Ezr 1, Ezr 6, 7:12-26, Psa 149:2, 5-9, Rev 18:4-8, 20-19:7 | ESV | STEP | 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 , so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing :

1 ^aIn the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, ^bthat the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so ^cthat he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:

2 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and ^dhe has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel— ^ehe is the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”

5 Then rose up the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, ^feveryone whose spirit ^gGod had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem. 6 And all who were about them ^haided them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with costly wares, besides all that was freely offered. 7 ⁱCyrus the king also brought out the vessels of the house of the Lord that ^jNebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the house of his gods. 8 Cyrus king of Persia brought these out in the charge of ^kMithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to ^lSheshbazzar the prince of Judah. 9 And this was the number of them: ^m30 basins of gold, 1,000 basins of silver, 29 censers, 10 30 bowls of gold, 410 bowls of silver, and 1,000 other vessels; 11 all the vessels of gold and of silver were 5,400. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up, when the exiles were brought up from Babylonia to Jerusalem.

Ezra 6

The Decree of Darius

1 Then Darius the king made a decree, and ⁿsearch was made in Babylonia, in the house of the archives where the documents were stored. 2 And in Ecbatana, the citadel that is ^oin the province of Media, a scroll was found on which this was written: “A record. 3 In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king issued a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be rebuilt, the place where sacrifices were offered, and let its foundations be retained. Its height shall be sixty cubits ^{▼▼A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters} and its breadth sixty cubits, 4 ^qwith three layers of great stones and one layer of timber. Let the cost be paid from the royal treasury. 5 And also ^rlet the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that is in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and brought back to the temple that is in Jerusalem, each to its place. You shall put them in the house of God.”

6 “Now therefore, ^sTattenai, governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, ^tand your ^{▼▼Aramaic their} associates the governors who are in the province Beyond the River, keep away. 7 Let the work on this house of God alone. Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site. 8 Moreover, ^vI make a decree regarding what you shall do for these elders of the Jews for the rebuilding of this house of God. The cost is to be paid to these men in full and without delay from the royal revenue, the tribute of the province from Beyond the River. 9 And whatever is needed—bulls, rams, or sheep for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, or oil, as the priests at Jerusalem require—let that be given to them day by day without fail, 10 that they may offer pleasing sacrifices to the God of heaven ^wand pray for the life of the king and his sons. 11 Also I make a decree that if anyone alters this edict, a beam shall be pulled out of his house, and he shall be impaled on it, and ^xhis house shall be made a dunghill. 12 May the God ^ywho has caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who shall put out a hand to alter this, or to destroy this house of God that is in Jerusalem. I Darius make a decree; let it be done with all diligence.”

The Temple Finished and Dedicated

13 Then, according to the word sent by Darius the king, ^zTattenai, the governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates did with all diligence what Darius the king had ordered. 14 ^aaAnd the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and ^abby decree of Cyrus and ^acDarius and ^adArtaxerxes king of Persia; 15 and this house was finished on the third day of the ^aemonth of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

16 And the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the ^afdedication of this house of God with joy. 17 They offered at the dedication of this house of God 100 bulls, 200 rams, 400 lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel ^ag12 male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. 18 And they set the priests ^ahin their divisions and the Levites ^aiin their divisions, for the service of God at Jerusalem, ^ajas it is written in the Book of Moses.

Passover Celebrated

19 ^akOn the fourteenth day of the first month, the returned exiles kept the Passover. 20 ^alFor the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were clean. ^amSo they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves. 21 It was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile, and ^analso by every one who had joined them and separated himself ^aofrom the uncleanness of the peoples of the land to worship the Lord, the God of Israel. 22 And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread ^apseven days with joy, for the Lord had made them joyful ^aqand had turned the heart of ^arthe king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

Ezra 7:12-26

12 “Artaxerxes, ^asking of kings, to Ezra the priest, the ^atscribe of the Law of the God of heaven. Peace. ^{▼▼Aramaic Perfect (probably a greeting)} ^avAnd now 13 ^awI make a decree that anyone of the people of Israel or their priests or Levites in my kingdom, who freely offers to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. 14 For you are sent by the king ^axand his seven counselors to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which is in your hand, 15 and also to carry the silver and gold that the king ^ayand his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, ^azwhose dwelling is in Jerusalem, 16 ^bawith all the silver and gold that you shall find in the whole province of Babylonia, and ^bbwith the freewill offerings of the people and the priests, vowed willingly for the house of their God that is in Jerusalem. 17 With this money, then, you shall with all diligence buy bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and ^bcyou shall offer them on the altar of the house of your God that is in Jerusalem. 18 Whatever seems good to you and your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do, according to the will of your God. 19 The vessels that have been given you for the service of the house of your God, you shall deliver before the God of Jerusalem. 20 And whatever else is required for the house of your God, which it falls to you to provide, you may provide it out of the king’s treasury.

