“ People from other lands will rebuild your walls. Their kings will serve you. When I was angry with you, I struck you. But now I will show you my tender love.

外邦人必建筑你的城墙；他们的王必服侍你。我曾发怒击打你，现今却施恩怜恤你。

外邦人要建造你的城墙，他们的君王必服事你。我曾发怒击打你，如今却施恩怜悯你。

外邦人要建造你的城墙，他们的君王必服事你。我曾发怒击打你，如今却施恩怜悯你。

“外族人要为你建造城墙，他们的君王要服侍你。我曾发怒击打你，如今我要施恩怜悯你。

外族人要重建你的城墙，他们的君王都必服事你。虽然我曾经在烈怒中击打了你，现在我却在恩典中怜悯你。

外邦人必重建你的城墙，他们的君王都必事奉你。我曾经在震怒中击打了你，而如今我在恩典中怜悯了你。

外邦人必建築你的城牆；他們的王必服事你。我曾發怒擊打你，現今卻施恩憐恤你。

外邦人要建造你的城牆，他們的君王必服事你。我曾發怒擊打你，如今卻施恩憐憫你。

外邦人要建造你的城牆，他們的君王必服事你。我曾發怒擊打你，如今卻施恩憐憫你。

「外族人要為你建造城牆，他們的君王要服侍你。我曾發怒擊打你，如今我要施恩憐憫你。

外族人要重建你的城牆，他們的君王都必服事你。雖然我曾經在烈怒中擊打了你，現在我卻在恩典中憐憫你。

外族人必修造你的城牆，他們的王必服事你；因為我震怒時雖曾擊打了你，如今我卻以我的恩悅憐憫你。

外邦人必重建你的城牆，他們的君王都必事奉你。我曾經在震怒中擊打了你，而如今我在恩典中憐憫了你。

異邦人將建爾城垣、其列王為爾供役、蓋我既發怒責爾、今則施恩恤爾、

異邦人建爾城垣、列王為爾供役、蓋我既震怒責爾、今復矜憫為懷、施爾厚恩。

異邦人必建爾城垣、彼之列王必服事爾、蓋我既震怒責爾、今必施恩矜恤爾、

“ Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. Though in anger I struck you, in favor I will show you compassion.

Foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you; for in my wrath I struck you, but in my favor I have had mercy on you.

“ Foreigners will come to rebuild your towns, and their kings will serve you. For though I have destroyed you in my anger, I will now have mercy on you through my grace.

Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. Although I struck you in my wrath, yet I will show mercy to you with my favor.

“ Foreigners will build up your walls, And their kings will serve you; For in My wrath I struck you, And in My favor I have had compassion on you.

“ The sons of foreigners shall build up your walls, And their kings shall minister to you; For in My wrath I struck you, But in My favor I have had mercy on you.

And foreigners shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favor have I had mercy on thee.

Foreigners will build up your walls, and their kings will serve you. Although I struck you in My wrath, yet I will show mercy to you with My favor.

And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.

Foreigners will rebuild your walls; their kings will serve you. Even though I struck you down in my anger, I will restore my favor and have compassion on you.

“ Foreigners will build up your walls, and their kings will serve you: for in my wrath I struck you, but in my favor I have had mercy on you.

Those who are far away will come to Jerusalem. They will help build the Lord’ s temple. Then his people will know that the Lord who rules over all has sent me to them. It will happen if they are careful to obey the Lord their God.”

The nations will walk by the light of the city. The kings of the world will bring their glory into it.

Their kings will become like fathers to you. Their queens will be like mothers who nurse you. They will bow down to you with their faces toward the ground. They will kiss the dust at your feet to show you their respect. Then you will know that I am the Lord. Those who put their hope in me will not be ashamed.”

His anger lasts for only a moment. But his favor lasts for a person’s whole life. Weeping can stay for the night. But joy comes in the morning.

I was very angry with them. They always longed for more and more of everything. So I punished them for that sin. I turned my face away from them because I was angry. But they kept on wanting their own way.I have seen what they have done. But I will heal them. I will guide them. I will give those who mourn in Israel the comfort they had before.

In days to come, the people of Israel will sing,“ Lord, we will praise you. You were angry with us. But now your anger has turned away from us. And you have brought us comfort.

“ For a brief moment I left you. But because I love you so much, I will bring you back.For a moment I turned my face away from you. I was very angry with you. But I will show you my loving concern. My faithful love will continue forever,” says the Lord. He is the one who set you free.

Outsiders will serve you by taking care of your flocks. People from other lands will work in your fields and vineyards.

