Ezra 2:1
Now these are the children of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city;
The verse records the going up out of captivity to Jerusalem and Judah of those whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away to Babylon, a return made under the decree of Cyrus restoring Israel to its homeland. About fifty thousand exiles made this return, under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua. Those who returned were only a remnant of the Israelites scattered throughout Medo-Persia. Many chose to remain in captivity rather than return to help restore the temple services.