The Daily Audio Bible
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1 Now in the first year of [a]Cyrus king of Persia [almost seventy years after the first Jewish captives were taken to Babylon], that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might begin to be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and put it also in writing:(A)
2 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has charged me to build Him a house at Jerusalem in Judah.
3 Whoever is among you of all His people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel, in Jerusalem; He is God.
4 And in any place where a survivor [of the Babylonian captivity of the Jews] sojourns, let the men of that place assist him with silver and gold, with goods and beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God in Jerusalem.
5 Then rose up the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites, with all those whose spirits God had stirred up, to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord in Jerusalem.
6 And all those who were around them aided them with vessels of silver, with gold, goods, beasts, and precious things, besides all that was willingly and freely offered.
7 Also Cyrus the king brought out the vessels of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought from Jerusalem [when he took that city] and had put in the house of his gods.
8 These Cyrus king of Persia directed Mithredath the treasurer to bring forth and count out to Sheshbazzar [who is Zerubbabel, recognized as the legitimate heir to the throne of David] the prince of Judah.
9 And they numbered: 30 basins of gold; 1,000 basins of silver; 29 sacrificial dishes;
10 Of gold bowls, 30; another sort of silver bowl, 410; and other vessels, 1,000.
11 All the vessels of gold and of silver were 5,400. All these Sheshbazzar [the governor] brought with the people of the captivity from Babylon to Jerusalem.
2 Now these are the people of the province [of Judah] who went up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, but who came again to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his own city.
2 These came with Zerubbabel: Jeshua, Nehemiah [not the author], Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai [not Esther’s relative], Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah. The number of the men of Israel:
3 The sons [meaning male descendants] of Parosh, 2,172.
4 The sons of Shephatiah, 372.
5 The sons of Arah, 775.
6 The sons of Pahath-moab, namely of the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,812.
7 The sons of Elam, 1,254.
8 The sons of Zattu, 945.
9 The sons of Zaccai, 760.
10 The sons of Bani, 642.
11 The sons of Bebai, 623.
12 The sons of Azgad, 1,222.
13 The sons of Adonikam, 666.
14 The sons of Bigvai, 2,056.
15 The sons of Adin, 454.
16 The sons of Ater, namely of Hezekiah, 98.
17 The sons of Bezai, 323.
18 The sons of Jorah, 112.
19 The sons of Hashum, 223.
20 The sons of Gibbar, 95.
21 The sons of Bethlehem, 123.
22 The men of Netophah, 56.
23 The men of Anathoth, 128.
24 The sons of Azmaveth, 42.
25 The sons of Kiriath-arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743.
26 The sons of Ramah and Geba, 621.
27 The men of Michmas, 122.
28 The men of Bethel and Ai, 223.
29 The sons of Nebo, 52.
30 The sons of Magbish, 156.
31 The sons of the other Elam, 1,254.
32 The sons of Harim, 320.
33 The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 725.
34 The sons of Jericho, 345.
35 The sons of Senaah, 3,630.
36 The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, 973.
37 The sons of Immer, 1,052.
38 The sons of Pashhur, 1,247.
39 The sons of Harim, 1,017.
40 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the house of Hodaviah, 74.
41 The singers: the sons of Asaph, 128.
42 The sons of the gatekeepers: of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai, in all 139.
43 The Nethinim [the temple servants]: the sons of Ziba, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,
44 The sons of Keros, Siaha, Padon,
45 The sons of Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub,
46 The sons of Hagab, Shalmai, Hanan,
47 The sons of Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah,
48 The sons of Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam,
49 The sons of Uzza, Paseah, Besai,
50 The sons of Asnah, Meunim, Nephisim,
51 The sons of Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,
52 The sons of Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,
53 The sons of Barkos, Sisera, Temah,
54 The sons of Neziah [and] of Hatipha.
55 The sons of [King] Solomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, Sophereth (Hassophereth), Peruda,
56 The sons of Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel,
57 The sons of Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth-hazzebaim, Ami.
58 All the Nethinim [the temple servants] and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392.
59 And these were they who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, but they could not show a record of their fathers’ houses or prove their descent, whether they were of Israel:
60 The sons of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda, 652.
61 And of the sons of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, of Hakkoz, and of Barzillai, who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the [noted] Gileadite and had assumed their name.(B)
62 These sought their names among those enrolled in the genealogies, but they were not found; so they were excluded from the priesthood as [ceremonially] unclean.
