New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Ezra 6
1
King Darius gave an order. He had a search made in the official records that were stored among the treasures at Babylon.
Reference
2
A scroll was found in a safe storeroom at Ecbatana in the land of Media. Here is what was written on it. This is my official reply to your letter.
📍 Locations
3
In the first year that Cyrus was king, he gave an order. It concerned God's temple in Jerusalem. It said, Rebuild the temple. Then the Jews can offer sacrifices there. Lay its foundations. The temple must be 90 feet high and 90 feet wide.
Reference
Parallel theme
Revelation 21:16
4
Its walls must have three layers of large stones. They must also have a layer of beautiful wood. Use money from the royal treasures to pay for everything.
Reference
5
The gold and silver articles from the house of God must be returned. Nebuchadnezzar had taken them from the first temple in Jerusalem. And he had brought them to Babylon. Now they must be returned to their places in the temple at Jerusalem. They must be put in the house of God there.
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 52:19
References Babylon
Jeremiah 27:16
References Jerusalem
2 Chronicles 36:10
Temple
Daniel 5:2
Ezra 5:14
2 Kings 24:13
6
Tattenai, you are governor of the land west of the Euphrates River. I want you to stay away from the temple in Jerusalem. Shethar-Bozenai and the other officials of that area must also stay away from it.
Reference
7
Don't try to stop the work on God's temple. Let the governor of the Jews and their elders rebuild the house of their God. Let them build it in the same place where it stood before.
8
Here is what I want you to do for the elders of the Jews. Here is how you must help the men who build the house of their God. Pay all of their expenses from the royal treasures. Use the money you collect from the people who live west of the Euphrates. Don't let the work on the temple stop.
Reference
9
Don't fail to give the priests in Jerusalem what they ask for each day. Give them what they need. Give them young bulls, rams and male lambs. The priests can use them to sacrifice burnt offerings to the God of heaven. Also give them wheat, salt, wine and olive oil.
Reference
Sacrifice
Leviticus 1:10
10
Give them those things so they can offer sacrifices that please the God of heaven. And I want them to pray that things will go well for me and my sons.
Reference
11
Don't change this order. If a man tries to change it, he must be put to death. A pole must be pulled from his house. The pole must be stuck through his body. Then it must be set up where people can see it. Because the man tried to change my royal order, his house must be broken to pieces.
Reference
12
God has chosen to put his Name in the temple at Jerusalem. May he wipe out any king or nation that lifts a hand to change this order. May he also wipe out anyone who tries to destroy the temple in Jerusalem. That's what I have ordered. I am King Darius. Make sure you carry out my order.
Reference
Creation
1 Kings 9:3
Kingdom
Isaiah 60:12
Parallel theme
Exodus 20:24
Acts 9:5
Ecclesiastes 9:10
2 Chronicles 7:16
References God
Deuteronomy 12:5
Deuteronomy 12:11
Psalm 5:10
Deuteronomy 16:2
13
The governor Tattenai carried out the order King Darius had sent. So did Shethar-Bozenai and their friends.
Reference
Parallel theme
Ezra 4:9
14
The elders of the Jews continued to build the temple. They enjoyed great success because of the preaching of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. Zechariah belonged to the family line of Iddo. The people finished building the temple. That's what the God of Israel had commanded them to do. Cyrus and Darius had given orders allowing them to do it. Later, Artaxerxes supplied many things that were needed in the temple. Those three men were kings of Persia.
Reference
15
So the temple was completed on the third day of the month of Adar. It was in the sixth year that Darius was king.
Reference
16
When the house of God was set apart, the people of Israel celebrated with joy. The priests and Levites joined them. So did the rest of those who had returned from Babylonia.
Reference
Parallel theme
Psalm 122:1
John 10:22
Philippians 4:4
References God
2 Chronicles 7:5
Ezra 6:22
References Israel
1 Kings 8:63
17
When the house of God was set apart to him, the people sacrificed 100 bulls. They also sacrificed 200 rams and 400 male lambs. As a sin offering for the whole nation of Israel, the people sacrificed 12 male goats. One goat was sacrificed for each tribe in Israel.
Reference
18
The priests were appointed to their companies. And the Levites were appointed to their groups. All of them served God at Jerusalem. They served him in keeping with what is written in the Scroll of Moses.
Reference
19
Those who had returned from Babylonia celebrated the Passover Feast. It was on the 14th day of the first month.
20
The priests and Levites had made themselves pure and clean. The Levites killed the Passover lamb for everyone who had returned from Babylonia. They also did it for themselves and their relatives, the priests.
Reference
21
So the people of Israel who had returned ate the Passover lamb. They ate it together with all those who had separated themselves from the practices of their neighbors who weren't Jews. Those practices were "unclean." The people worshiped the Lord. He is the God of Israel.
Reference
Parallel theme
Ezra 9:11
Ezekiel 36:25
References God
2 Corinthians 7:1
Nehemiah 10:28
References Israel
Nehemiah 9:2
Ezra 9:1
References Lord
Isaiah 52:11
Psalm 93:5
2 Corinthians 6:17
22
For seven days they celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread with joy. That's because the Lord had filled them with joy. They were glad because he had changed the mind of the king of Persia. So the king had helped them with the work on the house of the God of Israel.
Reference
Kingdom
Proverbs 21:1
Ezra 1:1
Ezra 7:27
2 Kings 23:29
2 Chronicles 33:11
Parallel theme
John 19:11
Matthew 26:17
References Israel
2 Chronicles 35:17
References Lord
2 Chronicles 30:21
Proverbs 16:7
Summary of Ezra 6
Ezra Chapter 6 records the official confirmation of the Jewish right to rebuild the Temple, the completion of the Second Temple, and the restoration of major acts of worship. After the Jewish leaders appealed to King Darius to investigate the royal records, Darius ordered a search of the archives. The officials found the original decree of Cyrus, confirming that Cyrus had indeed authorized the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem.
The discovery completely changed the situation. Cyrus's decree not only permitted the construction but also specified dimensions for the Temple, required the return of the sacred vessels taken by Nebuchadnezzar, and provided for financial support from the royal treasury. Darius therefore issued a new order to Tattenai and the other provincial officials, commanding them to stop interfering with the Jews. Instead, they were to support the construction and provide financial resources and supplies for Temple sacrifices.
Darius went even further than simply allowing the rebuilding. He instructed that the priests receive regular supplies of animals, grain, salt, wine, and olive oil so that sacrifices could continue properly. He also warned anyone who interfered with the decree with severe punishment. The Persian government had therefore moved from being an obstacle to becoming an official supporter of the restoration.
Encouraged by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, the Jewish elders continued their work. The Temple was finally completed in the sixth year of Darius, traditionally dated to approximately 516 BC. This was a major turning point for the Jewish community. The Temple that Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed approximately seventy years earlier had now been rebuilt.
The people celebrated its dedication with sacrifices and great joy. Priests and Levites were organized into their proper divisions, restoring the structure of Temple worship. The community then celebrated Passover, followed by the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread. These celebrations demonstrated that the restoration was not simply about constructing a building. The people were rebuilding their religious life, identity, worship, and relationship with God.
One of the most important themes of the chapter is that God's purposes continued despite political opposition and long delays. The rebuilding had stopped because of accusations and governmental intervention, but the discovery of Cyrus's original decree removed the obstacle. The chapter presents the Persian kings Cyrus and Darius as instruments through whom God enabled the restoration to continue.
Ezra 6 therefore moves the story from uncertainty to completion. The Temple was rebuilt, worship was restored, the priests and Levites resumed their responsibilities, and the community celebrated Passover together. After decades of exile and destruction, Jerusalem once again had a functioning Temple and a renewed community worshiping God.
The discovery completely changed the situation. Cyrus's decree not only permitted the construction but also specified dimensions for the Temple, required the return of the sacred vessels taken by Nebuchadnezzar, and provided for financial support from the royal treasury. Darius therefore issued a new order to Tattenai and the other provincial officials, commanding them to stop interfering with the Jews. Instead, they were to support the construction and provide financial resources and supplies for Temple sacrifices.
Darius went even further than simply allowing the rebuilding. He instructed that the priests receive regular supplies of animals, grain, salt, wine, and olive oil so that sacrifices could continue properly. He also warned anyone who interfered with the decree with severe punishment. The Persian government had therefore moved from being an obstacle to becoming an official supporter of the restoration.
Encouraged by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, the Jewish elders continued their work. The Temple was finally completed in the sixth year of Darius, traditionally dated to approximately 516 BC. This was a major turning point for the Jewish community. The Temple that Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed approximately seventy years earlier had now been rebuilt.
The people celebrated its dedication with sacrifices and great joy. Priests and Levites were organized into their proper divisions, restoring the structure of Temple worship. The community then celebrated Passover, followed by the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread. These celebrations demonstrated that the restoration was not simply about constructing a building. The people were rebuilding their religious life, identity, worship, and relationship with God.
One of the most important themes of the chapter is that God's purposes continued despite political opposition and long delays. The rebuilding had stopped because of accusations and governmental intervention, but the discovery of Cyrus's original decree removed the obstacle. The chapter presents the Persian kings Cyrus and Darius as instruments through whom God enabled the restoration to continue.
Ezra 6 therefore moves the story from uncertainty to completion. The Temple was rebuilt, worship was restored, the priests and Levites resumed their responsibilities, and the community celebrated Passover together. After decades of exile and destruction, Jerusalem once again had a functioning Temple and a renewed community worshiping God.