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Ezra
Ezra · 1 Esdras
Introduction
A NOTE ON THIS RENDERING
THE WITNESS — WHY THIS EZRA IS GREEK
This Ezra is set, at the reader’s asking, not from the Hebrew but from the SEPTUAGINT — the Greek Old Testament — in the public-domain English of Sir Lancelot Brenton (1851), the very base used for Nechemyah (#37) and for 3 and 4 Makabim. In the Greek there is no separate book of Ezra: Ezra and Nehemiah stand together as one work, ESDRAS B (2 Esdras), of which Ezra is chapters 1–10 and Nehemiah chapters 11–23. With Nechemyah #37 this volume completes the whole of Greek Esdras B — the two halves of the return as one Greek witness. The Hebrew- and-Aramaic Ezra (#36, KJV 1611) remains on the shelf as the other witness, and 1 Ezra (Esdras A, #62) as the third: the House keeps them all, each printed as it stands. We restore what was translated; we do not invent what was not. Daniel is the precedent — there too the House printed a Greek witness (Theodotion) of a book whose Hebrew survives.
THE ERASED SEAM — THE DEFINING DIFFERENCE
The Hebrew Ezra is BILINGUAL: it is written in Hebrew, but breaks into ARAMIT (Aramaic) for the Persian court records — the letters and decrees of 4:8–6:18 and the rescript of 7:12–26 — and returns to Hebrew after. In the Hebrew volume (#36) the House marked those four crossings with rubrics, for the change of tongue is the book’s own signature. THE SEPTUAGINT ERASES ALL OF IT. The Greek renders Hebrew narrative and Aramaic decree alike in one uniform Greek; the seam is gone. So this volume carries NO language-rubrics at all — the very feature that most defines the Hebrew book is precisely what the Greek witness dissolves. At 4:7 the Greek still NAMES the Aramit (“a writing in the Aramaic tongue, and the same interpreted”), but it does not switch into it: it announces the tongue and keeps speaking Greek. This erasure is the single clearest thing that reading Ezra in the Septuagint shows.
LIGHTS AND PERFECTIONS — 2:63
Where the Hebrew bars the unproven priests from the holy things “till there stood up a Kohen with URIM and TUMMIM,” the Septuagint does not transliterate the lost oracle — it translates BOTH halves of its name: “until a Kohen should arise with LIGHTS AND PERFECTIONS.” Urim is “lights”; Tummim is “perfections.” The Second Temple, missing its oracle, is left waiting for a Kohen who arises bearing lights and perfections — a phrase that reads almost as a title for the One in whom “dwelleth all the fulness” (Kolossim 2:9), the true Light (Yochanan 1:9), made perfect a Kohen for ever (Ivrim 7:28). (In Nechemyah the same oracle came out “to give light,” 7:65; here the Greek is fuller.) The reading exists only in the Greek.
THE SHESHBATZAR CRUX, AND THE GREEK’S UNSTEADY HAND
Who laid the foundation — SHESHBATZAR (1:8; 5:14–16) or ZERUBBAVEL (3:8–10)? The Hebrew holds the puzzle; the Greek deepens it, for it cannot even keep the man’s name and title steady. In chapter 1 he is “Sasabasar, the chief man of Yehudah”; in chapter 5 he is “Sabanasar the treasurer, who was over the treasure.” Two Greek forms, two offices, one foundation. The House prints every form as it stands and mends nothing. X.4.
THE HIDDEN HAND, THE GOOD HAND
Ezra, like Nechemyah beside it, runs on providence and names no miracle. “The eyes of Elohim were upon the captivity of Yehudah” holds the work through the freeze (5:5); “the good hand of his Elohim was upon him” carries Ezra up from Bavel (7:6, 7:9, 7:28; 8:18, 8:31); Yahuah “turned the heart of the king” (6:22; cf. 7:27). And in 8:22 Ezra, ashamed to ask the king for a guard, stakes the whole caravan on that hand alone — the counterweight to Nechemyah, who took the king’s cavalry without apology (Neh 2:9). Both are printed; neither is corrected against the other.
