Ezra 7 - 8
Ezra Goes Up from Babylon to Jerusalem
7aNow after these things, in the reign of bArtaxerxes king of Persia, there went up Ezra son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, 2son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, 3son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, 4son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, 5son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest. 6This Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a ascribe skilled in the law of Moses, which Yahweh, the God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all 1he requested bbecause the hand of Yahweh his God was upon him. 7aAnd 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.
8He came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. 9For on the first of the first month 1he began to go up from Babylon; and on the first of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, abecause the good hand of his God was upon him. 10For Ezra had set his heart to 1study the law of Yahweh and to practice it, and ato teach His statute and judgment in Israel.
The King’s Decree on Behalf of Ezra
11Now this is the copy of the letter which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, 1learned in the words of the commandments of Yahweh and His statutes to Israel: 12“1Artaxerxes, aking of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace. And now— 13aI 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. 14“Forasmuch as you are sent from before the king and his aseven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God which is in your hand, 15and to bring the silver and gold, which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, awhose dwelling is in Jerusalem, 16and aall the silver and gold which you find in the whole province of Babylon, along bwith the freewill offering of the people and of the priests, who coffered willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem; 17with this money, therefore, you shall with all diligence buy bulls, rams, and lambs, awith their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and bbring them near to the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem. 18“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. 19“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. 20“The rest of the needs for the house of your God, which may fall upon you to provide, aprovide for it from the royal treasury.
21“So I, even I, King Artaxerxes, issue a decree to all the treasurers who are in the provinces beyond the 1River, that whatever Ezra the priest, athe scribe of the law of the God of heaven, may ask of you, it shall be done with all diligence, 22even up to 1100 talents of silver, 2100 kors of wheat, 3100 baths of wine, 4100 baths of oil, and salt without written order. 23“Whatever is 1decreed by the God of heaven, let it be done with zeal for the house of the God of heaven, aso that there will not be wrath against the kingdom of the king and his sons. 24“We also make known to you that ait is not allowed to 1impose tribute, custom, or toll bon any of the priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.
25“And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God which is in your hand, aappoint 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 bmake them known. 26“aWhoever 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 1banishment or for confiscation of goods or for imprisonment.”
Yahweh Put This in the King’s Heart
27Blessed be Yahweh, the God of our fathers, awho has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of Yahweh which is in Jerusalem, 28and ahas extended lovingkindness to me before the king and his counselors and before all the king’s mighty princes. Thus I was strengthened according to bthe hand of Yahweh my God upon me, and I gathered 1chief men from Israel to go up with me.
Genealogical Records
8Now 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:
2of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David, aHattush; 3of the sons of Shecaniah who was of the sons of aParosh, Zechariah and with him 150 males who were in the genealogical records; 4of the sons of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah and 200 males with him; 5of the sons of Zattu, Shecaniah, the son of Jahaziel and 300 males with him; 6and of the sons of aAdin, Ebed the son of Jonathan and 50 males with him; 7and of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah and 70 males with him; 8and of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael and 80 males with him; 9of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel and 218 males with him; 10and of the sons of Bani, Shelomith, the son of Josiphiah and 160 males with him; 11and of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai and 28 males with him; 12and of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan and 110 males with him; 13and of the sons of Adonikam, the last ones, these being their names, Eliphelet, 1Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and 60 males with them; 14and of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai, and 1Zabbud, and 70 males with 2them. Ezra Sends for Levites
15Now I gathered them at athe river that runs to Ahava, where we camped for three days. And I 1observed the people and the priests, but I bdid not find any Levites there. 16So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, 1chief men, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, teachers. 17I sent them out to Iddo the 1chief man at the place Casiphia; and I put words in their mouths to say to 2Iddo and his brothers, athe temple servants at the place Casiphia, that is, to bring ministers to us for the house of our God. 18aSo, according to the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a bman of insight of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, and his sons and brothers, 18 men; 19and Hashabiah and 1Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, with his brothers and their sons, 20 men; 20and 220 of athe 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
21Then I called for aa fast there at bthe river of Ahava, that we might chumble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a 1direct journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions. 22For 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, “aThe hand of our God is upon all those who seek Him, for their good, but bHis strength and His anger are against all those who cforsake Him.” 23So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He 1,awas moved by our entreaty.
24Then I 1set apart twelve of the leading priests, aSherebiah, Hashabiah, and with them ten of their brothers; 25and I aweighed out to them bthe silver, the gold, and the utensils, the contribution for the house of our God which the king and chis counselors and his princes and all Israel present there had offered. 26aThus I weighed into their hands 1650 talents of silver, and silver utensils worth 100 talents, and 100 gold talents, 27and 20 gold bowls worth 1,000 1darics, and two utensils of fine shiny bronze, precious as gold. 28Then I said to them, “aYou are holy to Yahweh, and the butensils are holy; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to Yahweh, the God of your fathers. 29“Watch and keep them auntil 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.” 30So the priests and the Levites aaccepted the weighed out silver and gold and the utensils, to bring them to Jerusalem to the house of our God.
31Then we set out from athe river Ahava on bthe twelfth of the first month to go to Jerusalem; and cthe hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and the ambushes by the way. 32aThus we came to Jerusalem and remained there three days.
Silver, Gold, and Utensils Weighed
33On the fourth day the silver and the gold and the utensils awere weighed out in the house of our God into the hand of bMeremoth 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. 34Everything was numbered and weighed, and all the weight was written down at that time.
35aThe exiles who had come from the captivity brought burnt offerings near to the God of Israel: b12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, 12 male goats for a sin offering, all as a burnt offering to Yahweh. 36Then athey gave the king’s edicts to bthe king’s satraps and to the governors in the provinces beyond the 1River, and they supported the people and the house of God.