The Aaron Papers  www.the-aaron-papers.net 

  Ezra

1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, ²This says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth has Jehovah, the God of heaven, given me; and he has charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. ³Whosoever there is among you of all his people, his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of Jehovah, the God of Israel (he is God), which is in Jerusalem. ⁴And whosoever is left, in any place where he sojourns, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, besides the freewill-offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.

⁵Then rose up the heads of fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, even all whose spirit God had stirred to go up to build the house of Jehovah which is in Jerusalem. ⁶And all they that were round about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered. ⁷Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of Jehovah, which Neb-u-chad-nez-zar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put in the house of his gods; ⁸even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mith-re-dath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Shesh-baz-zar, the prince of Judah. ⁹And this is the number of them: thirty platters of gold, a thousand platters of silver, nine and twenty knives, ¹⁰thirty bowls of gold, silver bowls of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand. ¹¹All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Shesh-baz-zar bring up, when they of the captivity were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem.

2 Now these are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity of those that had been carried away, whom Neb-u-chad-nez-zar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and that returned unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city; ²who came with Ze-rub-ba-bel, Jesh-u-a, Ne-hem-i-ah, Se-rai-ah, Re-el-ai-ah, Mor-de-ca-i, Bil-shan, Mispar, Big-va-i, Re-hum, Ba-a-nah. The number of the men of the people of Israel: ³The children of Par-osh, two thousand a hundred seventy-two. ⁴The children of Steph-a-ti-ah, three hundred seventy and two. ⁵The children of Ar-ah, seven hundred seventy-five. ⁶The children of Pa-has-mo-ab, of the children of Jesh-u-a and Jo-ab, two thousand eight hundred and twelve. ⁷The children of E-lam, a thousand two hundred fifty-four. ⁸The children of Zat-tu, nine hundred forty-five. ⁹The children of Zac-ca-i, seven hundred and threescore. ¹⁰The children of Ba-ni, six hundred forty-two. ¹¹The children of Be-ba-i, six hundred twenty-three. ¹²The children of Azgad, a thousand two hundred twenty-two. ¹³The children of Ad-o-ni-kam, six hundred sixty-six. ¹⁴The children of Big-va-i, two thousand fifty-six. ¹⁵The children of A-din, four hundred fifty-four. ¹⁶The children of A-ter, of Hez-e-ki-ah, ninety-eight. ¹⁷The children of Be-za-i, three hundred twenty-three. ¹⁸The children of Jor-ah, a hundred and twelve. ¹⁹The children of Hash-um, two hundred twenty-three. ²⁰The children of Gib-bar, ninety-five. ²¹The children of Beth-lehem, a hundred twenty-three. ²²The men of Ne-to-phah, fifty-six. ²³The men of An-a-thoth, a hundred twenty-eight. ²⁴The children of Az-ma-veth, forty-two. ²⁵The children of Kir-iath-ar-im, Che-phi-rah, and Beer-oth, seven hundred and forty-three. ²⁶The children of Ra-mah and Ge-ba, six hundred twenty-one. ²⁷The men of Mich-mas, a hundred twenty-two. ²⁸The men of Beth-el and Ai, two hundred twenty-three. ²⁹The children of Ne-bo, fifty-two. ³⁰The children of Mag-bish, a hundred fifty-six. ³¹The children of the other E-lam, a thousand two hundred fifty-four. ³²The children of Har-im, three hundred and twenty. ³³The children of Lod, Ha-did, and O-no, seven hundred twenty-five. ³⁴The children of Jericho, three hundred forty and five. ³⁵The children of Sen-a-ah, three thousand and six hundred and thirty.

