Ezra, starting at chapter 7
{7:1} Now after these things, in the reign of Artachshasta king of
Paras, Ezra the son of Serayah, the son of `Azaryah, the son of
Hilkiyah, {7:2} the son of Shallum, the son of Tzadok, the son of
Achituv, {7:3} the son of Amaryah, the son of `Azaryah, the son of
Merayot, {7:4} the son of Zerachyah, the son of `Uzzi, the son of
Bukki, {7:5} the son of Avishua, the son of Pinechas, the son of
El`azar, the son of Aharon the chief [1>]Kohen[<1]; {7:6} this Ezra
went up from Bavel: and he was a ready [2>]Sofer[<2] in the law of
Moshe, which the LORD, the God of Yisra'el, had given; and the king
granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God
on him. {7:7} There went up some of the children of Yisra'el, and of
the [3>]Kohanim[<3], and the Levites, and the singers, and the
porters, and the temple servants, to Yerushalayim, in the seventh year
of Artachshasta the king. {7:8} He came to Yerushalayim in the fifth
month, which was in the seventh year of the king. {7:9} For on the
first [day] of the first month began he to go up from Bavel; and on
the first [day] of the fifth month came he to Yerushalayim, according
to the good hand of his God on him. {7:10} For Ezra had set his heart
to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Yisra'el
statutes and ordinances. {7:11} Now this is the copy of the letter
that the king Artachshasta gave to Ezra the [4>]Kohen[<4], the
[5>]Sofer[<5], even the [6>]Sofer[<6] of the words of the
[7>]mitzvot[<7] of the LORD, and of his statutes to Yisra'el: {7:12}
Artachshasta, king of kings, to Ezra the [8>]Kohen[<8], the
[9>]Sofer[<9] of the law of the God of heaven, perfect and so forth.
{7:13} I make a decree, that all those of the people of Yisra'el, and
their [10>]Kohanim[<10] and the Levites, in my realm, who are minded
of their own free will to go to Yerushalayim, go with you. {7:14}
Because you are sent of the king and his seven counselors, to inquire
concerning Yehudah and Yerushalayim, according to the law of your God
which is in your hand, {7:15} and to carry the silver and gold, which
the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of
Yisra'el, whose habitation is in Yerushalayim, {7:16} and all the
silver and gold that you shall find in all the province of Bavel, with
the freewill-offering of the people, and of the [11>]Kohanim[<11],
offering willingly for the house of their God which is in
Yerushalayim; {7:17} therefore you shall with all diligence buy with
this money bulls, rams, lambs, with their meal-offerings and their
drink-offerings, and shall offer them on the altar of the house of
your God which is in Yerushalayim. {7:18} Whatever shall seem good to
you and to your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and the
gold, that do you after the will of your God. {7:19} The vessels that
are given you for the service of the house of your God, deliver you
before the God of Yerushalayim. {7:20} Whatever more shall be needful
for the house of your God, which you shall have occasion to bestow,
bestow it out of the king's treasure-house. {7:21} I, even I
Artachshasta the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers who are
beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the [12>]Kohen[<12], the
[13>]Sofer[<13] of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you,
it be done with all diligence, {7:22} to one hundred talents of
silver, and to one hundred measures of wheat, and to one hundred baths
of wine, and to one hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing
how much. {7:23} Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be
done exactly for the house of the God of heaven; for why should there
be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons? {7:24} Also we
inform you, that touching any of the [14>]Kohanim[<14] and Levites,
the singers, porters, temple servants, or servants of this house of
God, it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll, on
them. {7:25} You, Ezra, after the wisdom of your God who is in your
hand, appoint magistrates and judges, who may judge all the people who
are beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God; and teach
you him who doesn't know them. {7:26} Whoever will not do the law of
your God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed on him
with all diligence, whether it be to death, or to banishment, or to
confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment. {7:27} Blessed be the LORD,
the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king's
heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Yerushalayim;
{7:28} and has extended loving kindness to me before the king, and his
counselors, and before all the king's mighty princes. I was
strengthened according to the hand of the LORD my God on me, and I
gathered together out of Yisra'el chief men to go up with me.
