The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday August 5, 2022 (NIV)

Cyrus Helps the Exiles to Return^(A)

1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah,^(B) the Lord moved the heart^(C) of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:

⁵ Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin,^(K) and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved^(L)—prepared to go up and build the house^(M) of the Lord in Jerusalem. ⁶ All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold,^(N) with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings.

⁷ Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god.^{[a](O) 8} Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar^(P) the prince of Judah.

⁹ This was the inventory:

gold dishes	30
silver dishes	1,000
silver pans[b]	29
10 gold bowls	30
matching silver bowls	410
other articles	1,000

¹¹ In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and of silver. Sheshbazzar brought all these along with the exiles when they came up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

The List of the Exiles Who Returned^(Q)

2 Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles,^(R) whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon^(S) had taken captive to Babylon (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to their own town,^{(T) 2} in company with Zerubbabel,^(U) Joshua,^(V) Nehemiah, Seraiah,^(W) Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah):

3 the descendants of Parosh(X)	2,172
4 of Shephatiah	372
5 of Arah	775
6 of Pahath-Moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab)	2,812
7 of Elam	1,254
8 of Zattu	945
9 of Zakkai	760
10 of Bani	642
11 of Bebai	623
12 of Azgad	1,222
13 of Adonikam(Y)	666
14 of Bigvai	2,056
15 of Adin	454
16 of Ater (through Hezekiah)	98
17 of Bezai	323
18 of Jorah	112
19 of Hashum	223
20 of Gibbar	95

21 the men of Bethlehem(Z)	123
22 of Netophah	56
23 of Anathoth	128
24 of Azmaveth	42
25 of Kiriath Jearim,[c] Kephirah and Beeroth	743
26 of Ramah(AA) and Geba	621
27 of Mikmash	122
28 of Bethel and Ai(AB)	223
29 of Nebo	52
30 of Magbish	156
31 of the other Elam	1,254
32 of Harim	320
33 of Lod, Hadid and Ono	725
34 of Jericho(AC)	345
35 of Senaah	3,630

the descendants of Jedaiah(AD) (through the family of Jeshua)	973
37 of Immer(AE)	1,052
38 of Pashhur(AF)	1,247
39 of Harim(AG)	1,017

the descendants of Jeshua(AI) and Kadmiel (of the line of Hodaviah)

74

the descendants of Asaph

128

the descendants of
Shallum, Ater, Talmon,
Akkub, Hatita and Shobai	139

the descendants of

Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,

44 Keros, Siaha, Padon,

45 Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub,

46 Hagab, Shalmai, Hanan,

47 Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah,

48 Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam,

49 Uzza, Paseah, Besai,

50 Asnah, Meunim, Nephusim,

51 Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,

52 Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,

53 Barkos, Sisera, Temah,

54 Neziah and Hatipha

the descendants of

Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda,

56 Jaala, Darkon, Giddel,

57 Shephatiah, Hattil,

Pokereth-Hazzebaim and Ami

58 The temple servants(AM) and the descendants of the servants of Solomon

392

60 The descendants of
Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda	652

The descendants of

Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai (a man who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite(AO) and was called by that name).

⁶⁸ When they arrived at the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, some of the heads of the families^(AU) gave freewill offerings toward the rebuilding of the house of God on its site. ⁶⁹ According to their ability they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 darics^[d] of gold, 5,000 minas^[e] of silver and 100 priestly garments.

⁷⁰ The priests, the Levites, the musicians, the gatekeepers and the temple servants settled in their own towns, along with some of the other people, and the rest of the Israelites settled in their towns.^(AV)

Christ Crucified Is God’s Power and Wisdom

¹⁸ For the message of the cross is foolishness^(A) to those who are perishing,^(B) but to us who are being saved^(C) it is the power of God.^{(D) 19} For it is written:

²⁰ Where is the wise person?^(F) Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age?^(G) Has not God made foolish^(H) the wisdom of the world? ²¹ For since in the wisdom of God the world^(I) through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save^(J) those who believe.^{(K) 22} Jews demand signs^(L) and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified:^(M) a stumbling block^(N) to Jews and foolishness^(O) to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those whom God has called,^(P) both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God^(Q) and the wisdom of God.^{(R) 25} For the foolishness^(S) of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness^(T) of God is stronger than human strength.

²⁶ Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called.^(U) Not many of you were wise^(V) by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose^(W) the foolish^(X) things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not^(Y)—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him.^{(Z) 30} It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus,^(AA) who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness,^(AB) holiness^(AC) and redemption.^{(AD) 31} Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”^[b](AE)

2 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom^(AF) as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.^{[c] 2} For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.^{(AG) 3} I came to you^(AH) in weakness^(AI) with great fear and trembling.^{(AJ) 4} My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words,^(AK) but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,^{(AL) 5} so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.^(AM)