³⁶The priests: the children of Je-dai-ah, of the house of Jesh-u-a, nine hundred seventy-three. ³⁷The children of Im-mer, a thousand fifty-two. ³⁸The children of Pash-hur, a thousand two hundred forty-seven. ³⁹The children of Har-im, a thousand and seventeen. ⁴⁰The Levites: the children of Jesh-u-a and Kad-mi-el, of the children of Ho-da-vi-ah, seventy-four. ⁴¹The singers: the children of A-saph, a hundred twenty-eight. ⁴²The children of the porters: the children of Shal-lum, the children of A-ter, the children of Tal-mon, the children of Ak-kub, the children of Ha-ti-ta, the children of Sho-ba-i, in all a hundred thirty-nine. ⁴³The Neth-i-nim: the children of Zi-ha, the children of Ha-su-pha, the children of Tab-ba-oth, ⁴⁴the children of Ke-ros, the children of Si-a-ha, the children of Pa-don, ⁴⁵the children of Le-ba-nah, the children of Hag-a-bah, the children of Ak-kub, ⁴⁶the children of Ha-gab, the children of Shal-mai, the children of Ha-nan, ⁴⁷the children of Gid-del, the children of Ga-har, the children of Re-ai-ah, ⁴⁸the children of Re-zin, the children of Ne-ko-da, the children of Gaz-zam, ⁴⁹the children of Uz-za, the children of Pa-se-ah, the children of Be-sai, ⁵⁰the children of As-nah, the children of Me-u-nim, the children of Ne-phu-sim, ⁵¹the children of Bak-buk, the children of Ha-ku-pha, the children of Har-hur, ⁵²the children of Baz-luth, the children of Me-hi-da, the children of Har-sha, ⁵³the children of Bar-kos, the children of Sis-e-ra, the children of Tha-mah, ⁵⁴the children of Ne-zi-ah, the children of Ha-ti-pha. ⁵⁵The children of Solomon’s servants: the children of So-ta-i, the children of So-phe-reth, the children of Pe-ru-da, ⁵⁶the children of Ja-a-lah, the children of Dar-kon, the children of Gid-del, ⁵⁷the children of Steph-a-ti-ah, the children of Hat-til, the children of Po-che-reth of Za-ba-im, the children of A-mi. ⁵⁸All the Neth-i-nim, and the children of Solomon’s servants, were three hundred ninety-two. ⁵⁹And these were they that went up from Tel-me-lah, Tel-ha-er-sha, Cherub, Ad-dan, and Im-mer; but they could not show their fathers’ houses, and their seed, whether they were of Israel: ⁶⁰the children of Del-ai-ah, the children of To-bi-ah, the children of Ne-ko-da, six hundred fifty-two. ⁶¹And of the children of the priests: the children of Ha-bai-ah, the children of Koz, the children of Bar-zil-la-i, who took a wife of the daughters of Bar-zil-la-i the Gileadite, and was called after their name. ⁶²These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not found: therefore were they deemed polluted and put from the priesthood. ⁶³And the governor said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with U-rim and with Thum-mim.

⁶⁴The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred and threescore, ⁶⁵besides their men-servants and their maid-servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty-seven: and they had two hundred singing men and singing women. ⁶⁶Their horses were seven hundred thirty-six; their mules, two hundred forty-five; ⁶⁷their camels, four hundred thirty-five; their asses, six thousand seven hundred and twenty. ⁶⁸And some of the heads of fathers’ houses, when they came to the house of Jehovah which is in Jerusalem, offered willingly for the house of God to set it up in its place: ⁶⁹they gave after their ability into the treasury of the work threescore and one thousand darics of gold, and five thousand pounds of silver, and one hundred priests’ garments. ⁷⁰So the priests, and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers, and the porters, and the temple-slaves, dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.

3 And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. ²Then stood up Jesh-u-a the son of Jo-za-dak, and his brethren the priests, and Ze-rub-ba-bel the son of She-al-ti-el, and his brethren, and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt-offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God. ³And they set the altar upon its base; for fear was upon them because of the peoples of the countries: and they offered burnt-offerings thereon unto Jehovah, even burnt-offerings morning and evening. ⁴And they kept the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt-offerings by number, according to the ordinance, as the duty of every day required; ⁵and afterward the continual burnt-offering, and the offerings of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of Jehovah that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill-offering unto Jehovah. ⁶From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt-offerings unto Jehovah: but the foundation of the temple of Jehovah was not yet laid. ⁷They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and food, and drink, and oil, unto them of Sidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar-trees from Lebanon to the sea, unto Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia.