{8:1} Now these are the heads of their fathers' [houses], and this
is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Bavel, in the reign
of Artachshasta the king: {8:2} Of the sons of Pinechas, Gershom. Of
the sons of Itamar, Daniyel. Of the sons of David, Hattush. {8:3} Of
the sons of Shekhanyahu, of the sons of Par`osh, Zekharyah; and with
him were reckoned by genealogy of the males one hundred fifty. {8:4}
Of the sons of Pachat-Mo'av, Elyeho`enai the son of Zerachyah; and
with him two hundred males. {8:5} Of the sons of Shekhanyahu, the son
of Yachazi'el; and with him three hundred males. {8:6} Of the sons of
`Adin, `Eved the son of Yonatan; and with him fifty males. {8:7} Of
the sons of `Elam, Yesha`yah the son of `Atalyah; and with him seventy
males. {8:8} Of the sons of Shefatyah, Zevadyah the son of Mikha'el;
and with him eighty males. {8:9} Of the sons of Yo'av, `Ovadyah the
son of Yechi'el; and with him two hundred and eighteen males. {8:10}
Of the sons of Shelomit, the son of Yosifyah; and with him one hundred
sixty males. {8:11} Of the sons of Bevai, Zekharyah the son of Bevai;
and with him twenty-eight males. {8:12} Of the sons of Azgad, Yochanan
the son of Katan; and with him one hundred ten males. {8:13} Of the
sons of Adonikam, [who were] the last; and these are their names:
Elifelet, Ye`u'el, and Shemayah; and with them sixty males. {8:14} Of
the sons of Bigvai, `Utai and Zakkur; and with them seventy males.
{8:15} I gathered them together to the river that runs to Ahava; and
there we encamped three days: and I viewed the people, and the
[1>]Kohanim[<1], and found there none of the sons of Levi. {8:16} Then
sent I for Eli`ezer, for Ari'el, for Shemayah, and for Elnatan, and
for Yariv, and for Elnatan, and for Natan, and for Zekharyah, and for
Meshullam, chief men; also for Yoiariv, and for Elnatan, who were
teachers. {8:17} I sent them forth to `Iddo the chief at the place
Kasifyah; and I told them what they should tell `Iddo, [and] his
brothers the temple servants, at the place Kasifyah, that they should
bring to us ministers for the house of our God. {8:18} According to
the good hand of our God on us they brought us a man of discretion, of
the sons of Machli, the son of Levi, the son of Yisra'el; and
Sherevyah, with his sons and his brothers, eighteen; {8:19} and
Hashavyah, and with him Yesha`yah of the sons of Merari, his brothers
and their sons, twenty; {8:20} and of the temple servants, whom David
and the princes had given for the service of the Levites, two hundred
and twenty temple servants: all of them were mentioned by name. {8:21}
Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might
humble ourselves before our God, to seek of him a straight way for us,
and for our little ones, and for all our substance. {8:22} For I was
ashamed to ask of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us
against the enemy in the way, because we had spoken to the king,
saying, The hand of our God is on all those who seek him, for good;
but his power and his wrath is against all those who forsake him.
{8:23} So we fasted and begged our God for this: and he was entreated
of us. {8:24} Then I set apart twelve of the chiefs of the
[2>]Kohanim[<2], even Sherevyah, Hashavyah, and ten of their brothers
with them, {8:25} and weighed to them the silver, and the gold, and
the vessels, even the offering for the house of our God, which the
king, and his counselors, and his princes, and all Yisra'el there
present, had offered: {8:26} I weighed into their hand six hundred
fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels one hundred talents; of
gold one hundred talents; {8:27} and twenty bowls of gold, of one
thousand darics; and two vessels of fine bright brass, precious as
gold. {8:28} I said to them, You are holy to the LORD, and the vessels
are holy; and the silver and the gold are a freewill-offering to the
LORD, the God of your fathers. {8:29} Watch you, and keep them, until
you weigh them before the chiefs of the [3>]Kohanim[<3] and the
Levites, and the princes of the fathers' [houses] of Yisra'el, at
Yerushalayim, in the chambers of the house of the LORD. {8:30} So the
[4>]Kohanim[<4] and the Levites received the weight of the silver and
the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Yerushalayim to the house
of our God. {8:31} Then we departed from the river Ahava on the
twelfth [day] of the first month, to go to Yerushalayim: and the hand
of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy
and the bandit by the way. {8:32} We came to Yerushalayim, and abode
there three days. {8:33} On the fourth day the silver and the gold and
the vessels were weighed in the house of our God into the hand of
Meremot the son of Uriyah the [5>]Kohen[<5]; and with him was El`azar
the son of Pinechas; and with them was Yozavad the son of Yeshua, and
No`adyah the son of Binnui, the Levite; {8:34} the whole by number and
by weight: and all the weight was written at that time. {8:35} The
children of the captivity, who had come out of exile, offered burnt
offerings to the God of Yisra'el, twelve bulls for all Yisra'el,
ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and twelve male goats for a
sin-offering: all this was a burnt offering to the LORD. {8:36} They
delivered the king's commissions to the king's satraps, and to the
governors beyond the River: and they furthered the people and the
house of God.