THE FAST AT AHAVA, AND THE VESSELS WEIGHED
At the river AHAVA — which the Greek spells three ways — Ezra proclaims a fast rather than call for soldiers (8:21–23), and the treasure is weighed out by number and weight, and weighed in again at Yerushalayim into named hands (8:24–34): holiness keeps receipts. The pattern is the same as Nechemyah’s wall — total trust and total care, faith with skin in it.
THE SEVENTY YEARS CLOSED
The book opens on the word of YIRMEYAH fulfilled (1:1; Yirmeyah 25:11–12, 29:10) and closes the count when the house is finished on the third of Adar, in the sixth year of Daryavesh — 516 BC, seventy years from the burning of the first house in 586 (6:15). At 6:2, where the Hebrew records the scroll found at ACHMETA (Ecbatana), the Greek says only “in the city, in the palace”: the place-name, and its quiet link to the Ecbatana of Toviyah #63, drops away in the Greek. Printed as it stands.
THE GRAFTED-IN, AND THE HEART OF THE KING
At the first Pesach in the new house, those who ate were the returned exiles AND “every one who separated himself to them from the uncleanness of the nations of the land, to seek Yahuah” (6:21) — the ger grafted in, the door the New Covenant would open wide (Efesim 2:12–13). And the whole return turns on a heart the king did not know was being turned: “the heart of the king is in the hand of Yahuah” (Mishlei 21:1) is the book’s engine from Koresh (1:1) to Daryavesh (6:22) to Artachshasta (7:27).
THE HARD PLACE — THE FOREIGN WIVES
Ezra ends, as Nechemyah 13 does, in the putting-away of foreign marriages (9–10), and the book breaks off mid-list, unresolved: “all these had taken strange wives; and some of them had wives by whom they had children” (10:44). The House prints it as it stands and does not soften it, and does not tell the reader what became of the wives and children put away, because the text does not. The command is against the ABOMINATIONS that dissolve the holy seed into the nations’ gods (9:1–2, 9:11–12), not against foreign blood as such — the tension with Rut the Mo’aviyah, Rachav the Kena’anit, and the ger grafted in at 6:21 is real, and named, and left unmended. It is a HARD PLACE. It is left hard.
WE ARE BONDMEN
The theological centre of the book is 9:8–9: a nail in the holy place, a little reviving, a fence in Yehudah — “YET WE ARE BONDMEN.” Home, and still slaves to Paras; the house rebuilt, and the harvest still flowing to a foreign king. It is the same “not yet” Nechemyah prays in “we are servants this day” (Neh 9:36). The exile of the body ended; the exile of the heart did not. That ache is the book’s truest note, and the reason the whole Tanakh leans toward the New Covenant written in the heart (Yirmeyah 31:33; Yechezkel 36:26).
THE TONGUE
Brenton’s Greek forms — Koros, Esdras, Zorobabel, Sasabasar, Aggaeus, Zacharias, Arthasastha, Darius — are set in the House manner as KORESH, EZRA, ZERUBBAVEL, SHESHBATZAR, CHAGGAI, ZECHARYAH, ARTACHSHASTA, DARYAVESH, and the load-bearing Hebrew terms (MIZBEACH, SUKKOT, PESACH, MATZOT, SOFER, CHESED, NETINIM, ARAMIT) restored to their own dress. The Name YAHUAH is never glossed. Counts that SIGNIFY are Hebraised (sheva, shalosh, the twelve tribes); the census totals, talents, cubits, and baths are left as they measure. The Sasabasar of the Greek is Hebraised to SHESHBATZAR, and the varying Greek forms named here, not merged in the verse.
RULE X.4
The text is rendered as it stands. The Septuagint is printed as the Septuagint — its uniform Greek preserved where the Hebrew would break into Aramaic, its distinctive readings kept in the verse and the Hebrew named only here, its abrupt and unresolved ending left abrupt and unresolved. Interpretation belongs to the introductions and the notes; it is never smuggled into the verse.
