Ezra 1:2

Easy To Read Version

“From Cyrus king of Persia:

Cross References

1 Kings 8:27

“But, God, will you really live here with us on the earth? All the sky and the highest place in heaven cannot contain you. Certainly this house which I have built cannot contain you either.

2 Chronicles 2:12

Hiram also said, “Praise the Lord God of Israel! He made heaven and earth. He gave a wise son to King David. Solomon, you have wisdom and understanding. You are building a temple {\cf2\super [19]} for the Lord. You are also building a king’s house for yourself.

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 3:7

Then those people who had come back from captivity gave money to the stonecutters and carpenters. And those people gave food, wine, and olive oil. They used these things to pay the people of Tyre and Sidon to bring cedar logs from Lebanon. Those people wanted to bring the logs in ships to the sea coast town of Joppa like \{Solomon did when he built\} the first temple. Cyrus king of Persia gave permission for them to do these things.

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 5:15

Then Cyrus said to Sheshbazzar, {\cf2\super [29]} “Take these gold and silver things and put them back in the temple in Jerusalem. Build again God’s temple in the same place it was in the past.”

Ezra 6:10

Give those things to the Jewish priests so that they may offer sacrifices that please the God of Heaven. Give those things so that the priests may pray for me and my sons.

Ezra 6:3

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

Ezra 7:12

{\cf2\super [48]} From King Artaxerxes,

Nehemiah 1:4

When I heard those things about the people of Jerusalem and about the wall, I was very upset. I sat down and cried. I was very sad. I fasted {\cf2\super [2]} and prayed to the God of Heaven for several days.

Nehemiah 1:5

Then I prayed this prayer:

Psalm 136:26

Praise the God of heaven!\par His true love continues forever.\par \par \par

Psalm 85:2

Lord, forgive your people!\par Erase their sins!\par \i (SELAH {\cf2\super [494]})\i0 \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 41:2

\{Tell me the answers to these questions:\}\par Who woke the man \{that is coming\}\par from the east?\par Goodness walks with him.\par He uses his sword \{and defeats nations\}—\par they become like dust.\par He uses his bow and conquers kings—\par they run away like straw blown\par by the wind.\par

Isaiah 44:26

The Lord sends his servants to tell messages to the people. And the Lord makes those messages true. The Lord sends messengers to tell the people the things they should do. And the Lord shows their advice is good.

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]}

Isaiah 66:1

This is what the Lord says,\par “The skies are my throne.\par The earth is my footstool.\par So do you think you can build\par a house for me?\par No! You can’t!\par Can you give me a place to rest?\par No! You can’t!\par

Jeremiah 10:11

\{The Lord says,\}\par “Tell this message to those people:\par ‘Those false gods did not make\par heaven and earth.\par And those false gods will be destroyed\par and disappear from heaven and earth.’” {\cf2\super [81]} \par

Jeremiah 27:5

I made the earth and all the people on it. I made all the animals on the earth. I did this with my great power and my strong arm. I can give the earth to anyone I want.

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.

Daniel 1:21

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

Daniel 2:21

He changes the times and seasons.\par And he changes the kings.\par He gives power to kings,\par and he takes their power away!\par He gives wisdom to people\par so they become wise,\par He lets people learn things\par and become wise.\par

Daniel 2:28

But there is a God in heaven who tells secret things. God gave King Nebuchadnezzar dreams to show him what will happen at a later time. This was your dream, and these are the things you saw while lying on your bed:

Daniel 4:25

King Nebuchadnezzar, you will be forced to go away from people. You will live among the wild animals. You will eat grass like cattle. And you will become wet with dew. {\cf2\super [46]} Seven seasons (years) will pass, and then you will learn this lesson. You will learn God Most High rules over the kingdoms of men. And God Most High gives kingdoms to anyone he wants.

Daniel 4:32

You will be forced to go away from people. You will live with the wild animals. You will eat grass like a cow. Seven seasons (years) will pass before you learn your lesson. Then you will learn that God Most High rules over the kingdoms of men. And that God Most High gives kingdoms to anyone he wants.”

Daniel 5:23

No, you did not become humble. Instead, you have turned against the Lord of heaven. You ordered the drinking cups from the Lord’s temple to be brought to you. Then you and your royal officials, your wives, and your women servants {\cf2\super [61]} drank wine from those cups. You gave praise to the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone. Those are not really gods, they can’t see, or hear, or understand anything. But you did not give honor to the God who has the power over your life and everything you do.

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:

Jonah 1:9

Jonah said to the men, “I am a Hebrew (Jew). And I worship the Lord, the God of heaven. He is the God who made the sea and the land.”