,247

39 and Harim’s descendants1,017

40 The Levites included

Jeshua’s and Kadmiel’s descendants

from Hodaviah’s descendants74

41 The singers included

Asaph’s descendants128

42 The gatekeepers’ descendants included

Shallum’s descendants, Ater’s descendants,

Talmon’s descendants, Akkub’s descendants,

Hatita’s descendants, Shobai’s descendants, in all139

43 The temple servants included

Ziha’s descendants, Hasupha’s descendants,

Tabbaoth’s descendants, 44 Keros’s descendants,

Siaha’s descendants, Padon’s descendants,

45 Lebanah’s descendants, Hagabah’s descendants,

Akkub’s descendants, 46 Hagab’s descendants,

Shalmai’s[fn] descendants, Hanan’s descendants,

47 Giddel’s descendants, Gahar’s descendants,

Reaiah’s descendants, 48 Rezin’s descendants,

Nekoda’s descendants, Gazzam’s descendants,

49 Uzza’s descendants, Paseah’s descendants,

Besai’s descendants, 50 Asnah’s descendants,

Meunim’s[fn] descendants, Nephusim’s[fn] descendants,

51 Bakbuk’s descendants, Hakupha’s descendants,

Harhur’s descendants, 52 Bazluth’s descendants,

Mehida’s descendants, Harsha’s descendants,

53 Barkos’s descendants, Sisera’s descendants,

Temah’s descendants, 54 Neziah’s descendants,

and Hatipha’s descendants.

55 The descendants of Solomon’s servants included

Sotai’s descendants, Hassophereth’s descendants,

Peruda’s descendants, 56 Jaalah’s descendants,

Darkon’s descendants, Giddel’s descendants,

57 Shephatiah’s descendants, Hattil’s descendants,

Pochereth-hazzebaim’s descendants, and Ami’s descendants.

58 All the temple servants

and the descendants of Solomon’s servants392.

59 The following are those who came from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer but were unable to prove that their ancestral families[fn] and their lineage were Israelite:

60 Delaiah’s descendants,

Tobiah’s descendants,

Nekoda’s descendants652

61 and from the descendants of the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, the descendants of Barzillai ​— ​who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and who bore their name. 62 These searched for their entries in the genealogical records, but they could not be found, so they were disqualified from the priesthood. 63 The governor ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest who could consult the Urim and Thummim.

64 The whole combined assembly numbered42,360

65 not including their 7,337 male and female servants,

and their 200 male and female singers.

66 They had 736 horses, 245 mules,

67 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

68 After they arrived at the LORD’s house in Jerusalem, some of the family heads gave freewill offerings for the house of God in order to have it rebuilt on its original site. 69 Based on what they could give, they gave 61,000 gold coins,[fn] 6,250 pounds[fn] of silver, and 100 priestly garments to the treasury for the project. 70 The priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants, and some of the people settled in their towns, and the rest of Israel settled in their towns.