63 [Zerubbabel] the governor told them they should not eat of the most holy things [the priests’ food] until there should be a priest with Urim and Thummim [who by consulting these articles in his breastplate could [b]know God’s will in the matter].
64 The whole congregation numbered 42,360,
65 Besides their menservants and maidservants, 7,337; and among them they had 200 men and women singers.
66 Their horses were 736; their mules, 245;
67 Their camels were 435; their donkeys, 6,720.
68 Some of the heads of families, when they came to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, made freewill offerings for the house of God to [re]build it on its site.
69 They gave as they were able to the treasury for the work 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priests’ garments.
70 So the priests, the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their own towns, and all Israel [gradually settled] into their towns.
18 For the story and message of the cross is sheer absurdity and folly to those who are perishing and on their way to perdition, but to us who are being saved it is the [manifestation of] the power of God.
19 For it is written, I will baffle and render useless and destroy the learning of the learned and the philosophy of the philosophers and the cleverness of the clever and the discernment of the discerning; I will frustrate and nullify [them] and bring [them] to nothing.(A)
20 Where is the wise man (the philosopher)? Where is the scribe (the scholar)? Where is the investigator (the logician, the debater) of this present time and age? Has not God shown up the nonsense and the folly of this world’s wisdom?
21 For when the world with all its earthly wisdom failed to perceive and recognize and know God by means of its own philosophy, God in His wisdom was pleased through the foolishness of preaching [salvation, procured by Christ and to be had through Him], to save those who believed (who clung to and trusted in and relied on Him).
22 For while Jews [demandingly] ask for signs and miracles and Greeks pursue philosophy and wisdom,
23 We preach Christ (the Messiah) crucified, [preaching which] to the Jews is a scandal and an offensive stumbling block [that springs a snare or trap], and to the Gentiles it is absurd and utterly unphilosophical nonsense.
24 But to those who are called, whether Jew or Greek (Gentile), Christ [is] the Power of God and the Wisdom of God.
25 [This is] because the foolish thing [that has its source in] God is wiser than men, and the weak thing [that springs] from God is stronger than men.
26 For [simply] consider your own call, brethren; not many [of you were considered to be] wise according to human estimates and standards, not many influential and powerful, not many of high and noble birth.
27 [No] for God selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is foolish to put the wise to shame, and what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame.
28 And God also selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is lowborn and insignificant and branded and treated with contempt, even the things that are nothing, that He might depose and bring to nothing the things that are,
29 So that no mortal man should [have pretense for glorying and] boast in the presence of God.
30 But it is from Him that you have your life in Christ Jesus, Whom God made our Wisdom from God, [revealed to us a knowledge of the divine plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as] our Righteousness [thus making us upright and putting us in right standing with God], and our Consecration [making us pure and holy], and our Redemption [providing our ransom from eternal penalty for sin].
31 So then, as it is written, Let him who boasts and proudly rejoices and glories, boast and proudly rejoice and glory in the Lord.(B)
2 As for myself, brethren, when I came to you, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony and evidence or [a]mystery and secret of God [concerning what He has done through Christ for the salvation of men] in lofty words of eloquence or human philosophy and wisdom;
2 For I resolved to know nothing (to be acquainted with nothing, to make a display of the knowledge of nothing, and to be conscious of nothing) among you except Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and Him crucified.
3 And I was in ([b]passed into a state of) weakness and fear (dread) and great trembling [[c]after I had come] among you.
4 And my language and my message were not set forth in persuasive (enticing and plausible) words of wisdom, but they were in demonstration of the [Holy] Spirit and power [[d]a proof by the Spirit and power of God, operating on me and stirring in the minds of my hearers the most holy emotions and thus persuading them],
5 So that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men (human philosophy), but in the power of God.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; have mercy and be gracious to me and answer me!
8 You have said, Seek My face [inquire for and require My presence as your vital need]. My heart says to You, Your face (Your presence), Lord, will I seek, inquire for, and require [of necessity and on the authority of Your Word].
9 Hide not Your face from me; turn not Your servant away in anger, You Who have been my help! Cast me not off, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation!
10 Although my father and my mother have forsaken me, yet the Lord will take me up [adopt me as His child].(A)
11 Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain and even path because of my enemies [those who lie in wait for me].
12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen up against me; they breathe out cruelty and violence.
13 [What, what would have become of me] had I not believed that I would see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living!
14 Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord.
22 Do not say, I will repay evil; wait [expectantly] for the Lord, and He will rescue you.(A)
23 Diverse and deceitful weights are shamefully vile and abhorrent to the Lord, and false scales are not good.
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