{9:1} Now when these things were done, the princes drew near to me,
saying, The people of Yisra'el, and the [1>]Kohanim[<1] and the
Levites, have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands,
[doing] according to their abominations, even of the Kana`anim, the
Hitti, the Perizzi, the Yevusi, the `Ammonim, the Mo`avim, the
Mitzrim, and the Amori. {9:2} For they have taken of their daughters
for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy seed have mixed
themselves with the peoples of the lands: yes, the hand of the princes
and rulers has been chief in this trespass. {9:3} When I heard this
thing, I tore my garment and my robe, and plucked off the hair of my
head and of my beard, and sat down confounded. {9:4} Then were
assembled to me everyone who trembled at the words of the God of
Yisra'el, because of the trespass of them of the captivity; and I sat
confounded until the evening offering. {9:5} At the evening offering I
arose up from my humiliation, even with my garment and my robe torn;
and I fell on my knees, and spread out my hands to the LORD my God;
{9:6} and I said, my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to
you, my God; for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our
guiltiness is grown up to the heavens. {9:7} Since the days of our
fathers we have been exceeding guilty to this day; and for our
iniquities have we, our kings, and our [2>]Kohanim[<2], been delivered
into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity,
and to plunder, and to confusion of face, as it is this day. {9:8} Now
for a little moment grace has been shown from the LORD our God, to
leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place,
that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in
our bondage. {9:9} For we are bondservants; yet our God has not
forsaken us in our bondage, but has extended loving kindness to us in
the sight of the kings of Paras, to give us a reviving, to set up the
house of our God, and to repair the ruins of it, and to give us a wall
in Yehudah and in Yerushalayim. {9:10} Now, our God, what shall we say
after this? for we have forsaken your [3>]mitzvot[<3], {9:11} which
you have commanded by your servants the prophets, saying, The land, to
which you go to possess it, is an unclean land through the uncleanness
of the peoples of the lands, through their abominations, which have
filled it from one end to another with their filthiness: {9:12} now
therefore don't give your daughters to their sons, neither take their
daughters to your sons, nor seek their shalom or their prosperity
forever; that you may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and
leave it for an inheritance to your children forever. {9:13} After all
that is come on us for our evil deeds, and for our great guilt, seeing
that you our God have punished us less than our iniquities deserve,
and have given us such a remnant, {9:14} shall we again break your
[4>]mitzvot[<4], and join in affinity with the peoples that do these
abominations? would not you be angry with us until you had consumed
us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape? {9:15}
LORD, the God of Yisra'el, you are righteous; for we are left a
remnant that is escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before you
in our guiltiness; for none can stand before you because of this.
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Footnotes:
[1] {7:5} priest
[2] {7:6} scribe
[3] {7:7} priests
[4] {7:11} priest
[5] {7:11} scribe
[6] {7:11} scribe
[7] {7:11} commandments
[8] {7:12} priest
[9] {7:12} scribe
[10] {7:13} priests
[11] {7:16} priests
[12] {7:21} priest
[13] {7:21} scribe
[14] {7:24} priests
[1] {8:15} priests
[2] {8:24} priests
[3] {8:29} priests
[4] {8:30} priests
[5] {8:33} priest
[1] {9:1} priests
[2] {9:7} priests
[3] {9:10} commandments
[4] {9:14} commandments
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