21 “And I, Artaxerxes the king, make a decree to all the treasurers in the province Beyond the River: Whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, requires of you, let it be done with all diligence, 22 up to 100 talents ^{▼▼A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms} of silver, 100 cors ^{▼▼A cor was about 6 bushels or 220 liters} of wheat, 100 baths ^{▼▼A bath was about 6 gallons or 22 liters} of wine, 100 baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much. 23 Whatever is decreed by the God of heaven, let it be done in full for the house of the God of heaven, lest his wrath be against the realm of the king and his sons. 24 We also notify you that it shall not be lawful to impose ^bgtribute, custom, or toll on anyone of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the doorkeepers, the temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.

25 “And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, ^bhappoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God. ^biAnd those who do not know them, you shall teach. 26 Whoever will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be strictly executed on him, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of his goods or for imprisonment.”

Psalms 149:2

2 Let Israel ^bjbe glad in ^bkhis Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their ^blKing!

Psalms 149:5-9

5 Let the godly exult in glory;
let them ^bmsing for joy on their ^bnbeds.
6 Let ^bothe high praises of God be in their throats
and ^bptwo-edged swords in their hands,
7 to execute vengeance on the nations
and punishments on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with ^bqchains
and their nobles with fetters of iron,
9 to execute on them the judgment ^brwritten!
^bsThis is honor for all his godly ones.
^btPraise the Lord!

Revelation of John 18:4-8

4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,

^bu“Come out of her, my people,
lest you take part in her sins,
lest you share in her plagues;
5 for ^bvher sins are heaped high as heaven,
and ^bwGod has remembered her iniquities.
6 ^bxPay her back as she herself has paid back others,
and repay her ^bydouble for her deeds;
mix a double portion for her ^bzin the cup she mixed.
7 ^caAs she glorified herself and lived in luxury,
so give her a like measure of torment and mourning,
since in her heart she says,
^cb‘I sit as a queen,
I am no widow,
and mourning I shall never see.’
8 For this reason her plagues will come ^ccin a single day,
death and mourning and famine,
and ^cdshe will be burned up with fire;
for ^cemighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”

Revelation of John 18:20-24

20 ^cfRejoice over her, O heaven,
and you saints and ^cgapostles and prophets,
for ^chGod has given judgment for you against her!”
21 Then ^cia mighty angel ^cjtook up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,

“So will Babylon ^ckthe great city be thrown down with violence,
and will be found no more;
22 and ^clthe sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters,
will be heard in you no more,
and a craftsman of any craft
will be found in you no more,
and ^cmthe sound of the mill
will be heard in you no more,
23 and the light of a lamp
will shine in you no more,
and ^cnthe voice of bridegroom and bride
will be heard in you no more,
for ^coyour merchants were the great ones of the earth,
and all nations were deceived ^cpby your sorcery.
24 And ^cqin her was found the blood of prophets and of saints,
and of ^crall who have been slain on earth.”

Revelation of John 19:1-7

Rejoicing in Heaven

1 After this I heard ^cswhat seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,

“Hallelujah!
^ctSalvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2 for ^cuhis judgments are true and just;
for he has judged ^cvthe great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her immorality,
and ^cwhas avenged on her the blood of his servants.” ^{▼▼Greek bondservants; also verse 5}
3 Once more they cried out,

“Hallelujah!
^cyThe smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”
4 And ^czthe twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” 5 And from the throne came a voice saying,

^da“Praise our God,
all you his servants,
^dbyou who fear him,
small and great.”

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

6 Then I heard what seemed to be ^dcthe voice of a great multitude, like ^ddthe roar of many waters and ^delike the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty ^dfreigns.
7 Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for ^dgthe marriage of the Lamb has come,
and ^dhhis Bride has made herself ready;