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Ezra
Chapters: 6 7
8 9 10
| Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was
made in the house of the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in
Babylon. |
| And there was found at Achmetha, in the palace that
is in the province of the Medes, a roll, and therein was a record thus
written: |
| In the first year of Cyrus the king the same Cyrus
the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the
house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the
foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof threescore
cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits; |
| With three rows of great stones, and a row of new
timber: and let the expenses be given out of the king's house: |
| And also let the golden and silver vessels of the
house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar 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 his place, and place
them in the house of God. |
| Now therefore, Tatnai, governor beyond the river,
Shetharboznai, and your companions the Apharsachites, which are beyond
the river, be ye far from thence: |
| Let 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 his place. |
| Moreover I make a decree what ye shall do to the
elders of these Jews for the building of this house of God: that of the
king's goods, even of the tribute beyond the river, forthwith expenses
be given unto these men, that they be not hindered. |
| And that which they have need of, both young
bullocks, and rams, and lambs, for the burnt offerings of the God of
heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the appointment of the
priests which are at Jerusalem, let it be given them day by day without
fail: |
| That they may offer sacrifices of sweet savours unto
the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king, and of his sons. |
| Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall
alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his house, and being set
up, let him be hanged thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill for
this. |
| And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there
destroy all kings and people, that shall put to their hand to alter and
to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a
decree; let it be done with speed. |
| Then Tatnai, governor on this side the river,
Shetharboznai, and their companions, according to that which Darius the
king had sent, so they did speedily. |
| And the elders of the Jews builded, and they
prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah
the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the
commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of
Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. |
| And this house was finished on the third day of the
month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. |
| And 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, |
| And offered at the dedication of this house of God
an 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. |
| And 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. |
| And the children of the captivity kept the passover
upon the fourteenth day of the first month. |
| For the priests and the Levites were purified
together, all of them were pure, and killed the passover for all the
children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for
themselves. |
| And the children of Israel, which were come again
out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them
from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the LORD God of
Israel, did eat, |
| And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days
with joy: for the LORD had made them joyful, and 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. |
| Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes
king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of
Hilkiah, |
| The son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of
Ahitub, |
| The son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of
Meraioth, |
| The son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of
Bukki, |
| The son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of
Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest: |
| This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready
scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and
the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD
his God upon him. |
| And there went up some of the children of Israel,
and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters,
and the Nethinims, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the
king. |
| And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which
was in the seventh year of the king. |
| For upon the first day of the first month began he
to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he
to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. |
| For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of
the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments. |
| Now this is the copy of the letter that the king
Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the
words of the commandments of the LORD, and of his statutes to Israel. |
| Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a
scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a
time. |
| I make a decree, that all they of the people of
Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of
their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee. |
| Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his
seven counsellors, to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according
to the law of thy God which is in thine hand; |
| And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and
his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose
habitation is in Jerusalem, |
| And all the silver and gold that thou canst 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: |
| That thou mayest buy speedily with this money
bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meat offerings and their drink
offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which
is in Jerusalem. |
| And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy
brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after
the will of your God. |
| The vessels also that are given thee for the service
of the house of thy God, those deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem. |
| And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house
of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of
the king's treasure house. |
| And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree
to all the treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra
the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of
you, it be done speedily, |
| Unto an hundred talents of silver, and to an hundred
measures of wheat, and to an hundred baths of wine, and to an hundred
baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much. |
| Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it
be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should
there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons? |
| Also we certify you, that touching any of the
priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this
house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom,
upon them. |
| And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is
in thine hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the
people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God;
and teach ye them that know them not. |
| And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and
the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether
it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to
imprisonment. |
| Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath
put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of
the LORD which is in Jerusalem: |
| And hath extended mercy unto me before the king, and
his counsellors, and before all the king's mighty princes. And I was
strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered
together out of Israel chief men to go up with me. |
| These are now the chief of their fathers, and this
is the genealogy of them that went up with me from Babylon, in the reign
of Artaxerxes the king. |
| Of the sons of Phinehas; Gershom: of the sons of
Ithamar; Daniel: of the sons of David; Hattush. |
| Of the sons of Shechaniah, of the sons of Pharosh;
Zechariah: and with him were reckoned by genealogy of the males an
hundred and fifty. |
| Of the sons of Pahathmoab; Elihoenai the son of
Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males. |
| Of the sons of Shechaniah; the son of Jahaziel, and
with him three hundred males. |
| Of the sons also of Adin; Ebed the son of Jonathan,
and with him fifty males. |
| And of the sons of Elam; Jeshaiah the son of
Athaliah, and with him seventy males. |
| And of the sons of Shephatiah; Zebadiah the son of
Michael, and with him fourscore males. |
| Of the sons of Joab; Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and
with him two hundred and eighteen males. |
| And of the sons of Shelomith; the son of Josiphiah,
and with him an hundred and threescore males. |
| And of the sons of Bebai; Zechariah the son of Bebai,
and with him twenty and eight males. |
| And of the sons of Azgad; Johanan the son of
Hakkatan, and with him an hundred and ten males. |
| And of the last sons of Adonikam, whose names are
these, Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them threescore males. |
| Of the sons also of Bigvai; Uthai, and Zabbud, and
with them seventy males. |
| And I gathered them together to the river that
runneth to Ahava; and there abode we in tents three days: and I viewed
the people, and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi. |
| Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah,
and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and
for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and for
Elnathan, men of understanding. |
| And I sent them with commandment unto Iddo the chief
at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say unto Iddo,
and to his brethren the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they
should bring unto us ministers for the house of our God. |
| And by the good hand of our God upon us they brought
us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the
son of Israel; and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen; |
| And Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of
Merari, his brethren and their sons, twenty; |
| Also of the Nethinims, whom David and the princes
had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty
Nethinims: all of them were expressed by name. |
| Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of
Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a
