Ezra Chapter 1
Showing all 11 verses for Ezra Chapter 1.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, "
"In the first year Cyrus ruled Persia, the LORD acted to fulfil the promise he had made through the prophet Jeremiah: he stirred Cyrus's heart so that Cyrus sent out a proclamation across his whole empire, and also put it in writing."
Notice how often the doors that open in your life come from directions you never expected - a stranger's decision, a policy change, a conversation with someone who doesn't share your outlook at all. Don't wait for help to arrive wrapped in familiar packaging. Stay awake to the unlikely ways your circumstances can turn, because I work through more hands than you'd guess.
"Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. "
"Cyrus king of Persia declared: "The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has personally appointed me to build him a house in Jerusalem, in Judah.""
I don't need you to have all the right words or beliefs sorted out before your life can be used for something good. Cyrus didn't know the fuller story, yet his one decision changed the future for thousands of homesick people. Do the good that's right in front of you - understanding can catch up later.
"Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem. "
""Whoever among you belongs to his people - may his God be with him - let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is there.""
Freedom is being offered to you, but you still have to walk through the door yourself. I never force anyone towards healing or home - I open the way and invite the first step, even when the easier, safer option is to stay exactly where you are.
"And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem. "
""And whoever is left behind in any place where he's living, let the people of that place support him with silver, gold, supplies and livestock, on top of a freewill offering for the house of God in Jerusalem.""
Generosity towards someone else's fresh start costs you something and gains you nothing visible in return - and that's exactly what makes it valuable. When you help someone rebuild a life you'll never live in, you're practising the kind of love that expects nothing back.
"Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem. "
"Then the family leaders of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites - everyone whose spirit God had stirred - got up to go and rebuild the LORD's house in Jerusalem."
I'm less interested in whether the door is open than in whether something in you is genuinely ready to walk through it. Don't force yourself into a fresh start you don't actually want, and don't ignore one your heart is already leaning towards.
"And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, beside all that was willingly offered. "
"And everyone around them strengthened their hands with articles of silver, gold, supplies, livestock and valuables, in addition to everything freely given."
Be someone who strengthens other people's hands rather than just admiring their courage from a safe distance. When you see someone attempting something good and difficult, ask what practical thing you can put into their hands to make it lighter.
"Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods; "
"King Cyrus also brought out the articles belonging to the LORD's house, the ones Nebuchadnezzar had carried off from Jerusalem and placed in the temple of his own gods."
Whatever's been taken from you and put on display as proof that you lost - a relationship, a reputation, a dream - I'm not finished with that story yet. Don't mistake a long delay for a permanent verdict.
"Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. "
"Cyrus had them brought out by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah."
Doing the right thing well includes doing it carefully - keeping honest records, being accountable for what passes through your hands. Integrity isn't only about big gestures; it shows up in whether the details can bear scrutiny.
"And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives, "
"And this was the count of them: thirty gold dishes, a thousand silver dishes, twenty-nine knives,"
Faithfulness often looks like careful bookkeeping rather than grand speeches. Handle what's entrusted to you - money, time, someone's trust - with the kind of precision that could stand up if anyone ever asked you to account for it.
"Thirty basons of gold, silver basons of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand. "
"Thirty gold basins, four hundred and ten silver basins of a second kind, and a thousand other articles."
There's dignity in getting the small, unglamorous details right when you're rebuilding something that matters. Don't despise the boring parts of a good work - they're often what makes the whole thing trustworthy.
"All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem. "
"All the articles of gold and silver totalled five thousand four hundred. Sheshbazzar brought all of these up with the exiles who returned from Babylon to Jerusalem."
Finishing what you start matters. It's one thing to be moved to act and quite another to see the whole thing through to the destination. Let today's stirred intention become tomorrow's completed journey.