⁸Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Ze-rub-ba-bel the son of She-al-ti-el, and Jesh-u-a the son of Jo-za-dak, and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem, and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to have the oversight of the work of the house of Jehovah. ⁹Then stood Jesh-u-a with his sons and his brethren, Kad-mi-el and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to have the oversight of the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Hen-a-dad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites. ¹⁰And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of Jehovah, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of A-saph with cymbals, to praise Jehovah, after the order of David king of Israel. ¹¹And they sang one to another in praising and giving thanks unto Jehovah, saying, For he is good, for his lovingkindness endures for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised Jehovah, because the foundation of the house of Jehovah was laid. ¹²But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, the old men that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: ¹³so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people; for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

4 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building a temple unto Jehovah, the God of Israel; ²then they drew near to Ze-rub-ba-bel, and to the heads of fathers’ houses, and said unto them, Let us build with you; for we seek your God, as you do; and we sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here. ³But Ze-rub-ba-bel, and Jesh-u-a, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ houses of Israel, said unto them, You have nothing to do with us in building a house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us. ⁴Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, ⁵and hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Da-ri-us king of Persia.

⁶And in the reign of A-has-u-e-rus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. ⁷And in the days of Ar-ta-xerx-es wrote Bilh-lam, Mith-re-dath, Tab-eel, and the rest of his companions, unto Ar-ta-xerx-es king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian character, and set forth in the Syrian tongue. ⁸Re-hum the chancellor and Shim-shai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Ar-ta-xerx-es the king in this sort: ⁹then wrote Re-hum the chancellor, and Shim-shai the scribe, and the rest of their companions, the Di-na-ites, and the A-phar-sath-chites, the Tar-pe-lites, the A-phar-sites, the Ar-che-vites, the Babylonians, the Shu-shan-chites, the De-ha-vites, the E-lamites, ¹⁰and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Os-nap-par brought over, and set in the city of Samaria, and in the rest of the country beyond the River, and so forth. ¹¹This is the copy of the letter that they sent unto Ar-ta-xerx-es the king: Your servants the men beyond the River, and so forth. ¹²Be it known unto the king, that the Jews that came up from you are come to us unto Jerusalem; they are building the rebellious and the bad city, and have finished the walls, and repaired the foundations. ¹³Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be built, and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and in the end it will be hurtful unto the kings. ¹⁴Now because we eat the salt of the palace, and it is not meet for us to see the king’s dishonor, therefore have we sent and certified the king; ¹⁵that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers: so shall you find in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful unto kings and provinces, and that they have moved sedition within the same of old time; for which cause was this city laid waste. ¹⁶We certify the king that, if this city be built, and the walls finished, by this means you shall have no portion beyond the River.

¹⁷Then sent the king an answer unto Re-hum the chancellor, and to Shim-shai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions that dwell in Samaria, and in the rest of the country beyond the River: Peace, and so forth. ¹⁸The letter which you sent unto us has been plainly read before me. ¹⁹And I decreed, and search has been made, and it is found that this city of old time has made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein. ²⁰There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, who have ruled over all the country beyond the River; and tribute, custom, and toll, was paid unto them. ²¹Make you now a decree to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not built, until a decree shall be made by me. ²²And take heed that you be not slack herein: why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings? ²³Then when the copy of king Ar-ta-xerx-es’ letter was read before Re-hum, and Shim-shai the scribe, and their companions, they went in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power. ²⁴Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem; and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Da-ri-us king of Persia.

5 Now the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zech-a-ri-ah the son of Ja-dau, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem; in the name of the God of Israel they prophesied unto them. ²Then rose up Ze-rub-ba-bel the son of She-al-ti-el, and Jesh-u-a the son of Jo-za-dak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem; and with them were the prophets of God, helping them.

