Translation in British English (Ezra)
1:1 At the outset of Cyrus’s reign over Persia, to fulfil Jeremiah’s prophecy through the LORD’s directive, the LORD inspired Cyrus of Persia to issue a decree across his realm, also recorded in writing, stating,
1:2 “Cyrus, king of Persia, declares: ‘The LORD, the God of the heavens, has bestowed upon me all the kingdoms of the earth and has entrusted me with constructing a temple for Him in Jerusalem, located in Judah.’
1:3 Who among you, belonging to His people? May his God be with him, and let him ascend to Jerusalem in Judah and erect the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel—the God in Jerusalem.
1:4 Let anyone remaining in any place where he resides assist him with silver, gold, goods, and livestock, along with voluntary offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.
1:5 The leaders of the families of Judah and Benjamin, the priests and the Levites, and all whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the LORD’s temple in Jerusalem.
1:6 All those around them bolstered their resolve with silverware, gold, goods, livestock, and precious items, besides all that was freely given.
1:7 Cyrus the king also retrieved the vessels of the LORD’s temple that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and placed in the temple of his gods;
1:8 Cyrus king of Persia had them brought out by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.
1:9 The tally was as follows: thirty gold dishes, a thousand silver dishes, twenty-nine knives,
1:10 thirty gold bowls, four hundred and ten silver bowls of a second kind, and a thousand other articles.
1:11 In total, the gold and silver vessels numbered five thousand four hundred. All these were brought up by Sheshbazzar, along with the exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem.
2:1 These are the inhabitants of the province who returned from the captivity of those who had been deported, whom Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had taken to Babylon and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his city;
2:2 accompanying Zerubbabel were Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah. The count of the men of the people of Israel was as follows:
2:3 The descendants of Parosh, two thousand one hundred seventy-two.
2:4 The descendants of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy-two.
2:5 The descendants of Arah, seven hundred seventy-five.
2:6 The descendants of Pahathmoab, from the lines of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and twelve.
2:7 The descendants of Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four.
2:8 The descendants of Zattu, nine hundred forty-five.
2:9 The descendants of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty.
2:10 The descendants of Bani, six hundred forty-two.
2:11 The descendants of Bebai, six hundred twenty-three.
2:12 The descendants of Azgad, one thousand two hundred twenty-two.
2:13 The descendants of Adonikam, six hundred sixty-six.
2:14 The descendants of Bigvai, two thousand fifty-six.
2:15 The descendants of Adin, four hundred fifty-four.
2:16 The descendants of Ater, from Hezekiah, ninety-eight.
2:17 The descendants of Bezai, three hundred twenty-three.
2:18 The descendants of Jorah, one hundred twelve.
2:19 The descendants of Hashum, two hundred twenty-three.
2:20 The descendants of Gibbar, ninety-five.
2:21 The inhabitants of Bethlehem, one hundred twenty-three.
2:22 The men of Netophah, fifty-six.
2:23 The men of Anathoth, one hundred twenty-eight.
2:24 The descendants of Azmaveth, forty-two.
2:25 The descendants of Kiriatharim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred forty-three.
2:26 The descendants of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty-one.
2:27 The men of Michmas, one hundred twenty-two.
2:28 The men of Bethel and Ai, two hundred twenty-three.
2:29 The descendants of Nebo, fifty-two.
2:30 The descendants of Magbish, one hundred fifty-six.
2:31 The descendants of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four.
2:32 The descendants of Harim, three hundred and twenty.
2:33 The descendants of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty-five.
2:34 The descendants of Jericho, three hundred forty-five.
2:35 The descendants of Senaah, three thousand six hundred and thirty.
2:36 The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah, from the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy-three.
2:37 The descendants of Immer, one thousand fifty-two.
2:38 The descendants of Pashur, one thousand two hundred forty-seven.
2:39 The descendants of Harim, one thousand and seventeen.
2:40 The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel, from the line of Hodaviah, seventy-four.