Ezra (1 Esdras)—Chapter 1
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1Now in the first shanah of KORESH (כּוֹרֶשׁ, Cyrus) king of the PARAS (פָּרַס, Persians), THAT THE WORD OF YAHUAH BY THE MOUTH OF YIRMEYAH (יִרְמְיָה, Jeremias) MIGHT BE FULFILLED, Yahuah stirred up the ruach of Koresh king of the Paras, and he issued a proclamation through all his malchut (מַלְכוּת, kingdom), and that in writing, saying,2"Thus saith Koresh king of the Paras: YAHUAH ELOHIM OF SHAMAYIM HATH GIVEN ME ALL THE KINGDOMS OF THE EARTH; and He hath given me a charge to build Him a house in Yerushalayim that is in Yehudah.3Who is there among you of all His am? For his Elohim shall be with him, and he shall go up to Yerushalayim that is in Yehudah, and let him build the house of the Elohim of Yisra'el; HE IS THE ELOHIM THAT IS IN YERUSHALAYIM.4And let every Yehudi that is left go from any place where he sojourneth, and the men of his place shall help him with silver, and gold, and goods, and cattle, together with the voluntary offering for the house of Elohim that is in Yerushalayim."5Then rose up the chiefs of the families of Yehudah and Binyamin, and the Kohanim, and the Levi'im, ALL WHOSE RUACH YAHUAH STIRRED UP to go up to build the house of Yahuah that is in Yerushalayim.6And all that were round about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with cattle, and with presents, besides the voluntary offerings.7And king Koresh brought out THE VESSELS OF THE HOUSE OF YAHUAH, which Nevuchadnetzar had brought from Yerushalayim, and put in the house of his god.8And Koresh king of the Paras brought them out by the hand of MITREDAT the treasurer, and he numbered them to SHESHBATZAR (שֵׁשְׁבַּצַּר, Sasabasar), THE CHIEF MAN OF YEHUDAH.9And this is their number: thirty gold basons, and a thousand silver basons, nine and twenty changes, thirty golden goblets,10and four hundred and ten double silver vessels, and a thousand other vessels.11All the gold and silver vessels were five thousand four hundred, all that went up with Sheshbatzar from the captivity, from Bavel to Yerushalayim.
Ezra (1 Esdras)—Chapter 2
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1And these are the people of the land that went up, of the number of prisoners who were removed, whom Nevuchadnetzar king of Bavel carried away to Bavel; and they returned to Yehudah and Yerushalayim, every man to his city;2who came with ZERUBBAVEL (זְרֻבָּבֶל, Zorobabel): YESHUA (יֵשׁוּעַ, Jesus), Nechemyah, Serayah, Re'elyah, Mordechai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rechum, Ba'anah. The number of the am of Yisra'el:3the children of Peretz, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two;4the children of Shefatyah, three hundred and seventy-two;5the children of Ares, seven hundred and seventy-five;6the children of Pachat-Mo'av, belonging to the sons of Yeshua and Yo'av, two thousand eight hundred and twelve;7the children of Elam, a thousand two hundred and fifty-four;8the children of Zattua, nine hundred and forty-five;9the children of Zakku, seven hundred and sixty;10the children of Banui, six hundred and forty-two;11the children of Bevai, six hundred and twenty-three;12the children of Asgad, a thousand two hundred and twenty-two;13the children of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-six;14the children of Bague, two thousand and fifty-six;15the children of Addin, four hundred and fifty-four;16the children of Ater the son of Chizkiyah, ninety-eight;17the children of Bassu, three hundred and twenty-three;18the children of Yorah, a hundred and twelve;19the children of Chashum, two hundred and twenty-three;20the children of Gaber, ninety-five;21the children of Beit Lechem, a hundred and twenty-three;22the children of Netofah, fifty-six;23the children of Anatot, a hundred and twenty-eight;24the children of Azmot, forty-three;25the children of Kiryat-Ye'arim, Kefirah, and Be'erot, seven hundred and forty-three;26the children of Ramah and Gaba, six hundred and twenty-one;27the men of Michmas, a hundred and twenty-two;28the men of Beit-El and Ai, four hundred and twenty-three;29the children of