³At the same time came to them Tat-nai, the governor beyond the River, and She-thar-boz-nai, and their companions, and said this unto them, Who gave you a decree to build this house, and to finish this wall? ⁴Then we told them after this manner, what the names of the men were that were making this building. ⁵But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, and they did not make them cease, till the matter should come to Da-ri-us, and then answer should be returned by letter concerning it. ⁶The copy of the letter that Tat-nai, the governor beyond the River, and She-thar-boz-nai, and his companions the A-phar-sa-chites, who were beyond the River, sent unto Da-ri-us the king; ⁷they sent a letter unto him, wherein was written this: Unto Da-ri-us the king, all peace. ⁸Be it known unto the king, that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is built with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls; and this work goes on with diligence and prospers in their hands. ⁹Then we asked those elders, and said this unto them, Who gave you a decree to build this house, and to finish this wall? ¹⁰We asked them their names also, to certify you, that we might write the names of the men that were at the head of them. ¹¹And this answer they returned, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and are building the house that was built these many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished. ¹²But after that our fathers had provoked the God of heaven unto wrath, he gave them into the hand of Neb-u-chad-nez-zar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house, and carried the people away into Babylon. ¹³But in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, the king made a decree to build this house of God. ¹⁴And the gold and silver vessels also of the house of God, which Neb-u-chad-nez-zar took out of the temple that was in Jerusalem, and brought into the temple of Babylon, those did Cyrus the king take out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered unto one whose name was Shesh-baz-zar, whom he had made governor; ¹⁵and he said unto him, Take these vessels, go, put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be built in its place. ¹⁶Then came the same Shesh-baz-zar, and laid the foundations of the house of God which is in Jerusalem: and since that time even until now has it been being built, and yet it is not completed. ¹⁷Now therefore, if it seem good to the king, let there be a search made in the king’s treasure-house, which is there at Babylon, whether it be so, that a decree was made of Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem; and let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter.

6 Then Da-ri-us the king made a decree, and a search was made in the house of the archives, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon. ²And there was found at Ach-me-tha, in the palace that is in the province of Media, a roll, and therein was this written for a record: ³In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king made a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be built, the place where they offer sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits; ⁴with three courses of great stones, and a course of new timber: and let the expenses be given out of the king’s house. ⁵And also let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Neb-u-chad-nez-zar took forth out of the temple which is at Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and brought again unto the temple which is at Jerusalem, every one to its place; and you shall put them in the house of God. ⁶Now therefore, Tat-nai, governor beyond the River, She-thar-boz-nai, and your companions the A-phar-sa-chites, who are beyond the River, be you far from there: ⁷let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in its place. ⁸Moreover I make a decree what you shall do to these elders of the Jews for the building of this house of God: that of the king’s goods, even of the tribute beyond the River, expenses be given with all diligence unto these men, that they be not hindered. ⁹And that which they have need of, both young bullocks, and rams, and lambs, for burnt-offerings to the God of heaven; also wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the word of the priests that are at Jerusalem, let it be given them day by day without fail; ¹⁰that they may offer sacrifices of sweet savor unto the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king, and of his sons. ¹¹Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this word, let a beam be pulled out from his house, and let him be lifted up and fastened thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill for this: ¹²and the God that has caused his name to dwell there overthrow all kings and peoples that shall put forth their hand to alter the same, to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Da-ri-us have made a decree; let it be done with all diligence.

¹³Then Tat-nai, the governor beyond the River, She-thar-boz-nai, and their companions, because that Da-ri-us the king had sent, did accordingly with all diligence. ¹⁴And the elders of the Jews built and prospered, through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zech-a-ri-ah the son of Ja-dau. And they built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the decree of Cyrus, and Da-ri-us, and Ar-ta-xerx-es king of Persia. ¹⁵And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Da-ri-us the king. ¹⁶And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy. ¹⁷And they offered at the dedication of this house of God a hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin-offering for all Israel, twelve he-goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. ¹⁸And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses. ¹⁹And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month. ²⁰For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were pure: and they killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves. ²¹And the children of Israel that were come again out of the captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the nations of the land, to seek Jehovah, the God of Israel, did eat, ²²and kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for Jehovah had made them joyful, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

7 Now after these things, in the reign of Ar-ta-xerx-es king of Persia, Ezra the son of Se-rai-ah, the son of Az-a-ri-ah, the son of Hil-ki-ah, ²the son of Shal-lum, the son of Za-dok, the son of A-hi-tub, ³the son of Am-a-ri-ah, the son of Az-a-ri-ah, the son of Me-rai-oth, ⁴the son of Zer-a-hi-ah, the son of Uz-zi, the son of Buk-ki, ⁵the son of A-bi-shu-a, the son of Phin-e-has, the son of El-e-a-zar, the son of Aaron the chief priest; ⁶this Ezra went up from Babylon: and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which Jehovah, the God of Israel, had given; and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of Jehovah his God upon him. ⁷And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Neth-i-nim, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Ar-ta-xerx-es the king. ⁸And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. ⁹For upon the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylon; and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. ¹⁰For Ezra had set his heart to seek the law of Jehovah, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and ordinances.

