Ezra 1 - 2 - Legacy Standard Bible

Ezra 1 - 2

The Proclamation of Cyrus

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—in order to complete the word of Yahweh from the mouth of Jeremiah—Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he had a proclamation pass throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying: 2

“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia,

‘Yahweh, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him! Let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah and rebuild the house of Yahweh, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem.

So everyone who remains, at whatever place he may sojourn, let the men of that place support him with silver and gold, with goods and cattle, together with a freewill offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.’”

Articles from Yahweh’s House Brought to Jerusalem

5 Then the heads of fathers’ households of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites arose, that is of everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of Yahweh which is in Jerusalem. 6 All those around them strengthened them with articles of silver, with gold, with possessions, with cattle, and with precious things, aside from all that was given as a freewill offering. 7 Also King Cyrus brought out the articles of the house of Yahweh, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought out from Jerusalem and put in the house of his gods; 8 and Cyrus, king of Persia, had them brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and he counted them out to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. 9 Now this was their number: 30 gold dishes, 1,000 silver dishes, 29 duplicates; 10 30 gold bowls, 410 silver bowls of a second kind and 1,000 other articles. 11 All the articles of gold and silver numbered 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

The Exiles Who Returned

Now these are the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had taken away into exile to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his city. 2 These came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel: 3

the sons of Parosh, 2,172;

the sons of Shephatiah, 372;

the sons of Arah, 775;

the sons of Pahath-moab of the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,812;

the sons of Elam, 1,254;

the sons of Zattu, 945;

the sons of Zaccai, 760;

the sons of Bani, 642;

the sons of Bebai, 623;

the sons of Azgad, 1,222;

the sons of Adonikam, 666;

the sons of Bigvai, 2,056;

the sons of Adin, 454;

the sons of Ater of Hezekiah, 98;

the sons of Bezai, 323;

the sons of Jorah, 112;

the sons of Hashum, 223;

the sons of Gibbar, 95;

the sons of Bethlehem, 123;

the men of Netophah, 56;

the men of Anathoth, 128;

the sons of Azmaveth, 42;

the sons of Kiriath-arim, Chephirah and Beeroth, 743;

the sons of Ramah and Geba, 621;

the men of Michmas, 122;

the men of Bethel and Ai, 223;

the sons of Nebo, 52;

the sons of Magbish, 156;

the sons of the other Elam, 1,254;

the sons of Harim, 320;

the sons of Lod, Hadid and Ono, 725;

the men of Jericho, 345;

the sons of Senaah, 3,630.

36 The priests:

the sons of Jedaiah of the house of Jeshua, 973;

the sons of Immer, 1,052;

the sons of Pashhur, 1,247;

the sons of Harim, 1,017.

40 The Levites:

the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodaviah, 74.

41 The singers:

the sons of Asaph, 128.

42 The sons of the gatekeepers:

the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, in all 139.

43 The temple servants:

the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,

the sons of Keros, the sons of Siaha, the sons of Padon,

the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Akkub,

the sons of Hagab, the sons of Shalmai, the sons of Hanan,

the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah,

the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of Gazzam,

the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai,

the sons of Asnah, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephisim,

the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur,

the sons of Bazluth, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha,

the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah,

the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.

55 The sons of Solomon’s servants:

the sons of Sotai, the sons of Hassophereth, the sons of Peruda,

the sons of Jaalah, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel,

the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the sons of Ami.

58 All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392. 59 Now these are those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, but they were not able to declare their fathers’ households and their fathers’ seed, whether they were of Israel: 60 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, 652. 61 Of the sons of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai, who took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and he was called by their name. 62 These searched in their genealogical records, but they could not be found; therefore they were considered unclean and excluded from the priesthood. 63 The governor said to them that they should not eat from the most holy things until a priest stood with Urim and Thummim. 64

The whole assembly together was 42,360,

besides their male and female slaves of whom there were 7,337;

and they had 200 male and female singers.

Their horses were 736; their mules, 245;

their camels, 435; their donkeys, 6,720.

68 Some of the heads of fathers’ households, when they arrived at the house of Yahweh which is in Jerusalem, gave a freewill offering for the house of God to restore it on its foundation. 69 According to their ability, they gave to the treasury for the work 61,000 gold drachmas and 5,000 silver minas and 100 priestly tunics. 70 So the priests and the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.

1 John 3 - 4

Children of God, Love One Another

See how great a love the Father has given to us, that we would be called children of God; and we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not been manifested as yet what we will be. We know that when He is manifested, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 4 Everyone who does sin also does lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He was manifested in order to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or has come to know Him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. The one who does righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 The one who does sin is of the devil, because the devil sins from the beginning. The Son of God was manifested for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Everyone who has been born of God does not sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifested: everyone who does not do righteousness is not of God, as well as the one who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; 12 not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous. 13 Do not marvel, brothers, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. The one who does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 By this we have known love, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. 19 And by this we will know that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him 20 in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. 23 And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He gave a commandment to us. 24 And the one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He gave us.

Test the Spirits

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. 4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are from God. The one who knows God hears us; the one who is not from God does not hear us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

God Is Love

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14 We have beheld and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has in us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this, love has been perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as He is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 19 We love, because He first loved us. 20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

Proverbs 28

The wicked flee when there is no one pursuing,

But the righteous are secure as a lion.

By the transgression of a land many are its princes,

But by a man who understands, who knows, so it endures.

A poor man who oppresses the lowly

Is a driving rain which leaves no food.

Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,

But those who keep the law strive with them.

Evil men do not understand justice,

But those who seek Yahweh understand all things.

Better is the poor who walks in his integrity

Than he who is crooked—double dealing—though he be rich.

He who observes the law is a son who understands,

But he who befriends gluttons humiliates his father.

He who increases his wealth by interest and usury

Gathers it for him who is gracious to the lowly.

He who turns away his ear from listening to the law,

Even his prayer is an abomination.

He who leads the upright astray in an evil way

Will himself fall into his own pit,

But the blameless will inherit good.

The rich man is wise in his own eyes,

But the lowly who understands searches him.

When the righteous exult, there is great honor,

But when the wicked rise, man has to be sought out.

He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,

But he who confesses and forsakes them will receive compassion.

How blessed is the man who is always in dread,

But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

Like a roaring lion and a rushing bear

Is a wicked ruler over a poor people.

A leader who lacks discernment abounds in oppressions,

But he who hates greedy gain will prolong his days.

A man oppressed with the bloodguilt of life

Will flee until death; let no one uphold him.

He who walks blamelessly will be saved,

But he who is crooked—double dealing—will fall all at once.

He who cultivates his ground will be satisfied with food,

But he who pursues empty things will be satisfied with poverty.

A faithful man will abound with blessings,

But he who makes haste to be rich will not go unpunished.

To show partiality is not good,

Even for a piece of bread a man will transgress.

A man with an evil eye hurries after wealth

And does not know that want will come upon him.

He who reproves a man will afterward find more favor

Than he who flatters with the tongue.

He who robs his father or his mother

And says, “It is not a transgression,”

Is the companion of a man who destroys.

An arrogant man stirs up strife,

But he who trusts in Yahweh will be enriched.

He who trusts in his own heart is a fool,

But he who walks wisely will escape.

He who gives to the poor will never want,

But he who shuts his eyes will have many curses.

When the wicked rise, men hide themselves;

But when they perish, the righteous increase.