The Berean Pursuit
In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as follows:
"This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:
'The LORD, the God of heaven, who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for Him at Jerusalem in Judah.
Whoever among you belongs to His people, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the LORD, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem. And let every survivor, wherever he lives, be assisted by the men of that region with silver, gold, goods, and livestock, along with a freewill offering for the house of God in Jerusalem.'?"
So the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites-everyone whose spirit God had stirred-prepared to go up and rebuild the house of the LORD in Jerusalem.
And all their neighbors supported them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuables, in addition to all their freewill offerings.
King Cyrus also brought out the articles belonging to the house of the LORD that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the temple of his gods. Cyrus king of Persia had them brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. This was the inventory:
30 gold dishes,
1,000 silver dishes,
29 silver utensils,
30 gold bowls,
410 matching silver bowls,
and 1,000 other articles.
In all, there were 5,400 gold and silver articles. Sheshbazzar brought all these along when the exiles went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.
Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar its king. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, accompanied by Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.
This is the count of the men of Israel:
the descendants of Parosh, 2,172;
the descendants of Shephatiah, 372;
the descendants of Arah, 775;
the descendants of Pahath-moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab), 2,812;
the descendants of Elam, 1,254;
the descendants of Zattu, 945;
the descendants of Zaccai, 760;
the descendants of Bani, 642;
the descendants of Bebai, 623;
the descendants of Azgad, 1,222;
the descendants of Adonikam, 666;
the descendants of Bigvai, 2,056;
the descendants of Adin, 454;
the descendants of Ater (through Hezekiah), 98;
the descendants of Bezai, 323;
the descendants of Jorah, 112;
the descendants of Hashum, 223;
the descendants of Gibbar, 95;
the men of Bethlehem, 123;
the men of Netophah, 56;
the men of Anathoth, 128;
the descendants of Azmaveth, 42;
the men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743;
the men of Ramah and Geba, 621;
the men of Michmash, 122;
the men of Bethel and Ai, 223;
the descendants of Nebo, 52;
the descendants of Magbish, 156;
the descendants of the other Elam, 1,254;
the descendants of Harim, 320;
the men of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 725;
the men of Jericho, 345;
and the descendants of Senaah, 3,630.
The priests:
The descendants of Jedaiah (through the house of Jeshua), 973;
the descendants of Immer, 1,052;
the descendants of Pashhur, 1,247;
and the descendants of Harim, 1,017.
The Levites:
the descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel (through the line of Hodaviah), 74.
The singers:
the descendants of Asaph, 128.
The gatekeepers:
the descendants of Shallum,
the descendants of Ater,
the descendants of Talmon,
the descendants of Akkub,
the descendants of Hatita,
and the descendants of Shobai,
139 in all.
The temple servants:
the descendants of Ziha,
the descendants of Hasupha,
the descendants of Tabbaoth,
the descendants of Keros,
the descendants of Siaha,
the descendants of Padon,
the descendants of Lebanah,
the descendants of Hagabah,
the descendants of Akkub,
the descendants of Hagab,
the descendants of Shalmai,
the descendants of Hanan,
the descendants of Giddel,
the descendants of Gahar,
the descendants of Reaiah,
the descendants of Rezin,
the descendants of Nekoda,
the descendants of Gazzam,
the descendants of Uzza,
the descendants of Paseah,
the descendants of Besai,
the descendants of Asnah,
the descendants of Meunim,
the descendants of Nephusim,
the descendants of Bakbuk,
the descendants of Hakupha,
the descendants of Harhur,
the descendants of Bazluth,
the descendants of Mehida,
the descendants of Harsha,
the descendants of Barkos,
the descendants of Sisera,
the descendants of Temah,
the descendants of Neziah,
and the descendants of Hatipha.
The descendants of the servants of Solomon:
the descendants of Sotai,
the descendants of Sophereth,
the descendants of Peruda,
the descendants of Jaala,
the descendants of Darkon,
the descendants of Giddel,
the descendants of Shephatiah,
the descendants of Hattil,
the descendants of Pochereth-hazzebaim,
and the descendants of Ami.
The temple servants and descendants of the servants of Solomon numbered 392 in all.
The following came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, but could not prove that their families were descended from Israel:
the descendants of Delaiah,
the descendants of Tobiah,
and the descendants of Nekoda,
652 in all.
And from among the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah,
the descendants of Hakkoz,
and the descendants of Barzillai (who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name).
These men searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. The governor ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest to consult the Urim and Thummim.
The whole assembly numbered 42,360, in addition to their 7,337 menservants and maidservants, as well as their 200 male and female singers. They had 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
When they arrived at the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, some of the heads of the families gave freewill offerings to rebuild the house of God on its original site. According to their ability, they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priestly garments.
So the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants, along with some of the people, settled in their own towns; and the rest of the Israelites settled in their towns.
Later, by the Sea of Tiberias, Jesus again revealed Himself to the disciples. He made Himself known in this way: Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. Simon Peter told them, "I am going fishing."
"We will go with you," they said. So they went out and got into the boat, but caught nothing that night.
Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not recognize that it was Jesus. So He called out to them, "Children, do you have any fish?"
"No," they answered.
He told them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it there, and they were unable to haul it in because of the great number of fish.
Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it) and jumped into the sea. The other disciples came ashore in the boat. They dragged in the net full of fish, for they were not far from land, only about a hundred yards.
When they landed, they saw a charcoal fire there with fish on it, and some bread.
Jesus told them, "Bring some of the fish you have just caught." So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many, the net was not torn.
"Come, have breakfast," Jesus said to them. None of the disciples dared to ask Him, "Who are You?" They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and He did the same with the fish.
This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after He was raised from the dead.
When they had finished eating, Jesus asked Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?"
"Yes, Lord," he answered, "You know I love You."
Jesus replied, "Feed My lambs."
Jesus asked a second time, "Simon son of John, do you love Me?"
"Yes, Lord," he answered, "You know I love You."
Jesus told him, "Shepherd My sheep."
Jesus asked a third time, "Simon son of John, do you love Me?"
Peter was deeply hurt that Jesus had asked him a third time, "Do you love Me?"
"Lord, You know all things," he replied. "You know I love You."
Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep.
Truly, truly, I tell you, when you were young, you dressed yourself and walked where you wanted; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.
And after He had said this, He told him, "Follow Me."
Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them. He was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper to ask, "Lord, who is going to betray You?" When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?"
Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain until I return, what is that to you? You follow Me!" Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. However, Jesus did not say that he would not die, but only, "If I want him to remain until I return, what is that to you?"
This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who has written them down. And we know that his testimony is true.
There are many more things that Jesus did. If all of them were written down, I suppose that not even the world itself would have space for the books that would be written.