2:41 The singers: the descendants of Asaph, one hundred twenty-eight.
2:42 The gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, the descendants of Ater, the descendants of Talmon, the descendants of Akkub, the descendants of Hatita, the descendants of Shobai, in total one hundred thirty-nine.
2:43 The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, the descendants of Hasupha, the descendants of Tabbaoth,
2:44 The descendants of Keros, the descendants of Siaha, the descendants of Padon,
2:45 The descendants of Lebanah, the descendants of Hagabah, the descendants of Akkub,
2:46 The descendants of Hagab, the descendants of Shalmai, the descendants of Hanan,
2:47 The descendants of Giddel, the descendants of Gahar, the descendants of Reaiah,
2:48 The descendants of Rezin, the descendants of Nekoda, the descendants of Gazzam,
2:49 The descendants of Uzza, the descendants of Paseah, the descendants of Besai,
2:50 The descendants of Asnah, the descendants of the Meunites, the descendants of the Nephisites,
2:51 The descendants of Bakbuk, the descendants of Hakupha, the descendants of Harhur,
2:52 The descendants of Bazluth, the descendants of Mehida, the descendants of Harsha,
2:53 The descendants of Barkos, the descendants of Sisera, the descendants of Thamah,
2:54 The descendants of Neziah, the descendants of Hatipha.
2:55 The descendants of Solomon’s servants: the descendants of Sotai, the descendants of Sophereth, the descendants of Perida,
2:56 The descendants of Jaala, the descendants of Darkon, the descendants of Giddel,
2:57 The descendants of Shephatiah, the descendants of Hattil, the descendants of Pochereth of Zebaim, the descendants of Ami.
2:58 All the temple servants and the descendants of Solomon’s servants were three hundred ninety-two.
2:59 And these were those who ascended from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but they could not prove their families nor their lineage, whether they were of Israel:
2:60 The descendants of Delaiah, the descendants of Tobiah, the descendants of Nekoda, six hundred fifty-two.
2:61 And among the descendants of the priests: the descendants of Habaiah, the descendants of Koz, the descendants of Barzillai, who took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was named after them.
2:62 These searched their register among those counted by genealogy, but they were not found; therefore, they were deemed polluted and excluded from the priesthood.
2:63 The governor instructed them not to partake of the most holy things until a priest could consult with the Urim and Thummim.
2:64 The whole assembly numbered forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty,
2:65 besides their servants and maids, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty-seven. And among them were two hundred singers, both men and women.
2:66 Their horses numbered seven hundred thirty-six; their mules, two hundred forty-five;
2:67 their camels, four hundred thirty-five; their donkeys, six thousand seven hundred and twenty.
2:68 Upon arrival at the LORD’s temple in Jerusalem, some family heads made freewill offerings for the temple of God to rebuild it on its site.
2:69 They contributed to the work’s treasury sixty-one thousand darics of gold, five thousand minas of silver, and one hundred priestly garments.
2:70 So the priests, the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants settled in their own cities, and all Israel in their cities.
3:1 When the seventh month arrived, and the Israelites were in their cities, the people united in Jerusalem.
3:2 Jeshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his brethren, stood to construct the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings on it, as prescribed in the law of Moses, the man of God.
3:3 Despite their fear of the surrounding peoples, they set the altar on its foundations and offered burnt offerings to the LORD, morning and evening.
3:4 They also celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles as written, presenting the daily burnt offerings in the numbers required by ordinance for each day.
3:5 Afterwards, they presented the regular burnt offerings, the offerings for the new moons and for all the appointed feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and those of everyone who brought a voluntary offering to the LORD.
3:6 From the first day of the seventh month, they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, even though the foundation of the LORD’s temple had not been laid.
3:7 They gave money to the masons and carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the permission granted by Cyrus king of Persia.
3:8 In the second year of their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brothers, the priests and the Levites, and all who had come from the captivity to Jerusalem, began the work. They appointed the Levites, twenty years old and upwards, to supervise the building of the house of the LORD.
3:9 Jeshua and his sons and brothers, Kadmiel and his sons, and the sons of Judah, stood together to supervise the workers in the temple of God, along with the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers, the Levites.
3:10 When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests stood in their attire with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD according to the directions of David king of Israel.
3:11 They sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD, “For He is good, for His steadfast love toward Israel endures forever.” And all the people raised a great shout of praise to the LORD, for the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.
3:12 However, many of the priests, Levites, and family heads, who were old men and had seen the first temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy.
3:13 The people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the crowd shouted so loudly that the noise was heard far away.
4:1 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel,
4:2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of families and said, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.”
4:3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel said to them, “You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.”
4:4 Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build,
4:5 and hired advisors to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
4:6 In the reign of Ahasuerus, at the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
4:7 And in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic script and translated into Aramaic.
4:8 Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows:
4:9 Then Rehum the commanding officer, Shimshai the secretary, and their associates—the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, the Dehavites, and the Elamites,
4:10 and the other nations whom the great and noble Osnapper deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and elsewhere in the Trans-Euphrates.
4:11 This is the copy of the letter they sent to him: “To King Artaxerxes, from your servants, the men of the Trans-Euphrates.
4:12 Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations.
4:13 Let it be known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, they will not pay tribute, tax, or duty, and the royal revenues will be diminished.
4:14 Now since we eat the salt of the palace and it is not appropriate for us to see the king dishonored, we are sending this message to inform the king,
4:15 so that a search may be made in the archives of your ancestors. In these records, you will find that this city is rebellious and troublesome to kings and provinces, a place of sedition from ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed.
4:16 We inform the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are restored, you will have no possession west of the Euphrates.
4:17 The king sent a reply: “To Rehum the commanding officer, to Shimshai the secretary, and to the rest of their associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in the Trans-Euphrates, greetings.
4:18 The letter you sent us has been read and translated in my presence.
4:19 I issued an order, and a search was made, and it was found that this city has a history of rebellion against kings and has been a place of sedition and revolt.
4:20 There have been powerful kings over Jerusalem who ruled over the whole Trans-Euphrates, and tribute, tax, and duty were paid to them.
4:21 Now issue an order to these men to stop work, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order.
4:22 Be careful not to neglect this matter. Why let this threat grow, to the detriment of the royal interests?
4:23 As soon as the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, Shimshai the secretary, and their associates, they went to Jerusalem with a strong force and stopped the Jews from building by force and power.
4:24 Thus, the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
5:1 Now the prophets, Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them.
5:2 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.
5:3 At that time Tattenai, the governor of the province west of the Euphrates River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates came to them and asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and to finish this structure?”
5:4 They also asked for the names of the men responsible for this construction.
5:5 But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until a report could go to Darius and his written decision be received.
5:6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, the governor of the province west of the Euphrates River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates, the officials west of the river, sent to King Darius.
5:7 The report they sent him read as follows: To King Darius: All peace.
5:8 Let it be known to the king that we went to the district of Judah, to the temple of the great God. The people are building it with large stones and placing the timbers in the walls. The work is being carried on with diligence and is progressing in their hands.
5:9 We questioned the elders and asked them, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and to finish these walls?”
5:10 We also asked them their names so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information.
5:11 This is the answer they gave us: “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, one that a great king of Israel built and finished.
5:12 But because our ancestors angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean, king of Babylon, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon.
5:13 However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild this house of God.
5:14 He even removed from the temple of Babylon the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon. Then King Cyrus handed them over to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor,
5:15 and said to him, ‘Take these vessels, go and deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its site.’
5:16 Then this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem. From that day to the present, it has been under construction but is not yet finished.
5:17 Now, if it pleases the king, let a search be made in the royal archives, which are there in Babylon, to see whether a decree was indeed issued by King Cyrus to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem. And let the king send us his decision in this matter.
6:1 Then King Darius issued a decree, and a search was made in the archives stored in the treasury at Babylon.
6:2 A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media, and it contained a record as follows:
6:3 In the first year of King Cyrus, Cyrus the king issued a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem: Let the house be rebuilt, the place where sacrifices are offered, and let its foundations be firmly laid; its height to be sixty cubits and its width sixty cubits,
6:4 with three courses of large stones and one course of new timber. The cost is to be paid from the royal treasury.
6:5 Also, let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and returned to the temple in Jerusalem, each to its place. You are to place them in the house of God.
6:6 Now then, Tattenai, governor of the province west of the Euphrates River, Shethar-bozenai, and your associates, the officials west of the river, keep away from there.
6:7 Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its site.
6:8 Moreover, I hereby issue a decree regarding what you are to do for these elders of the Jews in the construction of this house of God: The full cost is to be paid to these men from the royal revenue, from the taxes of the province west of the Euphrates River, so that the work is not to be interrupted.
6:9 Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem—must be given to them daily without fail,
6:10 so that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons.
6:11 Furthermore, I decree that if anyone alters this edict, a beam is to be pulled from his house, and he is to be impaled on it, and his house is to be made a pile of rubble for this.
6:12 May the God who has caused His name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who lift a hand to alter this decree or to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued the decree; let it be carried out with diligence.
6:13 Then, because of the decree King Darius had sent, Tattenai, the governor of the province west of the Euphrates River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates carried it out diligently.
6:14 So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia.
6:15 The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.
6:16 Then the Israelites, the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the exiles, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.
6:17 For the dedication of this house of God, they offered one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, one for each tribe of Israel.
6:18 They installed the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their groups for the service of God at Jerusalem, as written in the Book of Moses.
6:19 The exiles observed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.
6:20 The priests and Levites had purified themselves as one, all of them were clean, and they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves.
6:21 The Israelites who had returned from exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the impurities of the nations of the land to seek the LORD, the God of Israel.
6:22 They celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days with joy, for the LORD had made them joyful and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
7:1 After these events, during the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah,
7:2 son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub,
7:3 son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth,
7:4 son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki,
7:5 son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest—
7:6 this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given. The king granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him.
7:7 Some of the Israelites, including priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants, went up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.
7:8 Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king.
7:9 He had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him.
7:10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, to practise it, and to teach its decrees and laws in Israel.
7:11 This is the text of the letter King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, an expert in the matters of the LORD’s commandments and statutes for Israel:
7:12 “Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Scripture of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at this time.
7:13 I decree that any of the people of Israel in my kingdom, including priests and Levites, who wish to go to Jerusalem with you, are permitted to do so.
7:14 As you are sent by the king and his seven advisers to investigate matters in Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which you carry with you,
7:15 and to deliver the silver and gold, which the king and his advisers have freely donated to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,
7:16 together with all the silver and gold you may find in the entire province of Babylon, along with the freewill offerings of the people and priests, which are given willingly for the temple of their God in Jerusalem,
7:17 you are therefore to promptly purchase with this money bulls, rams, lambs, along with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and offer them on the altar of the temple of your God in Jerusalem.
7:18 You and your fellow Jews may then use what remains of the silver and gold according to the will of your God.
7:19 Deliver the utensils that have been given to you for the service of the temple of your God in Jerusalem.
7:20 And anything else needed for the temple of your God that you are required to supply, provide it from the royal treasury.
7:21 I, King Artaxerxes, have decreed to all the treasurers beyond the river that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, requires of you, it is to be done with all diligence,
7:22 up to a hundred talents of silver, a hundred cors of wheat, a hundred baths of wine, a hundred baths of oil, and salt without limit.
7:23 Everything that the God of heaven has commanded must be carried out with care for the house of the God of heaven, lest his wrath be against the realm of the king and his sons.
7:24 We also inform you that it is not permitted to impose tax, tribute, or toll on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants, or other workers at this house of God.
7:25 And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that you possess, appoint magistrates and judges to judge all the people in the province Beyond the River who know the laws of your God; and those who do not know them, you shall teach.
7:26 Whoever does not obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed on him strictly, whether for death, banishment, confiscation of goods, or imprisonment.
7:27 Blessed be the LORD, the God of our ancestors, who put such a thing into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the LORD in Jerusalem,
7:28 and who has extended kindness to me before the king and his advisers, and before all the king’s mighty officials. I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.
8:1 Here are the heads of their families, and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylon, during the reign of King Artaxerxes:
8:2 Of the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom; of the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel; of the descendants of David, Hattush;
8:3 of the descendants of Shecaniah; of the descendants of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him were registered by genealogy 150 males.
8:4 Of the descendants of Pahath-Moab, Elihoenai son of Zerahiah, and with him 200 males.
8:5 Of the descendants of Shecaniah, the son of Jahaziel, and with him 300 males.
8:6 Of the descendants also of Adin, Ebed son of Jonathan, and with him 50 males.
8:7 And of the descendants of Elam, Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, and with him 70 males.
8:8 Of the descendants of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of Michael, and with him 80 males.
8:9 Of the descendants of Joab, Obadiah son of Jehiel, and with him 218 males.
8:10 Of the descendants of Shelomith, the son of Josiphiah, and with him 160 males.
8:11 Of the descendants of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him 28 males.
8:12 Of the descendants of Azgad, Johanan son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 males.
8:13 Of the last descendants of Adonikam, whose names are Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them 60 males.
8:14 Of the descendants also of Bigvai, Uthai, and Zabbud, and with them 70 males.
8:15 I assembled them at the river that runs to Ahava, and there we camped for three days. As I reviewed the people and the priests, I found there were no Levites.
8:16 Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, leaders, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of insight.
8:17 I sent them to Iddo, the leader in Casiphia, telling them what to say to Iddo and his kinsmen, the temple servants in Casiphia, to bring us attendants for the house of our God.
8:18 Due to the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of insight from the descendants of Mahli, son of Levi, son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, with his sons and brothers, 18 in total;
8:19 and Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, his brothers and their sons, 20 in total;
8:20 and of the temple servants, whom David and the officials had appointed for the service of the Levites, 220 temple servants. All of them were listed by name.
8:21 Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our possessions.
8:22 For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, because we had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.”
8:23 So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.
8:24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers with them,
8:25 and I weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the vessels, the offering for the house of our God that the king, his advisers, his lords, and all Israel present had offered.
8:26 I weighed into their hands 650 talents of silver, and silver vessels worth 100 talents; 100 talents of gold,
8:27 20 gold bowls worth 1,000 darics, and two vessels of fine bright bronze, as precious as gold.
8:28 And I said to them, “You are holy to the LORD, and the vessels are holy, and the silver and gold are a freewill offering to the LORD, the God of your fathers.
8:29 Guard them and keep them until you weigh them before the chief priests and Levites and heads of families of Israel at Jerusalem, within the chambers of the house of the LORD.”
8:30 So the priests and the Levites took over the silver, the gold, and the vessels, as they were weighed out, to bring them to Jerusalem 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 Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way.
8:32 And we came to Jerusalem, and there we rested for three days.
8:33 On the fourth day, within the house of our God, the silver and the gold and the vessels were weighed into the hands of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas, and with them were Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui, the Levites.
8:34 By number and by weight of every item, and all the weight was recorded at that time.
8:35 The exiles who had returned from captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, and 12 male goats for a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD.
8:36 They delivered the king’s orders to the king’s satraps and to the governors of the province Beyond the River, and they supported the people and the house of God.
9:1 After these things had been done, the leaders approached me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and Levites, have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
9:2 For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy race has mixed with the peoples of the lands. Indeed, the hand of the leaders and rulers has been foremost in this trespass.
9:3 When I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard, and sat appalled.
9:4 Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the unfaithfulness of the returned exiles, gathered around me while I sat appalled until the evening sacrifice.
