EZRA 1

CYRUS DECREES FOR THE EXILES TO RETURN TO JERUSALEM

Cyrus, the King over Persia, is stirred by God’s spirit and decrees that God’s people, the exiles taken captive by Babylon, are to return to Jerusalem and begin rebuilding their temple. The prophet Jeremiah foretold this event, knowing that God would bring His people back to their given land (Jeremiah 25).

The families from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, as well as the priests and Levites, prepare to rebuild Jerusalem. Many of the sacred items plundered by the previous Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar are returned to Jerusalem to be placed within the temple. Along with these artifacts, Cyrus instructs the Persian people to give valuable gifts to those who were exiled to aid the Israelites in re-establishing themselves in their homeland.