Nevo, fifty-two;30the children of Magebish, a hundred and fifty-six;31the children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred and fifty-four;32the children of Charim, three hundred and twenty;33the children of Lod, Chadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-five;34the children of Yericho, three hundred and forty-five;35the children of Sena'ah, three thousand six hundred and thirty.36And the Kohanim: the sons of Yedayah, belonging to the house of Yeshua, were nine hundred and seventy-three.37The children of Immer, a thousand and fifty-two.38The children of Pashchur, a thousand two hundred and forty-seven.39The children of Charim, a thousand and seven.40And the Levi'im: the sons of Yeshua and Kadmi'el, belonging to the sons of Hodavyah, seventy-four.41The sons of Asaf, the singers, a hundred and twenty-eight.42The children of the gatekeepers: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkuv, the children of Chatita, the children of Shovai, in all a hundred and thirty-nine.43The NETINIM (נְתִינִים, the given ones): the children of Tzicha, the children of Chasufa, the children of Tabba'ot,44the sons of Keros, the children of Si'aha, the children of Padon,45the children of Levanah, the children of Chagavah, the sons of Akkuv,46the children of Chagav, the children of Shalmai, the children of Chanan,47the children of Giddel, the children of Gachar, the children of Re'ayah,48the children of Retzin, the children of Nekoda, the children of Gazzam,49the children of Uzza, the children of Paseach, the children of Besai,50the children of Asnah, the children of Me'unim, the children of Nefusim,51the children of Bakbuk, the children of Chakufa, the children of Charchur,52the children of Batzlut, the children of Mechida, the children of Charsha,53the children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Tamach,54the children of Netziach, the children of Chatifa.55The children of the servants of Shelomoh: the children of Sotai, the children of Soferet, the children of Peruda,56the children of Ya'alah, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel,57the children of Shefatyah, the children of Chattil, the children of Pocheret-Tzevayim, the children of Ami.58All the Netinim, and the sons of the servants of Shelomoh, were three hundred and ninety-two.59And these are they that went up from Tel-Melach, Tel-Charsha, Keruv, Addan, Immer; and they were not able to tell the house of their fathers, and their seed, whether they were of Yisra'el:60the children of Delayah, the children of Toviyah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred and fifty-two.61And of the children of the Kohanim: the children of Chavayah, the children of Hakkotz, the children of Barzillai — who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gil'adi, and was called by their name.62These sought their genealogy as though they had been reckoned, but they were not found; AND THEY WERE REMOVED, AS POLLUTED, FROM THE KEHUNAH.63And the TIRSHATA told them that they should not eat of the most holy things, UNTIL A KOHEN SHOULD ARISE WITH LIGHTS AND PERFECTIONS (אוּרִים וְתֻמִּים, Urim and Thummim).64And all the congregation together were about forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty,65besides their menservants and maidservants — and these were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and among these were two hundred singing men and singing women.66Their horses were seven hundred and thirty-six; their mules, two hundred and forty-five;67their camels, four hundred and thirty-five; their asses, six thousand seven hundred and twenty.68And some of the chiefs of families, when they went into the house of Yahuah that was in Yerushalayim, OFFERED WILLINGLY FOR THE HOUSE OF ELOHIM, to establish it on its prepared place.69According to their power they gave into the treasury of the work pure gold sixty-one thousand pieces, and five thousand pounds of silver, and one hundred Kohanim's garments.70So the Kohanim, and the Levi'im, and some of the am, and the singers, and the gatekeepers, and the Netinim, dwelt in their cities, and all Yisra'el in their cities.