right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. |
| For I was ashamed to require 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 for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all
them that forsake him. |
| So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he
was entreated of us. |
| Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests,
Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them, |
| And weighed unto them the silver, and the gold, and
the vessels, even the offering of the house of our God, which the king,
and his counsellors, and his lords, and all Israel there present, had
offered: |
| I even weighed unto their hand six hundred and fifty
talents of silver, and silver vessels an hundred talents, and of gold an
hundred talents; |
| Also twenty basins of gold, of a thousand drams; and
two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold. |
| And I said unto them, Ye are holy unto the LORD; the
vessels are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill
offering unto the LORD God of your fathers. |
| Watch ye, and keep them, until ye weigh them before
the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of
Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the LORD. |
| So took the priests and the Levites the weight of
the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem
unto the house of our God. |
| Then we departed from the river of Ahava 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
of such as lay in wait by the way. |
| And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three
days. |
| Now on the fourth day was the silver and the gold
and the vessels weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth
the son of Uriah the priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of
Phinehas; and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the
son of Binnui, Levites; |
| By number and by weight of every one: and all the
weight was written at that time. |
| Also the children of those that had been carried
away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto
the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams,
seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this
was a burnt offering unto the LORD. |
| And they delivered the king's commissions unto the
king's lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river: and
they furthered the people, and the house of God. |
| Now when these things were done, the princes came to
me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have
not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according
to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the
Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians,
and the Amorites. |
| For they have taken of their daughters for
themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled
themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes
and rulers hath been chief in this trespass. |
| And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and
my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat
down astonied. |
| Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled
at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those
that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the evening
sacrifice. |
| And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my
heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my
knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God, |
| And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift
up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our
head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. |
| Since the days of our fathers have we been in a
great trespass 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 a spoil, and to confusion of face, as
it is this day. |
| And now for a little space grace hath been showed
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. |
| For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken
us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy 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 desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah
and in Jerusalem. |
| And now, O our God, what shall we say after this?
for we have forsaken thy commandments, |
| Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the
prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an
unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their
abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their
uncleanness. |
| Now therefore give not your daughters unto their
sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace
or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the
land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever. |
| And after all that is come upon us for our evil
deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast
punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such
deliverance as this; |
| Should we again break thy commandments, and join in
affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be
angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no
remnant nor escaping? |
| O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we
remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our
trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this. |
| Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed,
weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there
assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and
women and children: for the people wept very sore. |
| And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of
Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God,
and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is
hope in Israel concerning this thing. |
| Now 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. |
| Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also
will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it. |
| Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the
Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this
word. And they sware. |
| Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and
went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came
thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of
the transgression of them that had been carried away. |
| And they made proclamation throughout Judah and
Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should
gather themselves together unto Jerusalem; |
| And that whosoever would not come within three days,
according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his
substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the
congregation of those that had been carried away. |
| Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered
themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth
month, on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the
street of the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for
the great rain. |
| And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye
have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the
trespass of Israel. |
| Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of
your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the
people of the land, and from the strange wives. |
| Then all the congregation answered and said with a
loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do. |
| But 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 are many that have transgressed in this thing. |
| Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand,
and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at
appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges
thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned
from us. |
| Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son
of Tikvah were employed about this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai
the Levite helped them. |
| And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra
the priest, with certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their
fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated, and sat down in
the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. |
| And they made an end with all the men that had taken
strange wives by the first day of the first month. |
| And among the sons of the priests there were found
that had taken strange wives: namely, of the sons of Jeshua the son of
Jozadak, and his brethren; Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and
Gedaliah. |
| And they gave their hands that they would put away
their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their
trespass. |
| And of the sons of Immer; Hanani, and Zebadiah. |
| And of the sons of Harim; Maaseiah, and Elijah, and
Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah. |
| And of the sons of Pashur; Elioenai, Maaseiah,
Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad, and Elasah. |
| Also of the Levites; Jozabad, and Shimei, and
Kelaiah, (the same is Kelita,) Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer. |
| Of the singers also; Eliashib: and of the porters;
Shallum, and Telem, and Uri. |
| Moreover of Israel: of the sons of Parosh; Ramiah,
and Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Miamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and
Benaiah. |
| And of the sons of Elam; Mattaniah, Zechariah, and
Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Eliah. |
| And of the sons of Zattu; Elioenai, Eliashib,
Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza. |
| Of the sons also of Bebai; Jehohanan, Hananiah,
Zabbai, and Athlai. |
| And of the sons of Bani; Meshullam, Malluch, and
Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth. |
| And of the sons of Pahathmoab; Adna, and Chelal,
Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel, and Binnui, and Manasseh. |
| And of the sons of Harim; Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah,
Shemaiah, Shimeon, |
| Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah. |
| Of the sons of Hashum; Mattenai, Mattathah, Zabad,
Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei. |
| Of the sons of Bani; Maadai, Amram, and Uel, |
| Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh, |
| Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, |
| Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasau, |
| And Bani, and Binnui, Shimei, |
| And Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah, |
| Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, |
| Azareel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah, |
| Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph. |
| Of the sons of Nebo; Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad,
Zebina, Jadau, and Joel, Benaiah. |
| All these had taken strange wives: and some of them
had wives by whom they had children. |
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