And in the first year of Cyrus king of the Persians, so that the word of the Lord from the mouth of Jeremiah might be completed, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of the Persians, and he sent out a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also in writing, saying:
Thus said Cyrus king of the Persians: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he himself has visited me, to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judea.
Whoever among you is of all his people — and may his God be with him — let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judea, and let him build the house of the God of Israel; he is the God who is in Jerusalem.
And as for everyone who is left, from all the places where he sojourns, let the men of his place support him with silver and gold and goods and cattle, together with the freewill offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.
Then the heads of families of Judah and Benjamin rose up, and the priests and the Levites, all those whose spirit God had stirred up, to go up to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem.
And all those round about strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with cattle, and with gifts, besides what was given as freewill offerings.
And Cyrus the king brought out the vessels of the house of the Lord, which Nabouchodonosor had taken from Jerusalem and had put in the house of his god.