Ezra 7 - 8 - Legacy Standard Bible

Ezra 7 - 8

Ezra Goes Up from Babylon to Jerusalem

Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, there went up Ezra son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, 2 son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, 3 son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, 4 son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, 5 son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest. 6 This Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which Yahweh, the God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all he requested because the hand of Yahweh his God was upon him. 7 And some of the sons of Israel and some of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants went up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes. 8 He came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. 9 For on the first of the first month he began to go up from Babylon; and on the first of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, because the good hand of his God was upon him. 10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of Yahweh and to practice it, and to teach His statute and judgment in Israel.

The King’s Decree on Behalf of Ezra

11 Now this is the copy of the letter which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, learned in the words of the commandments of Yahweh and His statutes to Israel: 12

“Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace. And now—

I have issued a decree that any of the people of Israel and their priests and the Levites in my kingdom who freely offer to go to Jerusalem, may go with you.

Forasmuch as you are sent from before the king and his seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God which is in your hand,

and to bring the silver and gold, which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,

and all the silver and gold which you find in the whole province of Babylon, along with the freewill offering of the people and of the priests, who offered willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem;

with this money, therefore, you shall with all diligence buy bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and bring them near to the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.

And whatever seems good to you and to your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do according to the will of your God.

Also the utensils which are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem.

The rest of the needs for the house of your God, which may fall upon you to provide, provide for it from the royal treasury.

“So I, even I, King Artaxerxes, issue a decree to all the treasurers who are in the provinces beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, may ask of you, it shall be done with all diligence,

even up to 100 talents of silver, 100 kors of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths of oil, and salt without written order.

Whatever is decreed by the God of heaven, let it be done with zeal for the house of the God of heaven, so that there will not be wrath against the kingdom of the king and his sons.

We also make known to you that it is not allowed to impose tribute, custom, or toll on any of the priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.

“And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God which is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges that they may judge all the people who are in the province beyond the River, even all those who know the laws of your God; and to anyone who does not know the laws, you shall make them known.

Whoever will not do the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be done to him with all diligence, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of goods or for imprisonment.”

Yahweh Put This in the King’s Heart

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

Genealogical Records

Now these are the heads of their fathers’ households and the genealogical records of those who went up with me from Babylon in the reign of King Artaxerxes: 2

of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom;

of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel;

of the sons of David, Hattush;

of the sons of Shecaniah who was of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah and with him 150 males who were in the genealogical records;

of the sons of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah and 200 males with him;

of the sons of Zattu, Shecaniah, the son of Jahaziel and 300 males with him;

and of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan and 50 males with him;

and of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah and 70 males with him;

and of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael and 80 males with him;

of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel and 218 males with him;

and of the sons of Bani, Shelomith, the son of Josiphiah and 160 males with him;

and of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai and 28 males with him;

and of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan and 110 males with him;

and of the sons of Adonikam, the last ones, these being their names, Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and 60 males with them;

and of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai, and Zabbud, and 70 males with them.

Ezra Sends for Levites

15 Now I gathered them at the river that runs to Ahava, where we camped for three days. And I observed the people and the priests, but I did not find any Levites there. 16 So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, chief men, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, teachers. 17 I sent them out to Iddo the chief man at the place Casiphia; and I put words in their mouths to say to Iddo and his brothers, the temple servants at the place Casiphia, that is, to bring ministers to us for the house of our God. 18 So, according to the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of insight of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, and his sons and brothers, 18 men; 19 and Hashabiah and Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, with his brothers and their sons, 20 men; 20 and 220 of the temple servants, whom David and the princes had given for the service of the Levites, all of them designated by name.

God’s Protection Sought

21 Then I called for a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a direct journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions. 22 For I was ashamed to ask from the king for a military force and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, “The hand of our God is upon all those who seek Him, for their good, but His strength and His anger are against all those who forsake Him.” 23 So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He was moved by our entreaty. 24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and with them ten of their brothers; 25 and I weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the utensils, the contribution for the house of our God which the king and his counselors and his princes and all Israel present there had offered. 26 Thus I weighed into their hands 650 talents of silver, and silver utensils worth 100 talents, and 100 gold talents, 27 and 20 gold bowls worth 1,000 darics, and two utensils of fine shiny bronze, precious as gold. 28 Then I said to them, “You are holy to Yahweh, and the utensils are holy; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to Yahweh, the God of your fathers. 29 Watch and keep them until you weigh them before the officials of the priests, the Levites and the officials of the fathers’ households of Israel at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of Yahweh.” 30 So the priests and the Levites accepted the weighed out silver and gold and the utensils, to bring them to Jerusalem to the house of our God. 31 Then we set out from the river Ahava on the twelfth of the first month to go to Jerusalem; and the hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and the ambushes by the way. 32 Thus we came to Jerusalem and remained there three days.

