1 In the first year of King Cyrus+ of Persia, in order that Jehovah’s word spoken by Jeremiah+ would be fulfilled, Jehovah stirred the spirit of King Cyrus of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his kingdom, which he also put in writing,+ saying:

12 He will raise up a signal* for the nations and gather the dispersed ones of Israel,+ and he will gather together the scattered ones of Judah from the four corners of the earth.+

22 This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah says: