The Daily Audio Bible

End of the Babylonian Captivity

1 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord from the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of King Cyrus of Persia so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also in writing, saying:^(A)

² “Thus says King Cyrus of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.^{(B) 3} Let any of those among you who are of his people—may their God be with them!—go up to Jerusalem in Judah and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel; he is the God who is in Jerusalem.^{(C) 4} And let all survivors in whatever place they reside be assisted by the people of their place with silver and gold, with goods, and with livestock, besides freewill offerings for the house of God in Jerusalem.”

⁵ Then the heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites—everyone whose spirit God had stirred—got ready to go up and rebuild the house of the Lord in Jerusalem.^{(D) 6} All their neighbors aided them with silver vessels, with gold, with goods, with livestock, and with valuable gifts, besides all that was freely offered. ⁷ King Cyrus himself brought out the vessels of the house of the Lord that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the house of his gods.^{(E) 8} King Cyrus of Persia had them released into the charge of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.^{(F) 9} And this was the inventory: gold basins, thirty; silver basins, one thousand; knives,^[a] twenty-nine; ¹⁰ gold bowls, thirty; other silver bowls, four hundred ten; other vessels, one thousand; ¹¹ the total of the gold and silver vessels was five thousand four hundred. All these Sheshbazzar brought up when the exiles were brought up from Babylonia to Jerusalem.

List of the Returned Exiles

2 Now these are the people of the province who came from those captive exiles whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had carried captive to Babylon; they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, all to their own towns.^{(G) 2} They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.

The number of the Israelite people: ³ the descendants of Parosh, two thousand one hundred seventy-two. ⁴ Of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy-two. ⁵ Of Arah, seven hundred seventy-five.^{(H) 6} Of Pahath-moab, namely, the descendants of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred twelve.^{(I) 7} Of Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four. ⁸ Of Zattu, nine hundred forty-five. ⁹ Of Zaccai, seven hundred sixty. ¹⁰ Of Bani, six hundred forty-two. ¹¹ Of Bebai, six hundred twenty-three. ¹² Of Azgad, one thousand two hundred twenty-two. ¹³ Of Adonikam, six hundred sixty-six. ¹⁴ Of Bigvai, two thousand fifty-six. ¹⁵ Of Adin, four hundred fifty-four. ¹⁶ Of Ater, namely, of Hezekiah, ninety-eight.^{(J) 17} Of Bezai, three hundred twenty-three. ¹⁸ Of Jorah, one hundred twelve. ¹⁹ Of Hashum, two hundred twenty-three. ²⁰ Of Gibbar, ninety-five. ²¹ Of Bethlehem, one hundred twenty-three.^{(K) 22} The people of Netophah, fifty-six. ²³ Of Anathoth, one hundred twenty-eight. ²⁴ The descendants of Azmaveth, forty-two. ²⁵ Of Kiriatharim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred forty-three. ²⁶ Of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty-one. ²⁷ The people of Michmas, one hundred twenty-two. ²⁸ Of Bethel and Ai, two hundred twenty-three. ²⁹ The descendants of Nebo, fifty-two. ³⁰ Of Magbish, one hundred fifty-six. ³¹ Of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four.^{(L) 32} Of Harim, three hundred twenty. ³³ Of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty-five. ³⁴ Of Jericho, three hundred forty-five. ³⁵ Of Senaah, three thousand six hundred thirty.

³⁶ The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy-three.^{(M) 37} Of Immer, one thousand fifty-two. ³⁸ Of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred forty-seven.^{(N) 39} Of Harim, one thousand seventeen.^(O)

⁴⁰ The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the descendants of Hodaviah, seventy-four. ⁴¹ The singers: the descendants of Asaph, one hundred twenty-eight. ⁴² The descendants of the gatekeepers: of Shallum, of Ater, of Talmon, of Akkub, of Hatita, and of Shobai, in all one hundred thirty-nine.

⁴³ The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,^{(P) 44} Keros, Siaha, Padon, ⁴⁵ Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub, ⁴⁶ Hagab, Shamlai, Hanan, ⁴⁷ Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah, ⁴⁸ Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam,^{(Q) 49} Uzza, Paseah, Besai, ⁵⁰ Asnah, Meunim, Nephisim, ⁵¹ Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur, ⁵² Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha, ⁵³ Barkos, Sisera, Temah, ⁵⁴ Neziah, and Hatipha.

⁵⁵ The descendants of Solomon’s servants: Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda,^{(R) 56} Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel, ⁵⁷ Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth-hazzebaim, and Ami.

⁵⁸ All the temple servants and the descendants of Solomon’s servants were three hundred ninety-two.^(S)

⁵⁹ The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, though they could not prove their families or their descent, whether they belonged to Israel: ⁶⁰ the descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda, six hundred fifty-two. ⁶¹ Also, of the descendants of the priests: the descendants of Habaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai (who had married one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name).^{(T) 62} These looked for their entries in the genealogical records, but they were not found there, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean;^{(U) 63} the governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food until there should be a priest to consult Urim and Thummim.^(V)

⁶⁴ The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred sixty,^{(W) 65} besides their male and female servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty-seven, and they had two hundred male and female singers. ⁶⁶ They had seven hundred thirty-six horses, two hundred forty-five mules, ⁶⁷ four hundred thirty-five camels, and six thousand seven hundred twenty donkeys.

⁶⁸ As soon as they came to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, some of the heads of families made freewill offerings for the house of God, to erect it on its site. ⁶⁹ According to their resources they gave to the building fund sixty-one thousand darics of gold, five thousand minas of silver, and one hundred priestly robes.^(X)

⁷⁰ The priests, the Levites, and some of the people, as well as the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants, lived in their towns and all Israel in their towns.

Christ the Power and Wisdom of God

¹⁸ For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.^{(A) 19} For it is written,

²⁰ Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?^{(B) 21} For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of the proclamation, to save those who believe.^{(C) 22} For Jews ask for signs and Greeks desire wisdom, ²³ but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to gentiles,^{(D) 24} but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

²⁶ Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards,^[a] not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.^{(E) 27} But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;^{(F) 28} God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to abolish things that are, ²⁹ so that no one^[b] might boast in the presence of God.^{(G) 30} In contrast, God is why you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption,^{(H) 31} in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in^[c] the Lord.”^(I)

Proclaiming Christ Crucified

2 When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the testimony^[d] of God to you with superior speech or wisdom.^{(J) 2} For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. ³ And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. ⁴ My speech and my proclamation were made not with persuasive words of wisdom^[e] but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power,^{(K) 5} so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.