CHAPTER 7
1 And after these words, Ezra, the 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, priest at the beginning (or the chief priest, or the High Priest), this Ezra was (serving God) in the realm of Artaxerxes, king of Persia;
6 that Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a swift writer in the law of Moses, (or this Ezra left Babylon, and he was a writer, or a teacher, learned in the Law of Moses), which the Lord God of Israel gave; and the king gave to him all his asking, by the good hand of his Lord God on him.
7 And in the seventh year of Artaxerxes (the) king, there went up into Jerusalem men of the sons of Israel, and of the sons of priests, and of the sons of deacons, and of singers, and of porters, and of Nethinims. (And in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes, some men of the Israelites, and of the sons of the priests, and of the sons of the Levites, and some of the singers, and the gatekeepers, and the Temple workers, went up with Ezra to Jerusalem.)
8 And they came into Jerusalem in the fifth month; that is (in) the seventh year of the king(’s)(reign).
9 And in the first day of the first month Ezra began to go up from Babylon, and in the first day of the fifth month he came into Jerusalem, by the good hand, or help, of the God of him. (Yea, on the first day of the first month Ezra left Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came into Jerusalem, by the good hand, or the help, of his God.)
10 And Ezra (had) made ready his heart to inquire (into) the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel the behest and doom of the Lord. (And Ezra had devoted his heart to inquire into the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach its rules and regulations in Israel or and to teach its rules and regulations to the Israelites.)
11 Soothly this is the exemplar of the epistle of the commandment, which the king Artaxerxes gave to Ezra, (the) priest, (a) writer learned in the words and commandments of the Lord, and in his ceremonies in Israel. (And this is the text of the letter of the decree, which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra, the priest, a writer learned in the Law of the Lord, and a teacher of its rules and regulations, to the people of Israel.)
12 (I), Artaxerxes, king of kings, desireth health to Ezra, the priest (or desireth good favour for Ezra, the priest), the most wise writer of the law of (the) God of heaven.
13 It is deemed of me, that whomever it pleaseth in my realm of the people of Israel, and of his priests, and deacons, to go into Jerusalem, go he with thee. (It is decreed by me, that whomever in my kingdom of the people of Israel, or of its priests, or of its Levites, desireth to go up to Jerusalem, go he with thee or may go with thee.)
14 For thou art sent from the presence of the king, and of his seven counsellors, that thou visit Judea and Jerusalem in the law of thy God, which is in thy hand; (For thou art sent from the presence of the king, and of his seven counsellors, or his officials, so that thou visit the people of Judah and Jerusalem, to see how well they obey the Law of thy God, which is entrusted to thee;)
15 and that thou bear (the) silver and (the) gold, which the king and his counsellors, (or his officials), have offered by free will to [the] God of Israel, whose tabernacle is in Jerusalem.
16 And take thou freely all the silver and gold, whatever thou findest in all the province of Babylon, and that that the people will offer, and of priests that offered by free will to the house of their God, which is in Jerusalem; (And take thou all the silver and the gold, whatever thou findest in all the province of Babylon, and what the people, and the priests, offer by free will for the House of their God, which is in Jerusalem;)
17 and buy thou busily of this money calves, rams, lambs, and other offerings, and [the] moist sacrifices of those, (or and with this money prudently buy thou calves, and rams, and lambs, and the proper grain and wine offerings); and offer thou those upon the altar of the temple of your God, which temple is in Jerusalem.
18 But over this also if anything pleaseth to thee, and to thy brethren, to do of the silver and gold that leaveth, do ye it by the will of your God; (And over this, whatever thing pleaseth thee, and thy fellows, to do with the silver and the gold that be left, do ye it according to the will of your God;)
19 also betake thou in the sight of (the) God in Jerusalem the vessels, that be given into the service of the house of thy God. (and regarding those vessels, that were given to thee for the service of the House of thy God, deliver thou them to thy God in Jerusalem.)
20 But also thou shalt give (out) of the treasure (house) of the king, and of the common ark, either purse, (or coffer), and of men other things, that be needful in the house of thy God, as much (as) ever as (it) is needful, that thou spend. (And for any other thing that be needed in the House of thy God, as much as it is needed that thou spend, thou shalt take it from the king’s treasury.)
21 I, Artaxerxes, king, have ordained, and deemed, to all the keepers of the common ark, or hutch, (or purse, or coffer), that be beyond the flood, that whatever thing Ezra, the priest, (the) writer of the law of (the) God of heaven, asketh of you, ye give it without tarrying, (And I, King Artaxerxes, command to all the treasurers who be in the province west of the Euphrates River, that whatever Ezra, the priest, the teacher of the Law of the God of heaven, asketh of you, give ye it to him without any hesitation,)
22 unto an hundred talents of silver, and (un)to an hundred cors of wheat, and unto an hundred baths of wine, and unto an hundred baths of oil, and salt without measure.
23 All thing that pertaineth to the custom, either religion, of (the) God of heaven, be given diligently in the house of (the) God of heaven, lest peradventure he be wroth against the realm of the king, and of his sons. (Yea, let all the things that be demanded by the God of heaven, be diligently given for the House of the God of heaven, lest peradventure he be angry against the kingdom of the king, and of his sons.)
24 Also we make known to you of all the priests, and deacons, singers, and porters, and Nethinims, and ministers of the house of this God, that ye have not power to put on them toll, and tribute, and other costs for keeping of the land. (And we also make known to you, that ye have no power, or authority, to put tolls, or tribute, or any other kind of taxes, for the upkeep of the land, on any of the priests, or the Levites, or the singers, or the gatekeepers, or the Temple workers, or the ministers in the House of God.)
25 But thou, Ezra, by the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, ordain judges and governors, that they deem [all] the people, that is beyond the flood, that is, to them that know the law of thy God, and the law of the king; but also teach ye freely unknowing men. (And thou, Ezra, by the wisdom of thy God, which thou hast been given, ordain judges and governors to judge all the people who be in the province west of the Euphrates River, that is, those who know the Law of thy God, and the law of the king; and also freely teach ye unknowing men.)
26 And each man, that doeth not diligently the law of thy God, and the law of the king, this doom shall be of him, either into death, either into exiling, either into losing of his chattel, either certainly into prison. (And any person, who obeyeth not the Law of thy God, and the law of the king, this sentence shall be for him, either death, or exile, or the loss of his chattel, or of his possessions, or imprisonment.)
27 And Ezra, the writer, said, Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, that gave this thing in the heart of the king (or who put thiscounsel in the king’s heart), that he should glorify the house of the Lord, which is in Jerusalem,
28 and that bowed his mercy into me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the mighty princes of the king. And I was comforted by the hand of the Lord my God, that was in me, and I gathered together (the) princes (out) of the sons of Israel, the which (then) went up with me to Jerusalem. (and who turned his mercy to me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the high officials of the king. And I was strengthened by the hand of the Lord my God, that was upon me, and I gathered together the leaders out of the Israelites, who then went up with me to Jerusalem.)