“ 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.

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.

“ 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.

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 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.

People will come from distant lands to rebuild the Temple of the Lord. And when this happens, you will know that my messages have been from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. All this will happen if you carefully obey what the Lord your God says.

The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory.

Kings and queens will serve you and care for all your needs. They will bow to the earth before you and lick the dust from your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord. Those who trust in me will never be put to shame.”

For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.

I was angry, so I punished these greedy people. I withdrew from them, but they kept going on their own stubborn way.I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway! I will lead them. I will comfort those who mourn,

In that day you will sing:“ I will praise you, O Lord! You were angry with me, but not anymore. Now you comfort me.

“ For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great compassion I will take you back.In a burst of anger I turned my face away for a little while. But with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,” says the Lord, your Redeemer.

Foreigners will be your servants. They will feed your flocks and plow your fields and tend your vineyards.

But the Lord will have mercy on the descendants of Jacob. He will choose Israel as his special people once again. He will bring them back to settle once again in their own land. And people from many different nations will come and join them there and unite with the people of Israel.The nations of the world will help the people of Israel to return, and those who come to live in the Lord’s land will serve them. Those who captured Israel will themselves be captured, and Israel will rule over its enemies.

“ And I will appoint some of them to be my priests and Levites. I, the Lord, have spoken!

“ From Artaxerxes, the king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the teacher of the law of the God of heaven. Greetings.“ I decree that any of the people of Israel in my kingdom, including the priests and Levites, may volunteer to return to Jerusalem with you.I and my council of seven hereby instruct you to conduct an inquiry into the situation in Judah and Jerusalem, based on your God’s law, which is in your hand.We also commission you to take with you silver and gold, which we are freely presenting as an offering to the God of Israel who lives in Jerusalem.“ Furthermore, you are to take any silver and gold that you may obtain from the province of Babylon, as well as the voluntary offerings of the people and the priests that are presented for the Temple of their God in Jerusalem.These donations are to be used specifically for the purchase of bulls, rams, male lambs, and the appropriate grain offerings and liquid offerings, all of which will be offered on the altar of the Temple of your God in Jerusalem.Any silver and gold that is left over may be used in whatever way you and your colleagues feel is the will of your God.“ But as for the cups we are entrusting to you for the service of the Temple of your God, deliver them all to the God of Jerusalem.If you need anything else for your God’s Temple or for any similar needs, you may take it from the royal treasury.“ I, Artaxerxes the king, hereby send this decree to all the treasurers in the province west of the Euphrates River:‘ You are to give Ezra, the priest and teacher of the law of the God of heaven, whatever he requests of you.You are to give him up to 7,500 pounds of silver, 500 bushels of wheat, 550 gallons of wine, 550 gallons of olive oil, and an unlimited supply of salt.Be careful to provide whatever the God of heaven demands for his Temple, for why should we risk bringing God’s anger against the realm of the king and his sons?I also decree that no priest, Levite, singer, gatekeeper, Temple servant, or other worker in this Temple of God will be required to pay tribute, customs, or tolls of any kind.’“ And you, Ezra, are to use the wisdom your God has given you to appoint magistrates and judges who know your God’s laws to govern all the people in the province west of the Euphrates River. Teach the law to anyone who does not know it.Anyone who refuses to obey the law of your God and the law of the king will be punished immediately, either by death, banishment, confiscation of goods, or imprisonment.”Praise the Lord, the God of our ancestors, who made the king want to beautify the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem!And praise him for demonstrating such unfailing love to me by honoring me before the king, his council, and all his mighty nobles! I felt encouraged because the gracious hand of the Lord my God was on me. And I gathered some of the leaders of Israel to return with me to Jerusalem.

All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance.

And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city.

“ In the first year of King Cyrus’s reign, a decree was sent out concerning the Temple of God at Jerusalem.“ Let the Temple be rebuilt on the site where Jews used to offer their sacrifices, using the original foundations. Its height will be ninety feet, and its width will be ninety feet.Every three layers of specially prepared stones will be topped by a layer of timber. All expenses will be paid by the royal treasury.Furthermore, the gold and silver cups, which were taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar from the Temple of God in Jerusalem, must be returned to Jerusalem and put back where they belong. Let them be taken back to the Temple of God.”So King Darius sent this message:“ Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the province west of the Euphrates River, and Shethar bozenai, and your colleagues and other officials west of the Euphrates River— stay away from there!Do not disturb the construction of the Temple of God. Let it be rebuilt on its original site, and do not hinder the governor of Judah and the elders of the Jews in their work.“ Moreover, I hereby decree that you are to help these elders of the Jews as they rebuild this Temple of God. You must pay the full construction costs, without delay, from my taxes collected in the province west of the Euphrates River so that the work will not be interrupted.“ Give the priests in Jerusalem whatever is needed in the way of young bulls, rams, and male lambs for the burnt offerings presented to the God of heaven. And without fail, provide them with as much wheat, salt, wine, and olive oil as they need each day.Then they will be able to offer acceptable sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for the welfare of the king and his sons.“ Those who violate this decree in any way will have a beam pulled from their house. Then they will be lifted up and impaled on it, and their house will be reduced to a pile of rubble.May the God who has chosen the city of Jerusalem as the place to honor his name destroy any king or nation that violates this command and destroys this Temple.“ I, Darius, have issued this decree. Let it be obeyed with all diligence.”

I also said to the king,“ If it please the king, let me have letters addressed to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, instructing them to let me travel safely through their territories on my way to Judah.And please give me a letter addressed to Asaph, the manager of the king’s forest, instructing him to give me timber. I will need it to make beams for the gates of the Temple fortress, for the city walls, and for a house for myself.” And the king granted these requests, because the gracious hand of God was on me.When I came to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, I delivered the king’s letters to them. The king, I should add, had sent along army officers and horsemen to protect me.