1 The proclamation of Cyrus for the building of the temple. 5 The people provide for their return. 7 Cyrus restoreth the vessels of the temple to Sheshbazzar.

OW 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,

2 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.

3 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.

4 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.

5¶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. 6 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.

821

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EZRA I-CYRUS RESTORES THE VESSELS

7¶ 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;

8 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.

9 And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives,

10 Thirty basons of gold, silver basons of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand.

11 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.

Chapter 2

1 The number that return of the people. 36 of the priests, 40 of the Levites, 43 of the Nethinims, 55 of Solomon's servants, 62 of the priests which could not shew their pedigree. 64 The whole number of them, with their substance. 68 Their oblations.

JOW these are the children of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city;

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2 Which came with Zerubbabel: Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mizpar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:

3 The children of Parosh, two thousand an hundred seventy and

two.

4 The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy and two. 5 The children of Arah, seven hundred seventy and five.

6 The children of Pahath-moab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and twelve.

7 The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four. 8 The children of Zattu, nine hundred forty and five.

9 The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and threescore.

10 The children of Bani, six hundred forty and two.

11 The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty and three.

12 The children of Azgad, a thousand two hundred twenty and two. 13 The children of Adonikam, six hundred sixty and six. 14 The children of Bigvai, two thousand fifty and six. 15 The children of Adin, four hundred fifty and four. 16 The children of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety and eight. 17 The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and three.

Sheshbazzar has been identified with Zerubbabel; more probably he was the latter's uncle. Revised Version places a comma after "up." and continues, "when they of the captivity were" etc. that follows is the same as that given in Nehemiah 7.

The

The list

Elijah

BY JOHN S. SARGENT, THE NOTED AMERICAN ARTIST,

FROM THE FRIEZE IN THE BOSTON LIBRARY.

FROM THE SERIES OF COPLEY PRINTS

PUB. BY CURTIS AND CAMERON.

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“Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead."-I. Kings, 17, 1.

A

T LENGTH God, in pity over the sin and shame of the northern kingdom of Israel, sent a very great prophet, Elijah, to save the people, if they could be saved. Elijah ranks next to Moses among the mighty prophets of the Old Testament, a strange, wild figure of a man, often compared to John the Baptist, in that he was a dweller of the wilderness, garbed only in a shaggy coat of skins, girded with a belt of leather.

The history of Elijah may be regarded as threefold, dealing first with his great public mission of overthrowing the worship of Baal in Israel, then with his personal life, the personal revelations and teachings given him by the Lord, and thirdly with the prophet's special mission of reproof and awakening to King Ahab. Elijah's life, like that of his disciple, Elisha, was wholly given to Israel, not to Judah. The latter kingdom drops for a time quite out of sight, during the vigorous chapters of Kings which tell of these two men.

Of the early days of Elijah we know nothing. He appears to us as suddenly as he did to Israel's king. He is introduced in the Bible merely as "the Tishbite,” a name which may refer to a town of Gilead, or may mean rather "the stranger." He came from the far regions east of Jordan, and stood like a wild man, a savage, before the haughty noble

men of Israel.