Rebuilding The Temple
That the promise made by Jehovah through the mouth of Jeremiah might be
fulfilled, Jehovah influenced Cyrus, king of Persia, in the first year
of his reign to make this written law throughout all his kingdom, "Thus
commands Cyrus, king of Persia: 'Jehovah, the God of heaven, has given
me all the kingdoms of the earth and has charged me to build him a
temple in Jerusalem in Judah. Whoever among you of all his people wishes
Judah, and rebuild the temple of Jehovah, the God of Israel. (He is the
God who lives at Jerusalem.) In every place where any who are left of
Jehovah's people now live, let the men of that place help with silver,
with gold, with goods, and with animals, in addition to the offering
each man wishes to give for the house of God at Jerusalem.'"
Then the heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin and the priests
and the Levites, including all whom God had influenced to build the
temple of Jehovah at Jerusalem, started to return. And all their
neighbors supplied them with silver, with gold, with goods, with
animals, and with precious things in addition to all that each man
wished to give.
Cyrus, king of Persia, had the vessels of the temple of Jehovah, which
Nebuchadrezzar had carried from Jerusalem, brought out under the
direction of Mithredath, the treasurer, and given to Sheshbazzar, the
prince of Judah; and he carried them to Jerusalem, with the people who
returned from captivity in Babylon. And Jehovah commanded them, through
Haggai, the prophet, "Go up to the mountains and bring wood and rebuild
the temple, then I will be pleased with it and I will show my glory."
Then Zerubbabel and Joshua, the high priest, with all the rest of the
people obeyed the command of Jehovah their God; and they came and worked
on the temple of Jehovah their God. They finished the building as the
God of Israel commanded.
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