Bible in a Year – read today’s “Bible in a Year” excerpt

This page updates daily, based on the Whole Bible Canonically in a Year Bible reading plan.

reading plan entry for May 26

Ezra 1 ()

[1] Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that Yahweh’s word by Jeremiah’s mouth might be accomplished, Yahweh 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, saying, [2] “Cyrus king of Persia says, ‘Yahweh, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he has commanded me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. [3] Whoever there is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of Yahweh, the God of Israel (he is God), which is in Jerusalem. [4] Whoever is left, in any place where he lives, let the men of his place help him with silver, with gold, with goods, and with animals, in addition to the free will offering for God’s house which is in Jerusalem.’ ”

[5] Then the heads of fathers’ households of Judah and Benjamin, the priests and the Levites, all whose spirit God had stirred to go up, rose up to build Yahweh’s house which is in Jerusalem. [6] All those who were around them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with animals, and with precious things, in addition to all that was willingly offered. [7] Also Cyrus the king brought out the vessels of Yahweh’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought out of Jerusalem, and had put in the house of his gods; [8] even those, Cyrus king of Persia brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. [9] This is the number of them: thirty platters of gold, one thousand platters of silver, twenty-nine knives, [10] thirty bowls of gold, four hundred ten silver bowls of a second kind, and one thousand other vessels. [11] All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand four hundred. Sheshbazzar brought all these up when the captives were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Ezra 1:1 “Yahweh” is God’s proper Name, sometimes rendered “Lord” (all caps) in other translations.
Ezra 1:2 The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim).

Ezra 2 ()

[1] Now these are the children of the province who went up out of the captivity of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his city; [2] who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.

The number of the men of the people of Israel: [3] The children of Parosh, two thousand one hundred seventy-two. [4] The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy-two. [5] The children of Arah, seven hundred seventy-five. [6] The children of Pahathmoab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred twelve. [7] The children of Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four. [8] The children of Zattu, nine hundred forty-five. [9] The children of Zaccai, seven hundred sixty. [10] The children of Bani, six hundred forty-two. [11] The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty-three. [12] The children of Azgad, one thousand two hundred twenty-two. [13] The children of Adonikam, six hundred sixty-six. [14] The children of Bigvai, two thousand fifty-six. [15] The children of Adin, four hundred fifty-four. [16] The children of Ater, of Hezekiah, ninety-eight. [17] The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty-three. [18] The children of Jorah, one hundred twelve. [19] The children of Hashum, two hundred twenty-three. [20] The children of Gibbar, ninety-five. [21] The children of Bethlehem, one hundred twenty-three. [22] The men of Netophah, fifty-six. [23] The men of Anathoth, one hundred twenty-eight. [24] The children of Azmaveth, forty-two. [25] The children of Kiriath Arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred forty-three. [26] The children of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty-one. [27] The men of Michmas, one hundred twenty-two. [28] The men of Bethel and Ai, two hundred twenty-three. [29] The children of Nebo, fifty-two. [30] The children of Magbish, one hundred fifty-six. [31] The children of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four. [32] The children of Harim, three hundred twenty. [33] The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty-five. [34] The children of Jericho, three hundred forty-five. [35] The children of Senaah, three thousand six hundred thirty.

[36] The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy-three. [37] The children of Immer, one thousand fifty-two. [38] The children of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred forty-seven. [39] The children of Harim, one thousand seventeen.

[40] The Levites: the children of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the children of Hodaviah, seventy-four. [41] The singers: the children of Asaph, one hundred twenty-eight. [42] The children of the gatekeepers: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, in all one hundred thirty-nine.

[43] The temple servants: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth, [44] the children of Keros, the children of Siaha, the children of Padon, [45] the children of Lebanah, the children of Hagabah, the children of Akkub, [46] the children of Hagab, the children of Shamlai, the children of Hanan, [47] the children of Giddel, the children of Gahar, the children of Reaiah, [48] the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda, the children of Gazzam, [49] the children of Uzza, the children of Paseah, the children of Besai, [50] the children of Asnah, the children of Meunim, the children of Nephisim, [51] the children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur, [52] the children of Bazluth, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha, [53] the children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Temah, [54] the children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha.

[55] The children of Solomon’s servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Hassophereth, the children of Peruda, [56] the children of Jaalah, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel, [57] the children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth Hazzebaim, the children of Ami. [58] All the temple servants, and the children of Solomon’s servants, were three hundred ninety-two.