Ezra (1 Esdras)—Chapter 3
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1And the seventh chodesh came on, and the children of Yisra'el were in their cities, AND THE AM ASSEMBLED AS ONE MAN at Yerushalayim.2Then stood up Yeshua the son of YOTZADAK, and his brethren the Kohanim, and Zerubbavel the son of She'alti'el, and his brethren, AND THEY BUILT THE MIZBEACH (מִזְבֵּחַ, altar) OF THE ELOHIM OF YISRA'EL, to offer upon it whole burnt offerings, according to the things that were written in the Torah of Moshe the man of Elohim.3And they set up the mizbeach on its place, FOR THERE WAS A TERROR UPON THEM because of the am of the lands; and the whole burnt offering was offered up upon it to Yahuah morning and evening.4And THEY KEPT THE FEAST OF SUKKOT (סֻכּוֹת, Booths), according to that which was written, and offered whole burnt offerings daily in number according to the ordinance, the exact daily rate.5And after this the perpetual whole burnt offering, and the offering for the season of the new moon, and for all the hallowed MO'ADIM (מוֹעֲדִים, the appointed times) of Yahuah, and for every one that offered a freewill offering to Yahuah.6On the first yom of the seventh chodesh they began to offer whole burnt offerings to Yahuah; BUT THE FOUNDATION OF THE HOUSE OF YAHUAH WAS NOT LAID.7And they gave money to the stone-hewers and carpenters, and meat and drink, and oil, to the Tzidonim, and Tzorim, to bring cedar trees from Levanon to the sea of Yafo, according to the grant of Koresh king of the Paras to them.8And in the second shanah of their coming to the house of Elohim in Yerushalayim, in the second chodesh, began Zerubbavel the son of She'alti'el, and Yeshua the son of Yotzadak, and the rest of their brethren the Kohanim and the Levi'im, and all who came from the captivity to Yerushalayim; and they appointed the Levi'im, from twenty shanim old and upward, over the workmen in the house of Yahuah.9And Yeshua and his sons and his brethren stood, Kadmi'el and his sons the sons of Yehudah, over them that wrought the works in the house of Elohim; the sons of Chenadad, their sons and their brethren the Levi'im.10And they laid a foundation for building the house of Yahuah; and the Kohanim in their robes stood with trumpets, and the Levi'im the sons of Asaf with cymbals, TO PRAISE YAHUAH, according to the order of David king of Yisra'el.11And they answered each other with praise and thanksgiving to Yahuah, saying, "FOR IT IS GOOD, FOR HIS CHESED (חֶסֶד, lovingkindness) TO YISRA'EL ENDURES FOR EVER." And all the am shouted with a loud voice to praise Yahuah AT THE LAYING OF THE FOUNDATION OF THE HOUSE OF YAHUAH.12But many of the Kohanim and the Levi'im, and the elder men, heads of families, WHO HAD SEEN THE FORMER HOUSE ON ITS FOUNDATION, and who saw this house with their eyes, WEPT WITH A LOUD VOICE; but the multitude shouted with joy to raise a song.13And the am did not distinguish the voice of the glad shout from the voice of the weeping of the am; for the am shouted with a loud voice, AND THE VOICE WAS HEARD EVEN FROM AFAR OFF.
Ezra (1 Esdras)—Chapter 4
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1And they that afflicted Yehudah and Binyamin heard that the children of the captivity were building a house to Yahuah Elohim of Yisra'el.2And they drew near to Zerubbavel, and to the heads of families, and said to them, "WE WILL BUILD WITH YOU; for as ye do, we seek to serve your Elohim, and we do sacrifice to Him from the days of Esar-Chaddon king of Ashur, who brought us hither."3Then Zerubbavel, and Yeshua, and the rest of the heads of the families of Yisra'el said to them, "IT IS NOT FOR US AND YOU TO BUILD A HOUSE TO OUR ELOHIM; for we ourselves will build together to Yahuah our Elohim, as Koresh the king of the Paras commanded us."4And the am of the land weakened the hands of the am of Yehudah, and hindered them in building,5and continued hiring persons against them, plotting to frustrate their counsel, all the yamim of Koresh king of the Paras, and until the reign of DARYAVESH (דָּרְיָוֶשׁ, Darius) king of the Paras.6And in the reign of Achashverosh, even in the beginning of his reign, they wrote a letter against the inhabitants of Yehudah and Yerushalayim.7And in the days of ARTACHSHASTA (אַרְתַּחְשַׁשְׂתָּא, Artaxerxes), Tav'el wrote peaceably to Mitredat and to the rest of his fellow-servants; the tribute-gatherer wrote to Artachshasta king of the Paras a writing in the ARAMIT (אֲרָמִית, the Aramaic tongue), and the same interpreted.8Rechum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, wrote an epistle against Yerushalayim to king Artachshasta, saying,9"Thus hath judged Rechum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of our fellow-servants — the Dinaeans, the Afarsatekaeans, the Tarpelaeans, the Afarsaeans, the Arkyaeans, the Bavelim, the Shushanchaeans, the Dehavites,10and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar removed, and settled them in the cities of Shomron, and the rest of them beyond the River.11This is the purport of the letter, which they sent to him: 'Thy servants the men beyond the River, to king Artachshasta.12Be it known to the king, that THE YEHUDIM WHO CAME UP FROM THEE TO US HAVE COME TO YERUSHALAYIM — the rebellious and wicked city, which they are building; and its walls are set in order, and they have established the foundations of it.13Now then be it known to the king, that IF THAT CITY BE BUILT UP, AND ITS WALLS COMPLETED, thou shalt have no tribute, neither will they pay anything, and this injures kings.14And it is not lawful for us to see the dishonour of the king; therefore have we sent and made known the matter to the king,15that examination may be made in thy fathers' book of record; and thou shalt find, and thou shalt know THAT THAT CITY IS REBELLIOUS, and does harm to kings and countries; and there are in the midst of it, from very old time, refuges for runaway slaves; therefore this city has been made desolate.16We therefore declare to the king, that, if that city be built, and its walls be set up, THOU SHALT NOT HAVE PEACE.'17Then the king sent to Rechum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their fellow-servants who dwelt in Shomron, and the rest beyond the River, saying, "Shalom"; and he saith,18"The tribute-gatherer whom ye sent to us has been called before me.19And a decree has been made by me, and we have examined, and found THAT THAT CITY OF OLD TIME EXALTS ITSELF AGAINST KINGS, and that rebellions and desertions take place within it.20And there were powerful kings in Yerushalayim, and they ruled over all the country beyond the River, and abundant revenues and tribute were given to them.21Now therefore make a decree to stop the work of those men, and that city shall no more be built.22See that ye be careful of the decree, not to be remiss concerning this matter, lest at any time destruction should abound to the harm of kings."23Then the tribute-gatherer of king Artachshasta read the letter before Rechum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and his fellow-servants; and they went in haste to Yerushalayim and through Yehudah, and caused them to cease with horses and an armed force.24Then ceased the work of the house of Elohim in Yerushalayim, and it was at a stand UNTIL THE SECOND SHANAH OF THE REIGN OF DARYAVESH king of the Paras.
