Ezra 1:4
And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem. And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.
Ezra 1:4 is part of Cyrus's decree permitting the Jews in exile to return to Jerusalem, authorizing the first company to go up under Zerubbabel and Joshua about seventy years before the return under Ezra. Those who remained in any place where the exiles sojourned were to help those returning to Jerusalem with silver and gold and goods and beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God in Jerusalem. The help was to come from those who stayed behind in the places where the exiles lived, with both practical gifts for the journey and voluntary offerings for God's house.
Nearly fifty thousand returned, but they were only a remnant of the exiles. Most of the Israelites scattered through the Persian provinces chose to remain in exile rather than face the hardships of the journey and of rebuilding their homes, yet even those who did not return themselves were to support the restoration of the temple and its services by their gifts. The decree thus provided practical and material support for the return, for building a house of worship in Jerusalem, for restoring the temple and its services, and for reestablishing the people in their Judean homes.
The verse shows God directing the deliverance from Babylonian captivity through Cyrus's proclamation, moving Cyrus to free the Jewish people and provide what they needed to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. In this God placed the wealth and power of empires at the disposal of His purposes. After seventy years of captivity in Babylon, this provision enabled the Jews to return and gave them another opportunity to serve God in their own country, showing God's forbearance toward His wayward people.
The rebuilding begun under Cyrus was continued by his successor. God's moving of Cyrus to help the returned exiles rebuild the temple was a remarkable act of mercy that should have called forth profound gratitude.