Ezra 1


Ezra 1 is the first chapter of the Book of Ezra in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, or the book of Ezra-Nehemiah in the Hebrew Bible, which treats the book of Ezra and book of Nehemiah as one book. Jewish tradition states that Ezra is the author of Ezra-Nehemiah as well as the Book of Chronicles, but modern scholars generally accept that a compiler from the 5th century BCE is the final author of these books. This chapter contains the records of King Cyrus's edict and the initial return of exiles to Judah led by Sheshbazzar as well as the restoration of the sacred temple vessels. It also introduces the section comprising chapters 1 to 6 describing the history before the arrival of Ezra in the land of Judah in 468 BCE. The opening sentence of this chapter is identical to the final sentence of 2 Chronicles.

Text

The original text is written in Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 11 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes Codex Leningradensis.
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus, and Codex Alexandrinus.
An ancient Greek book called 1 Esdras containing some parts of 2 Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah is included in most editions of the Septuagint and is placed before the single book of Ezra–Nehemiah. 1 Esdras 2:1-14 is an equivalent of Ezra 1:1-11.

God is sovereign (1:1–4)

The book starts with a historical context of a real event: “the first year of Cyrus king of Persia”, but immediately follows with the statement about God who has the real control and even already speaks about this event before the birth of Cyrus and the fulfillment of his word through Jeremiah.

Verse 1

In the Cyrus Cylinder there is a statement related to the Cyrus's edict which gives the historical background to the book of Ezra:
Cyrus's edict is significant to the return of the Jews, because it shows that they did not slip away from Babylon but were given official permission by the Persian king in the first year of his rule, and it is a specific fulfillment of the seventy years prophecy of Jeremiah.

Verse 3

In response to Cyrus's Decree, the family heads of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, the priests and the Levites rose up and went to Jerusalem, but the ten other tribes did not show any reactions. The last three verses detail the inventory of captured temple articles which are counted out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah, to be brought from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Verse 7

The Temple treasures that Nebuchadnezzar took away are now to be returned to Jerusalem.