That group arrived at the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem. Then the family leaders gave their gifts for building the Lord’s temple. They would build the new temple in the same place as the temple that was destroyed.
Ezra 9:9 - Easy To Read Version Yes, we were slaves, but you would not let us be slaves forever. You were kind to us. You made the kings of Persia be kind to us. Your temple was ruined. But you gave us new life so we can build your temple again and fix it like new. God, you helped us build a wall to protect Judah and Jerusalem. Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. Amplified Bible - Classic Edition For we are bondmen; yet our God has not forsaken us in our bondage, but has extended mercy and steadfast love to us before the kings of Persia, to give us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us a wall [of protection] in Judah and Jerusalem. American Standard Version (1901) For we are bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended lovingkindness unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the ruins thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. Common English Bible Even though we are slaves, our God hasn’t abandoned us in our slavery. Instead, he’s shown us his graciousness before Persia’s kings by reviving us to set up our God’s house, to repair its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judea and Jerusalem. Catholic Public Domain Version For we are servants, yet in our servitude our God has not forsaken us, but he has inclined mercy upon us in the sight of the king of the Persians, so that he may give us life, and may raise up the house of our God, and repair its desolations, and give us a hedge in Judah and Jerusalem. Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version For we are bondmen, and in our bondage our God hath not forsaken us, but hath extended mercy upon us before the king of the Persians, to give us life, and to set up the house of our God, and rebuild the desolations thereof, and to give us a fence in Juda and Jerusalem. |
That group arrived at the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem. Then the family leaders gave their gifts for building the Lord’s temple. They would build the new temple in the same place as the temple that was destroyed.
Ezra came to Jerusalem from Babylon. Ezra was a teacher. {\cf2\super [45]} He knew the Law of Moses very well. The Law of Moses was given by the Lord, the God of Israel. King Artaxerxes gave Ezra everything he asked for because the Lord was with Ezra.
Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month {\cf2\super [46]} of the seventh year that Artaxerxes was king.
Then I said to all those people, “You can see the trouble we have here: Jerusalem is a pile of ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let’s build the wall of Jerusalem again. Then we won’t be ashamed any more.”
They refused to listen.\par They forgot the amazing things you did with them!\par They became stubborn.\par They decided to return to Egypt\par and became slaves again!\par
I hope no person is kind\par to my enemy.\par I hope no person shows mercy\par to his children.\par
God, if I am in trouble,\par keep me alive.\par If my enemies are angry at me,\par save me from them.\par
The Lord will take away your hard work, and he will comfort you. \{In the past,\} you were slaves. Men forced you to do very hard work. But the Lord will end this hard work for you.
My friend dug and cleared the field.\par He planted the best grapevines there.\par He built a tower in the middle of the field.\par He hoped for good grapes to grow there.\par But there were only bad grapes.\par
“At that time, the old cities that were destroyed will be built again. Those cities will be made new like they were in the beginning. The cities that were destroyed for many, many years will be made like new.
“So tell those people these things: The Lord our Master says, ‘It is true, I forced my people to go far away to other nations. I did scatter them among many countries. But I will be their temple for a short time while they are in those other countries.
“Learn these things, Daniel. Understand these things! From the time that the message went out to go back and build Jerusalem again until the time for the chosen king {\cf2\super [109]} to come will be seven weeks. {\cf2\super [110]} Then Jerusalem will be built again. There will again be places for people to meet together in Jerusalem. And there will be a ditch around the city to protect it. Jerusalem will be built for 62 weeks. {\cf2\super [111]} But there will be many troubles during that time.
The Lord All-Powerful says, “You people look for a big harvest. But when you go to gather the crop, there is only a little grain. So you bring that grain home. And then I \{send a wind that\} blows it all away! Why are these things happening? Why? Because my house is still in ruins while each of you runs home to take care of his own house.
The Lord says,\par ‘I will be a wall of fire around her,\par protecting her.\par And to bring glory to that city,\par I will live there.’”\par