Ezra 1:1

Easy To Read Version

During the first year {\cf2\super [1]} that Cyrus was king of Persia, the Lord encouraged Cyrus to make an announcement. Cyrus put that announcement in writing and had it read every place in his kingdom. This happened so that the Lord’s message that was spoken through Jeremiah {\cf2\super [2]} would truly happen. This is the announcement:

Cross References

Ezra 1:5

So the family leaders from the family groups of Judah and Benjamin prepared to go up to Jerusalem. They were going to Jerusalem to build the Lord’s temple. Also, every person that God had encouraged got ready to go to Jerusalem.

Ezra 4:3

But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other family leaders of Israel answered, “No, you people can’t help us build a temple for our God. Only we can build the temple for the Lord. He is the God of Israel. This is what King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us to do.”

Ezra 6:14

So the Jewish elders (leaders) continued to build. And they were successful as Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo encouraged them. Those people finished building the temple. This was done to obey the command of the God of Israel. It was also done to obey the orders that Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, the kings of Persia, gave.

Ezra 6:22

They celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread {\cf2\super [41]} with much joy for seven days. The Lord made them very happy because he had changed the attitude of the king of Assyria. {\cf2\super [42]} So the king of Assyria had helped them do the work on God’s temple.

Ezra 6:3

During Cyrus’ first year as king, Cyrus gave an order about the temple of God in Jerusalem. The order said:

Ezra 7:27

{\cf2\super [52]} Blessed is the Lord,\par the God of our ancestors.\par God put the idea into the king’s heart\par to honor the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem.\par

Psalm 106:46

Other nations took them as prisoners.\par But God made them be kind to his people.\par

Proverbs 21:1

\{Farmers dig small ditches to water their fields. They change where the water goes by closing different ditches.\} The Lord controls a king’s mind just like that. The Lord can lead the king wherever he wants him to go.

Isaiah 44:28

The Lord says to Cyrus, {\cf2\super [398]} \par “You are my shepherd.\par You will do the things I want.\par You will say to Jerusalem,\par ‘You will be built again!’\par You will tell the temple, {\cf2\super [399]} \par ‘Your foundations will be built again!’”\par

Isaiah 45:1

These are the things the Lord says about Cyrus, {\cf2\super [400]} his chosen king: {\cf2\super [401]}

Jeremiah 1:1

These are the messages of Jeremiah. Jeremiah was the son of a man named Hilkiah. Jeremiah belonged to the family of priests that lived in the city of Anathoth. {\cf2\super [1]} That city is in the land that belongs to the family group of Benjamin.

Jeremiah 29:10

This is what the Lord says: “Babylon will be powerful for 70 years. After that time, I will come to you people that are living in Babylon. I will keep my good promise to bring you back to Jerusalem.

Ezekiel 38:5

Soldiers from Persia, Ethiopia, and Put will be with them. They will all be wearing their shields and helmets.

Daniel 1:21

So Daniel continued to be the king’s servant until the first year that Cyrus was king. {\cf2\super [6]}

Daniel 2:1

During Nebuchadnezzar’s second year as king, he had some dreams. Those dreams bothered him and he could not sleep.

Daniel 6:25

Then King Darius wrote this letter to all the people from other nations that spoke many different languages all around the world:

Daniel 9:2

During the first year that Darius was king, I, Daniel, was reading some books. In the books, I saw that the Lord told Jeremiah how many years would pass before Jerusalem would be built again. The Lord said 70 years would pass.

John 1:23

John told them the words of the prophet {\cf2\super [13]} Isaiah: