Ezra 7
1 Now after this, during the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra came up from Babylon. Ezra's ancestors were Seraiah, Azariah, Hilkiah,
Now, after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra, —son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah;
2 Shallum, Zadok, Ahitub,
son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub;
3 Amariah, Azariah, Meraioth,
son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth;
4 Zerahiah, Uzzi, Bukki,
son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki;
5 Abishua, Phinehas, Eleazar, who was son of Aaron the high priest.
son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eliazar, son of Aaron the first priest; —
6 Ezra came up from Babylon and he was a skilled scribe in the law of Moses that Yahweh, the God of Israel, had given. The king gave him anything he asked since the hand of Yahweh was with him.
this Ezra, came up out of Babylon, he, being a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which Yahweh God of Israel had given, —and the king gave him, according to the hand of Yahweh his God upon him, all his request.
7 Some of the descendants of Israel and the priests, Levites, temple singers, gatekeepers, and those assigned to serve in the temple also went up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.
So then there came up some of the sons of Israel, and some of the priests and the Levites and the singers and the doorkeepers and the Nethinim, unto Jerusalem, —in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.
8 He arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the same year.
And he entered Jerusalem, in the fifth month, —the same, was the seventh year of the king.
9 He left Babylon on the first day of the first month. It was on the first day of the fifth month that he arrived in Jerusalem, since the good hand of God was with him.
For, on the first of the first month, was a beginning made of coming up from Babylon, —and, on the first of the fifth month, entered he into Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.
10 Ezra had established his heart to study, carry out, and teach the statutes and decrees of the law of Yahweh.
For, Ezra, had settled his heart, to study the law of Yahweh, and to do [it], —and to teach in Israel, statute and regulation.
11 This was the decree that King Artaxerxes gave Ezra the priest and scribe of Yahweh's commandments and statutes for Israel:
Now, this, is a copy of the letter which King Artaxerxes gave, to Ezra the priest the scribe, —the scribe of the words of the commandments of Yahweh, and of his statutes, for Israel: —
12 “The King of kings Artaxerxes, to the priest Ezra, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven:
Artaxerxes, king of kings, Unto Ezra the priest, scribe of the law of the God of the heavens—To despatch and so forth.
13 I am ordering that anyone from Israel in my kingdom along with their priests and Levites who desires to go to Jerusalem, may go with you.
From me, is issued an edict, that, every one in my kingdom, of the people of Israel, and of their priests and the Levites, who is minded of his own freewill to go to Jerusalem, with thee, let him go.
14 I, the king, and my seven counselors, send you all out to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem according to God's law, which is in your hand.
Forasmuch as, from before the king and his seven counselors, thou art sent, to enquire concerning Judah and as to Jerusalem, —by the law of thy God which is in thy hand;
15 You are to bring the silver and gold that they have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem.
and to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, who, in Jerusalem, hath his habitation;
16 Freely give all the silver and gold that all of Babylon has given along with what is freely offered by the people and the priests for the house of God in Jerusalem.
and all the silver and the gold, which thou shalt find, in all the province of Babylon, —with the freewill offering of the people and of the priests offered willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem,
17 So buy in full the oxen, rams and lambs, and grain and drink offerings. Offer them on the altar that is in the house of your God in Jerusalem.
therefore, with all diligence, shalt thou buy—with this silver—bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meal-offerings, and their drink-offerings, —and shalt offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem;
18 Do with the rest of the silver and gold whatever seems good to you and your brothers, to please your God.
and, whatsoever, unto thee and unto thy brethren, shall seem good, with the rest of the silver and the gold, to do, according to the pleasure of your God, shall ye do.
19 Place the objects that were freely given to you before him for the service of the house of your God in Jerusalem.
And, the utensils which are freely given to thee for the service of the house of thy God, put thou back, before the God of Jerusalem.
20 Anything else that is needed for the house of your God that you require, take its cost from my treasury.
And, the rest of the need of the house of thy God, which it shall fall to thee to give, thou shalt give, out of the treasure-house of the king.
21 I, King Artaxerxes, make a decree to all the treasurers in the Province Beyond the River, that anything that Ezra asks from you should be given in full,
And, from me myself, Artaxerxes the king, issueth an edict, to all the treasurers who are Beyond the River, —that, whatsoever Ezra the priest the scribe of the law of the God of the heavens shall ask of you, with diligence, shall it be done:
22 up to one hundred silver talents, one hundred cors of grain, one hundred baths of wine, and one hundred baths of oil, also salt without limit.
unto a hundred talents of silver, and unto a hundred measures of wheat, and unto a hundred baths of wine, and unto a hundred baths of oil, —and salt without limit.
23 Anything that comes from the decree of the God of Heaven, do it with devotion for his house. For why should his wrath come upon the kingdom of me and my sons?
Whatsoever is due to an edict of the God of the heavens, let it be done diligently, for the house of the God of the heavens, —for wherefore should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?
24 We are informing them about you not to impose any tribute or taxes on any of the priests, Levites, musicians, gatekeepers, or on the people assigned to the service of the temple and servants of the house of this God.
And, you, we do certify, that, as touching any of the priests or the Levites, the singers, the doorkeepers, the Nethinim, or the servitors of this house of God, tribute, excise or toll, shall it not be competent to impose upon them.
25 Ezra, with the wisdom that God has given you, you must appoint judges and magistrates to judge all the people in the Province Beyond the River, and to serve all who know the laws of your God. You must also teach those who do not know the law.
And, thou, Ezra, according to the wisdom of thy God that is in thy hand, appoint thou judges and magistrates, who shall administer justice to all the people that are Beyond the River, to all who know the law of thy God, —and, whoso knoweth not, ye shall teach.
26 Punish anyone who does not fully obey God's law or the king's law, whether by death, banishment, confiscation of their goods, or imprisonment.
But, whosoever shall not do the law of thy God and the law of the king, speedily, let, penalty, be exacted from him, —whether to death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.
27 Praise Yahweh, our ancestors' God, who placed all this into the king's heart to glorify Yahweh's house in Jerusalem,
Blessed be Yahweh, God of our fathers, —who hath put the like of this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of Yahweh, which is in Jerusalem;
28 and who extended covenant faithfulness to me before the king, his counselors, and all his powerful officials. I have been strengthened by the hand of Yahweh my God, and I gathered leaders from Israel to go with me.
and, unto me, hath extended lovingkindness, before the king and his counselors, yea all the valiant captains of the king, —I, therefore have emboldened myself, according to the hand of Yahweh my God upon me, and gathered out of Israel, chief men, to go up with me.
