It read: &#8220;This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: &#8216;The <sc>Lordsc> God of the heavens has given to me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build for him a temple in Jerusalem<n id="1" /> in Judah. May the <sc>Lordsc> your God energize you who belong to his people, so you may be able to go back there!&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;Thus says King Cyrus of Persia:p> <p class="bodytext">&#8220;&#8216;The <sc>Lordsc> God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has instructed me to build a temple<n id="1" /> for him in Jerusalem,<n id="2" /> which is in Judah.

Anyone from<n id="1" /> his people among you (may his God be with him!) may go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and may build the temple of the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel &#8211; he is the God who is in Jerusalem.

Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak<n id="1" /> and his priestly colleagues<n id="2" /> and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his colleagues<n id="3" /> started to build<n id="4" /> the altar of the God of Israel so they could offer burnt offerings on it as required by<n id="5" /> the law of Moses the man of God.

But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the leaders of Israel said to them, &#8220;You have no right<n id="1" /> to help us build the temple of our God. We will build it by ourselves for the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel, just as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.&#8221;

They observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with joy, for the <sc>Lordsc> had given them joy and had changed the opinion<n id="1" /> of the king of Assyria<n id="2" /> toward them, so that he assisted<n id="3" /> them in the work on the temple of God, the God of Israel.p>

This Ezra is the one who came up from Babylon. He was a scribe who was skilled in the law of Moses which the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel had given. The king supplied him with everything he requested, for the hand of the <sc>Lordsc> his God was on him.

He has also conferred his favor on me before the king, his advisers, and all the influential leaders of the king. I gained strength as the hand of the <sc>Lordsc> my God was on me, and I gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me.p>

O <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel, you are righteous, for we are left as a remnant this day. Indeed, we stand before you in our guilt. However, because of this guilt<n id="1" /> no one can really stand before you.&#8221;p>

and a letter for Asaph the keeper of the king&#8217;s nature preserve,<n id="1" /> so that he will give me timber for beams for the gates of the fortress adjacent to the temple and for the city wall<n id="2" /> and for the house to which I go.&#8221; So the king granted me these requests,<n id="3" /> for the good hand of my God was on me.

I got up during the night, along with a few men who were with me. But I did not tell anyone what my God was putting on my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no animals with me, except for the one<n id="1" /> I was riding.

Then I related to them how the good hand of my God was on me and what<n id="1" /> the king had said to me. Then they replied, &#8220;Let&#8217;s begin rebuilding right away!&#8221;<n id="2" /> So they readied themselves<n id="3" /> for this good project.

I responded to them by saying, &#8220;The God of heaven will prosper us. We his servants will start the rebuilding.<n id="1" /> But you have no just or ancient right in Jerusalem.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

My God placed it on my heart to gather the leaders,<n id="1" /> the officials, and the ordinary people so they could be enrolled on the basis of genealogy. I found the genealogical records<n id="2" /> of those who had formerly returned. Here is what I found written in that record:<n id="3" />p>

Then I directed the Levites to purify themselves and come and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.p> <p class="bodytext">For this please remember me, O my God, and have pity on me in keeping with your great love.p>

<p class="poetry">many peoples will come and say,p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Come, let us go up to the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s mountain,p> <p class="poetry">to the temple of the God of Jacob,p> <p class="poetry">so<n id="1" /> he can teach us his requirements,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and<n id="3" /> we can follow his standards.&#8221;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">For Zion will be the center for moral instruction;<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">the <sc>Lordsc> will issue edicts from Jerusalem.<n id="6" />p>

&#8220;O <sc>Lordsc> who commands armies, O God of Israel, who is enthroned on the cherubim!<n id="1" /> You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the sky<n id="2" /> and the earth.

<p class="bodytext">Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: &#8220;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel says: &#8216;Because you prayed to me concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria,<n id="1" />

&#8220;Go and tell Hezekiah: &#8216;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> God of your ancestor<n id="1" /> David says: &#8220;I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I will add fifteen years to your life,

<p class="bodytext">Because of that,<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc>, the God who rules over all,<n id="2" /> said to me,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Because these people have spoken<n id="4" /> like this,<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">I will make the words that I put in your mouth like fire.p> <p class="poetry">And I will make this people like woodp> <p class="poetry">which the fiery judgments you speak will burn up.&#8221;<n id="6" />p>