¹¹Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Ar-ta-xerx-es gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even the scribe of the words of the commandments of Jehovah, and of his statutes to Israel: ¹²Ar-ta-xerx-es, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect and so forth. ¹³I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and their priests and the Levites, in my realm, that are minded of their own free will to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. ¹⁴Forasmuch as you are sent of the king and his seven counselors, to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of your God which is in your hand, ¹⁵and to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counselors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem, ¹⁶and all the silver and gold that you shall find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill-offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem; ¹⁷therefore you shall with all diligence buy with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meal-offerings and their drink-offerings, and shall offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem. ¹⁸And whatsoever shall seem good to you and to your brethren to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, do that after the will of your God. ¹⁹And the vessels that are given you for the service of the house of your God, deliver before the God of Jerusalem. ²⁰And whatsoever 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. ²¹And I, even I Ar-ta-xerx-es the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers that are beyond the River, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it shall be done with all diligence, ²²unto a hundred talents of silver, and to a hundred measures of wheat, and to a hundred baths of wine, and to a hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much. ²³Whatsoever 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? ²⁴Also we certify to you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, the singers, porters, Neth-i-nim, or servants of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll, upon them. ²⁵And you, Ezra, after the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges, who may judge all the people that are beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God; and teach him that knows them not. ²⁶And whosoever will not do the law of your God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed upon him with all diligence, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.

²⁷Blessed be Jehovah, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of Jehovah which is in Jerusalem; ²⁸and has extended lovingkindness unto me before the king, and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. And I was strengthened according to the hand of Jehovah my God upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.

8 Now these are the heads of their fathers’ houses, and this is the genealogy of them that went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of Ar-ta-xerx-es the king: ²Of the sons of Phin-e-has, Ger-shom. Of the sons of Ith-a-mar, Daniel. Of the sons of David, Hat-tush. ³Of the sons of Shech-a-ni-ah, of the sons of Par-osh, Zech-a-ri-ah; and with him were reckoned by genealogy of the males a hundred and fifty. ⁴Of the sons of Pa-has-mo-ab, El-i-ho-e-nai the son of Zer-a-hi-ah; and with him two hundred males. ⁵Of the sons of Shech-a-ni-ah, the son of Ja-ha-zi-el; and with him three hundred males. ⁶And of the sons of A-din, E-bed the son of Jonathan; and with him fifty males. ⁷And of the sons of E-lam, Je-shai-ah the son of Ath-a-li-ah; and with him seventy males. ⁸And of the sons of Steph-a-ti-ah, Zeb-a-di-ah the son of Michael; and with him fourscore males. ⁹Of the sons of Jo-ab, O-ba-di-ah the son of Je-hi-el; and with him two hundred and eighteen males. ¹⁰And of the sons of She-lo-mith, the son of Jos-i-phi-ah; and with him a hundred and threescore males. ¹¹And of the sons of Be-ba-i, Zech-a-ri-ah the son of Be-ba-i; and with him twenty-eight males. ¹²And of the sons of Azgad, Jo-ha-nan the son of Hak-ka-tan; and with him a hundred and ten males. ¹³And of the sons of Ad-o-ni-kam, that were the last; and these are their names: E-liph-e-let, Je-i-el, and Shem-ai-ah; and with them threescore males. ¹⁴And of the sons of Big-va-i, U-thai and Zab-bud; and with them seventy males. ¹⁵And I gathered them together to the river that runs to A-ha-va; and there we camped three days: and I viewed the people, and the priests, and found none of the sons of Levi there. ¹⁶Then I sent for El-i-e-zer, for Ar-i-el, for Shem-ai-ah, and for El-na-than, and for Jar-ib, and for El-na-than, and for Nathan, and for Zech-a-ri-ah, and for Me-shul-lam, chief men; also for Joi-a-rib, and for El-na-than, who were teachers. ¹⁷And I sent them forth unto Ja-dau the chief at the place called Cas-i-phi-a; and I told them what they should say unto Ja-dau, and his brethren the temple-slaves, that they should bring unto us ministers for the house of our God. ¹⁸And according to the good hand of our God upon us they brought us a man of discretion, of the sons of Mah-li, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; and Sher-e-bi-ah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen; ¹⁹and Hash-a-bi-ah, and with him Je-shai-ah of the sons of Me-rar-i, his brethren and their sons, twenty; ²⁰and of the Neth-i-nim, whom David and the princes had given for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Neth-i-nim: all of them were mentioned by name.