9:5 At the evening sacrifice, I rose from my self-abasement, with my garment and my cloak torn, and fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the LORD my God,
9:6 and said, “O my God, I am too ashamed and disgraced to lift up my face to you, my God, because our iniquities are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens.
9:7 From the days of our ancestors until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our iniquities, we, our kings, and our priests have been handed over to the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as is the case today.
9:8 But now, for a brief moment, favour has been shown by the LORD our God, who has left us a remnant and given us a secure hold within his holy place, that our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery.
9:9 For we are slaves, yet in our slavery our God has not forsaken us but has extended kindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.
9:10 And now, O our God, what can we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments,
9:11 which you commanded by your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land you are entering to possess is a land unclean through the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, through their abominations which have filled it from end to end with their impurity.
9:12 Therefore, do not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity, 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 has come upon us for our evil deeds and our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserve and have given us such a remnant as this,
9:14 shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples committing these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you had consumed us, so that there would be no remnant or survivor?
9:15 O LORD God of Israel, you are righteous, for we are left a remnant that has escaped, as it is today. Here we are before you in our guilt, though no one can stand before you because of this.”
10:1 While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a very large assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him from Israel, for the people wept bitterly.
10:2 Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, of the descendants of Elam, addressed Ezra, saying, “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this.
10:3 Therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to send away all these women and their children, according to the advice of my lord and of those who tremble at the command of our God; let it be done according to the Law.
10:4 Arise, for this matter is your responsibility, but we will support you. Be courageous and act.”
10:5 Ezra then stood up and made the leading priests, Levites, and all Israel, take an oath that they would do according to this word. So they took the oath.
10:6 Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. While he was there, he did not eat bread or drink water because he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.
10:7 A proclamation was issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the descendants of the captivity that they should assemble at Jerusalem,
10:8 and that anyone who did not come within three days, according to the decision of the officials and the elders, all his property would be forfeited, and he himself would be excluded from the assembly of the exiles.
10:9 So all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month. All the people sat in the square before the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of the heavy rain.
10:10 Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful and have married foreign women, adding to the guilt of Israel.
10:11 Now, make confession to the LORD, the God of your ancestors, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.”
10:12 Then all the assembly responded with a loud voice, “Yes, we must do as you have said.
10:13 But the people are many, and it is the rainy season; we cannot stand outside. Nor is this a task for one day or two, for we have greatly transgressed in this matter.
10:14 Let our officials represent the entire assembly; then let everyone in our towns who has married a foreign woman come at appointed times, along with the elders and judges of each town, until the fierce wrath of our God over this matter is turned away from us.”
10:15 Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah opposed this, with Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supporting them.
10:16 Then the descendants of the captivity did so. Ezra the priest selected men who were family heads, one from each family division, and all of them by name. On the first day of the tenth month, they sat down to investigate the matter.
10:17 By the first day of the first month, they had dealt with all the men who had married foreign women.
10:18 Among the descendants of the priests who had married foreign women were found: of the descendants of Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.
10:19 They pledged to send away their wives, and their guilt offering was a ram from the flock for their guilt.
10:20 Of the descendants of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah.
10:21 Of the descendants of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah.
10:22 Of the descendants of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
10:23 Among the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.
10:24 Of the singers: Eliashib. Of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
10:25 And of Israel: of the descendants of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah.
10:26 Of the descendants of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah.
10:27 Of the descendants of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza.
10:28 Of the descendants of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.
10:29 Of the descendants of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth.
10:30 Of the descendants of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel, Binnui, and Manasseh.
10:31 Of the descendants of Harim: Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,
10:32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.
10:33 Of the descendants of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.
10:34 Of the descendants of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel,
10:35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh,
10:36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,
10:37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu,
10:38 and Bani, Binnui, Shimei,
10:39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah,
10:40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
10:41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,
10:42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.
10:43 Of the descendants of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.
10:44 All these had married foreign women, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.
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