Ezra (1 Esdras)—Chapter 5
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1And CHAGGAI (חַגַּי, Aggaeus) the navi, and ZECHARYAH (זְכַרְיָה, Zacharias) the son of Iddo, prophesied a prophecy to the Yehudim in Yehudah and Yerushalayim in the name of the Elohim of Yisra'el, even to them.2Then rose up Zerubbavel the son of She'alti'el, and Yeshua the son of Yotzadak, and began to build the house of Elohim that was in Yerushalayim; and with them were the nevi'im of Elohim assisting them.3At the same time came there upon them TATTENAI, the governor on this side the River, and Shetar-Boznai, and their fellow-servants, and spoke thus to them, "WHO HATH ORDAINED A DECREE FOR YOU TO BUILD THIS HOUSE, and to provide this preparation?"4Then they spoke thus to them, "What are the names of the men that build this city?"5BUT THE EYES OF ELOHIM WERE UPON THE CAPTIVITY OF YEHUDAH, and they did not cause them to cease till the decree was brought to Daryavesh; and then was sent by the tribute-gatherer concerning this6the copy of a letter, which Tattenai, the governor of the part on this side the River, and Shetar-Boznai, and their fellow-servants the Afarsechaeans who were on this side of the River, sent to king Daryavesh.7They sent an account to him, and thus it was written in it: "All shalom to king Daryavesh.8Be it known to the king, that we went into the land of Yehudah, to the house of the great Elohim; and it is building with choice stones, and they are laying timbers in the walls, and THAT WORK IS PROSPERING, and goes on favourably in their hands.9Then we asked those elders, and thus we said to them, 'Who gave you the order to build this house, and to provide this preparation?'10And we asked them their names, in order to declare them to thee, so as to write to thee the names of their leading men.11And they answered us thus, saying, 'WE ARE THE SERVANTS OF THE ELOHIM OF SHAMAYIM AND EARTH, and we are building the house which had been built many years before this; and a great king of Yisra'el built it, and established it for them.12But after that our fathers provoked the Elohim of shamayim, He gave them into the hands of Nevuchadnetzar the Kasdi, king of Bavel; and he destroyed this house, and carried the am captive to Bavel.13But in the first shanah of king Koresh, Koresh the king made a decree that this house of Elohim should be built.14And the gold and silver vessels of the house of Elohim, which Nevuchadnetzar brought out from the house that was in Yerushalayim, and carried them into the heichal of the king — them did king Koresh bring out from the heichal of the king, and gave them to SHESHBATZAR the treasurer, who was over the treasure;15and said to him, "Take all the vessels, and go, put them in the house that is in Yerushalayim in their place."16Then that Sheshbatzar came, AND LAID THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE HOUSE OF ELOHIM in Yerushalayim; and from that time even until now it hath been building, and hath not been finished.17And now, if it seem good to the king, let search be made in the treasure-house of the king at Bavel, that thou mayest know if it be that a decree was made by king Koresh to build that house of Elohim that was in Yerushalayim; and let the king send to us when he hath learnt concerning this matter.'
Ezra (1 Esdras)—Chapter 6
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1Then Daryavesh the king made a decree, and caused a search to be made in the record-offices, where the treasure is stored in Bavel.2And there was found in the city, in the palace, a volume, and this was the record written in it:3"In the first shanah of king Koresh, Koresh the king made a decree concerning the holy house of Elohim that was in Yerushalayim, saying, LET THE HOUSE BE BUILT, and the place where they sacrifice the sacrifices. (Also he appointed its elevation, in height sixty cubits; its breadth was of sixty cubits.)4And let there be three strong layers of stone, and one layer of timber; and the expense shall be paid out of the house of the king.5And the silver and the gold vessels of the house of Elohim, which Nevuchadnetzar carried off from the house that was in Yerushalayim, and carried to Bavel — let them even be given, and be carried to the heichal that is in Yerushalayim, and put in the place where they were set in the house of Elohim."6"Now, ye rulers beyond the River, Shetar-Boznai, and their fellow-servants