Silver, Gold, and Utensils Weighed

33 On the fourth day the silver and the gold and the utensils were weighed out in the house of our God into the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them were the Levites, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui. 34 Everything was numbered and weighed, and all the weight was written down at that time. 35 The exiles who had come from the captivity brought burnt offerings near to the God of Israel: 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, 12 male goats for a sin offering, all as a burnt offering to Yahweh. 36 Then they gave the king’s edicts to the king’s satraps and to the governors in the provinces beyond the River, and they supported the people and the house of God.

3 John 1

Walking in the Truth

The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. 2 Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. 3 For I rejoiced greatly when brothers came and bore witness to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth. 4 I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 5 Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever work you do for the brothers, and are doing this though they are strangers; 6 and they bore witness to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. 7 For they went out for the sake of the Name, receiving nothing from the Gentiles. 8 Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth. 9 I wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not welcome what we say. 10 For this reason, if I come, I will bring to remembrance his deeds which he does, unjustly disparaging us with wicked words. And not satisfied with this, he himself does not welcome the brothers either, and he forbids those who want to do so and puts them out of the church. 11 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. 12 Demetrius has received a good witness from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we add our witness, and you know that our witness is true. 13 I had many things to write to you, but I am not willing to write them to you with pen and ink; 14 but I hope to see you shortly, and we will speak face to face. 15 Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.

Proverbs 31

A Mother’s Oracle

The words of King Lemuel, the oracle unto which his mother disciplined him: 2

What, O my son?

And what, O son of my womb?

And what, O son of my vows?

Do not give your excellence to women,

Or your ways to that which blots out kings.

It is not for kings, O Lemuel,

It is not for kings to drink wine,

Or for rulers to desire strong drink,

Lest he drink and forget what is decreed,

And pervert the justice of all the afflicted.

Give strong drink to him who is perishing,

And wine to those whose soul is bitter.

Let him drink and forget his poverty

And he will not remember his trouble any longer.

Open your mouth for the mute,

For the justice of all those passing away.

Open your mouth, judge righteously,

And render justice to the afflicted and needy.

A Woman Who Fears Yahweh

א Aleph

An excellent wife, who can find?

For her worth is far above pearls.

ב Beth

The heart of her husband trusts in her,

And he will have no lack of gain.

ג Gimel

She deals bountifully with him for good and not evil

All the days of her life.

ד Daleth

She searches for wool and flax

And works with her hands in delight.

ה He

She is like merchant ships;

She brings her food from afar.

ו Vav

And she rises while it is still night,

And gives food to her household

And a portion to her young women.

ז Zayin

She makes plans for a field and buys it;

From the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.

ח Heth

She girds herself with strength

And makes her arms strong.

ט Teth

She senses that her gain is good;

Her lamp does not go out at night.

י Yodh

She stretches out her hands to the distaff,

And her hands hold fast the spindle.

כ Kaph

She extends her hand to the poor,

And she stretches out her hands to the needy.

ל Lamedh

She is not afraid of the snow for her household,

For all her household are clothed with scarlet.

מ Mem

She makes coverings for herself;

Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

נ Nun

Her husband is known in the gates,

When he sits with the elders of the land.

ס Samekh

She makes linen garments and sells them,

And gives belts to the tradesmen.

ע Ayin

Strength and majesty are her clothing,

And she smiles at the future.

פ Pe

She opens her mouth in wisdom,

And the instruction of lovingkindness is on her tongue.

צ Tsadhe

She watches over the ways of her household,

And does not eat the bread of idleness.

ק Qoph

Her children rise up and bless her;

As for her husband, he also praises her, saying:

ר Resh

“Many daughters have done excellently,

But you have gone above them all.”

שׁ Shin

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,

But a woman who fears Yahweh, she shall be praised.

ת Tav

Give to her from the fruit of her hands,

And let her works praise her in the gates.