1:7 vessels. When Nebuchadnezzar had plundered the temple at Jerusalem, the empire of Babylon was at its height. In the meantime, however, the Persian empire had defeated the Babylonians and was now preeminent in the world. It is noteworthy that, although Cyrus had his own “gods,” he had somehow come to recognize the true “God of heaven” (Ezra 1:2), and acknowledged that “He is the God” (Ezra 1:3).