[59] These were those who went up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer; but they could not show their fathers’ houses and their offspring, whether they were of Israel: [60] the children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred fifty-two. [61] Of the children of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Hakkoz, and the children of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name. [62] These sought their place among those who were registered by genealogy, but they were not found; therefore they were deemed disqualified and removed from the priesthood. [63] The governor told them that they should not eat of the most holy things until a priest stood up to serve with Urim and with Thummim.

[64] The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred sixty, [65] in addition to their male servants and their female servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty-seven; and they had two hundred singing men and singing women. [66] Their horses were seven hundred thirty-six; their mules, two hundred forty-five; [67] their camels, four hundred thirty-five; their donkeys, six thousand seven hundred twenty.

[68] Some of the heads of fathers’ households, when they came to Yahweh’s house which is in Jerusalem, offered willingly for God’s house to set it up in its place. [69] They gave according to their ability into the treasury of the work sixty-one thousand darics of gold, five thousand minas of silver, and one hundred priests’ garments.

[70] So the priests and the Levites, with some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants, lived in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.

Ezra 2:59 or, seed
Ezra 2:69a a daric was a gold coin issued by a Persian king, weighing about 8.4 grams or about 0.27 troy ounces each.
Ezra 2:69b A mina is about 600 grams or 1.3 U. S. pounds, so 5,000 minas is about 3 metric tons.

Ezra 3 ()

[1] When the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. [2] Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak stood up with his brothers the priests and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his relatives, and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God. [3] In spite of their fear because of the peoples of the surrounding lands, they set the altar on its base; and they offered burnt offerings on it to Yahweh, even burnt offerings morning and evening. [4] They kept the feast of booths, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the ordinance, as the duty of every day required; [5] and afterward the continual burnt offering, the offerings of the new moons, of all the set feasts of Yahweh that were consecrated, and of everyone who willingly offered a free will offering to Yahweh. [6] From the first day of the seventh month, they began to offer burnt offerings to Yahweh; but the foundation of Yahweh’s temple was not yet laid. [7] They also gave money to the masons and to the carpenters. They also gave food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant that they had from Cyrus King of Persia.

[8] Now in the second year of their coming to God’s house at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brothers the priests and the Levites, and all those who had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, began the work and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to have the oversight of the work of Yahweh’s house. [9] Then Jeshua stood with his sons and his brothers, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together to have the oversight of the workmen in God’s house: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brothers the Levites.

[10] When the builders laid the foundation of Yahweh’s temple, they set the priests in their vestments with trumpets, with the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise Yahweh, according to the directions of David king of Israel. [11] They sang to one another in praising and giving thanks to Yahweh, “For he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever toward Israel.” All the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised Yahweh, because the foundation of Yahweh’s house had been laid.

[12] But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, the old men who had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice. Many also shouted aloud for joy, [13] so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people; for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard far away.

Ezra 4 ()

[1] Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building a temple to Yahweh, the God of Israel, [2] they came near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of fathers’ households, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have been sacrificing to him since the days of Esar Haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.”

[3] But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ households of Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves together will build to Yahweh, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”

[4] Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building. [5] They hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. [6] In the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

[7] In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in Syrian and delivered in the Syrian language. [8] Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows. [9] Then Rehum the chancellor, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions, the Dinaites, and the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Shushanchites, the Dehaites, the Elamites, [10] and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar brought over and settled in the city of Samaria, and in the rest of the country beyond the River, and so forth, wrote.

[11] This is the copy of the letter that they sent:

[12] Be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us to Jerusalem. They are building the rebellious and bad city, and have finished the walls and repaired the foundations. [13] Be it known now to the king that if this city is built and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and in the end it will be hurtful to the kings. [14] Now because we eat the salt of the palace and it is not appropriate for us to see the king’s dishonor, therefore we have sent and informed the king, [15] that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will see in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful to kings and provinces, and that they have started rebellions within it in the past. That is why this city was destroyed. [16] We inform the king that if this city is built and the walls finished, then you will have no possession beyond the River.

[17] Then the king sent an answer to Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions who live in Samaria, and in the rest of the country beyond the River:

[18] The letter which you sent to us has been plainly read before me. [19] I decreed, and search has been made, and it was found that this city has made insurrection against kings in the past, and that rebellion and revolts have been made in it. [20] There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem who have ruled over all the country beyond the River; and tribute, custom, and toll was paid to them. [21] Make a decree now to cause these men to cease, and that this city not be built until a decree is made by me. [22] Be careful that you not be slack doing so. Why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?

[23] Then when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went in haste to Jerusalem to the Jews, and made them to cease by force of arms. [24] Then work stopped on God’s house which is at Jerusalem. It stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.