²¹Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river A-ha-va, 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. ²²For 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 unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them that seek him, for good; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. ²³So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was entreated of us.

²⁴Then I set apart twelve of the chiefs of the priests, even Sher-e-bi-ah, Hash-a-bi-ah, and ten of their brethren with them, ²⁵and weighed unto 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 Israel there present, had offered: ²⁶I weighed into their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels a hundred talents; of gold a hundred talents; ²⁷and twenty bowls of gold, of a thousand darics; and two vessels of fine bright brass, precious as gold. ²⁸And I said unto them, you are holy unto Jehovah, and the vessels are holy; and the silver and the gold are a freewill-offering unto Jehovah, the God of your fathers. ²⁹Watch, and keep them, until you weigh them before the chiefs of the priests and the Levites, and the princes of the fathers’ houses of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of Jehovah. ³⁰So the priests and the Levites received the weight of the silver and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem unto the house of our God.

³¹Then we departed from the river A-ha-va on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and the lier-in-wait by the way. ³²And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days. ³³And on the fourth day the silver and the gold and the vessels were weighed in the house of our God into the hand of Mer-e-moth the son of U-ri-ah the priest; and with him was El-e-a-zar the son of Phin-e-has; and with them was Jo-za-bad the son of Jesh-u-a, and No-a-di-ah the son of Bin-nu-i, the Levite; ³⁴the whole by number and by weight: and all the weight was written at that time. ³⁵The children of the captivity, that were come out of exile, offered burnt-offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, twelve he-goats for a sin-offering: all this was a burnt-offering unto Jehovah. ³⁶And they delivered the king’s commissions unto the king’s satraps, and to the governors beyond the River: and they furthered the people and the house of God.

9 Now when these things were done, the princes drew near unto me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Pe-riz-zites, the Jeb-u-sites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. ²For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the peoples of the lands: yes, the hand of the princes and rulers has been chief in this trespass. ³And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my robe, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down confounded. ⁴Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the trespass of them of the captivity; and I sat confounded until the evening oblation.

⁵And at the evening oblation I arose up from my humiliation, even with my garment and my robe rent; and I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto Jehovah my God; ⁶and I said, O 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 unto the heavens. ⁷Since the days of our fathers we have been exceedingly guilty unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, 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. ⁸And now for a little moment grace has been showed from Jehovah 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. ⁹For we are bondmen; yet our God has not forsaken us in our bondage, but has extended lovingkindness unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the ruins thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. ¹⁰And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken your commandments, ¹¹which you have commanded by your servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto 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: ¹²now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their prosperity for ever; that you may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever. ¹³And after all that is come upon 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, ¹⁴shall we again break your commandments, and join in affinity with the peoples that do these abominations? would you not be angry with us till you had consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape? ¹⁵O Jehovah, the God of Israel, 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.

10 Now while Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there was gathered together unto him out of Israel a very great assembly of men and women and children; for the people wept very sore. ²And Shech-a-ni-ah the son of Je-hi-el, one of the sons of E-lam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have married foreign women of the peoples of the land: yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this thing. ³Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. ⁴Arise; for the matter belongs unto you, and we are with you: be of good courage, and do it. ⁵Then arose Ezra, and made the chiefs of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they would do according to this word. So they sware.

⁶Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Jo-ha-nan the son of E-li-ash-ib: and when he came there, he did eat no bread, nor drink water; for he mourned because of the trespass of them of the captivity. ⁷And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem; ⁸and that whosoever came not within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the assembly of the captivity. ⁹Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within the three days; it was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month: and all the people sat in the broad place before the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain. ¹⁰And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, you have trespassed, and have married foreign women, to increase the guilt of Israel. ¹¹Now therefore make confession unto Jehovah, the God of your fathers, and do his pleasure; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the foreign women. ¹²Then all the assembly answered and said with a loud voice, As you have said concerning us, so must we do. ¹³But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without: neither is this a work of one day or two; for we have greatly transgressed in this matter. ¹⁴Now let our princes be appointed for all the assembly, and let all them that are in our cities that have married foreign women come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God be turned from us, until this matter be dispatched.