The Lord will show tender love toward Jacob’s people. Once again he will choose Israel. He’ll give them homes in their own land. Outsiders will join them. They and the people of Jacob will become one people.Nations will help Israel return to their own land. Israel will possess other nations. They will serve Israel as male and female servants in the Lord’ s land. The Israelites will make prisoners of those who had held them as prisoners. Israel will rule over those who had crushed them.

And I will choose some of them to be priests and Levites,” says the Lord.

I, Artaxerxes, am writing this letter. I am the greatest king of all. I have given it to Ezra the priest. He is the teacher of the Law of the God of heaven. I give you my greetings.Ezra, I am giving an order about the Israelites in my kingdom. Any of them who want to go to Jerusalem with you may go. The order also allows priests and Levites to go with you.I and my seven advisers are sending you to see how things are going in Judah and Jerusalem. Find out whether the people there are obeying the Law of your God. You have a copy of that law with you.I and my advisers have freely given some silver and gold to the God of Israel. He is the God who lives in Jerusalem. Take that silver and gold with you.Also take any other silver and gold you can get from the land of Babylon. And take the offerings the people and priests choose to give for the temple of their God in Jerusalem.Make sure you use the money to buy bulls, rams and male lambs. Also buy their grain offerings and drink offerings. Then sacrifice them on the altar of the temple of your God in Jerusalem.You and the other Jews can do what you think is best with the rest of the silver and gold. Do what your God wants you to do.Give to the God of Jerusalem all the things you are responsible for. Use them for worshiping your God in his temple.You might need to supply some other things for the temple of your God. If you do, take them from among the royal treasures.I, King Artaxerxes, also give this order. It applies to all those who are in charge of the treasures west of the Euphrates River. Make sure you provide anything Ezra the priest might ask you to give. He is the teacher of the Law of the God of heaven.Give Ezra up to three and three- fourths tons of silver. Give him up to 18 tons of wheat. Give him up to 600 gallons of wine and up to 600 gallons of olive oil. And give him as much salt as he needs.Work hard for the temple of the God of heaven. Do everything he has required. I don’t want him to be angry with my kingdom and the kingdom of my sons.Here is something else I want you to know. You have no authority to collect taxes, gifts or fees from these people. You may not collect them from the priests, Levites or musicians. You may not collect them from those who guard the temple gates. You may not collect them from the temple servants. And you may not collect them from other workers at the house of God in Jerusalem.Ezra, appoint judges and other court officials. When you do it, use the wisdom your God gives you. Those you appoint should do what is right and fair when they judge people. They should do it for everyone who lives west of the Euphrates River. They should do it for everyone who knows the laws of your God. And I want you to teach the people who don’t know those laws.Anyone who doesn’t obey the law of your God must be punished. The same thing applies to anyone who doesn’t obey my law. The people must be punished in keeping with the laws they have broken. Some of them must be put to death. Others must be forced to leave the places where they live. Others must have their property taken away from them. Still others must be put in prison.So here is what I, Ezra, say to you people of Israel.“ Give praise to the Lord. He is the God of our people who lived long ago. He has put it in the king’s heart to bring honor to the Lord’ s temple in Jerusalem. The king has honored the Lord in his letter.The Lord has been kind to me. He has caused the king and his advisers to be kind to me. In fact, all the king’s powerful officials have been kind to me. The strong hand of the Lord my God helped me. That gave me new strength. So I gathered together leaders from Israel to go up to Jerusalem with me.”

Nations will come to your light. Kings will come to the brightness of your new day.

The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.

In the first year that Cyrus was king, he gave an order. It concerned God’s temple in Jerusalem. King Cyrus 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.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.The gold and silver objects 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.Tattenai, you are governor of the land west of the Euphrates River. I want you to stay away from the temple in Jerusalem. I also want you, Shethar- Bozenai, and you other officials of that area to stay away from it.Don’t try to stop the work on the temple of God. 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.Here is what I want you to do for the elders of the Jews. Here is how you must help them to build the house of their God. Pay all 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.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.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.Don’t change this order. If anyone tries to change it, they must be put to death. A pole must be pulled from their house. The pole must be stuck through their body. Because that person tried to change my royal order, their house must be broken to pieces.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.

I also said to him,“ If it pleases you, may I take some letters with me? I want to give them to the governors of the land west of the Euphrates River. Then they’ll help me travel safely through their territory until I arrive in Judah.May I also have a letter to Asaph? He takes care of the royal park. I want him to give me some logs so I can make beams out of them. I want to use them for the gates of the fort that is by the temple. Some of the logs will also be used in the city wall. And I’ll need some for the house I’m going to live in.” God was kind to me and helped me. So the king gave me what I asked for.Then I went to the governors of the land west of the Euphrates River. I gave them the king’s letters. He had also sent army officers and horsemen along with me.