the Afarsechaeans, who are on the other side of the River, GIVE THESE THINGS, KEEPING FAR FROM THAT PLACE.7Now let alone the work of the house of Elohim; let the rulers of the Yehudim and the elders of the Yehudim build that house of Elohim on its place.8Also a decree hath been made by me, if haply ye may do somewhat in concert with the elders of the Yehudim for the building of that house of Elohim: to wit, out of the king's property, even the tributes beyond the River, LET THERE BE MONEY TO DEFRAY THE EXPENSES CAREFULLY GRANTED to those men, so that they be not hindered.9And whatever need there may be, ye shall give both the young of bulls and rams, and lambs for whole burnt offerings to the Elohim of shamayim, wheat, salt, wine, oil — let it be given them according to the word of the Kohanim that are in Yerushalayim, yom by yom whatsoever they shall ask;10that they may offer sweet savours to the Elohim of shamayim, AND THAT THEY MAY PRAY FOR THE LIFE OF THE KING AND HIS SONS.11And a decree hath been made by me, that every man who shall alter this word, timber shall be pulled down from his house, and let him be lifted up and slain upon it, and his house shall be confiscated.12And may the Elohim whose name dwells there overthrow every king and am who shall stretch out his hand to alter or destroy the house of Elohim which is in Yerushalayim. I DARYAVESH HAVE MADE A DECREE; let it be diligently attended to."13Then Tattenai the governor on this side beyond the River, Shetar-Boznai, and his fellow-servants, according to that which king Daryavesh sent, so they did diligently.14And the elders of the Yehudim and the Levi'im built, AT THE PROPHECY OF CHAGGAI THE NAVI, AND ZECHARYAH THE SON OF IDDO; and they built up, and finished it, by the decree of the Elohim of Yisra'el, and by the decree of Koresh, and Daryavesh, and Artachshasta, kings of the Paras.15And they finished this house by the third yom of the chodesh Adar, which is the sixth shanah of the reign of Daryavesh the king.16And the children of Yisra'el, the Kohanim, and the Levi'im, and the rest of the children of the captivity, KEPT THE DEDICATION OF THE HOUSE OF ELOHIM WITH GLADNESS.17And they offered for the dedication of the house of Elohim a hundred calves, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, TWELVE KIDS OF THE GOATS FOR A SIN OFFERING FOR ALL YISRA'EL, according to the number of the tribes of Yisra'el.18And they set the Kohanim in their divisions, and the Levi'im in their separate orders, for the services of Elohim in Yerushalayim, according to the writing of the SEFER of Moshe.19And the children of the captivity kept the PESACH (פֶּסַח, Passover) on the fourteenth yom of the first chodesh.20For the Kohanim and Levi'im were purified, all were clean to a man, and they slew the Pesach for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the Kohanim, and for themselves.21And the children of Yisra'el ate the Pesach, even they that were of the captivity, AND EVERY ONE WHO SEPARATED HIMSELF TO THEM FROM THE UNCLEANNESS OF THE NATIONS OF THE LAND, to seek Yahuah Elohim of Yisra'el.22And they kept the feast of MATZOT (מַצּוֹת, Unleavened Bread) sheva yamim with gladness, BECAUSE YAHUAH MADE THEM GLAD, and He turned the heart of the king of Ashur to them, to strengthen their hands in the works of the house of the Elohim of Yisra'el.
Ezra (1 Esdras)—Chapter 7
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1Now after these things, in the reign of Artachshasta king of the Paras, came up EZRA (עֶזְרָא, help) the son of Serayah, the son of Azaryah, the son of Chilkiyah,2the son of Shallum, the son of Tzadok, the son of Achituv,3the son of Amaryah, the son of Azaryah, the son of Merayot,4the son of Zerachyah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,5the son of Avishua, the son of PINCHAS, the son of EL'AZAR, THE SON OF AHARON THE FIRST KOHEN.6This Ezra went up out of Bavel; and he was A READY SOFER (סוֹפֵר, scribe) IN THE TORAH OF MOSHE, which Yahuah Elohim of Yisra'el gave; and the king gave him leave, FOR THE HAND OF YAHUAH HIS ELOHIM WAS UPON HIM in all things which he sought.7And some of the children of Yisra'el went up, and some of the Kohanim, and of the Levi'im, and the singers, and the gatekeepers, and the Netinim, to Yerushalayim, in the seventh shanah of Artachshasta the king.8And they came to Yerushalayim in the fifth chodesh; this was the seventh shanah of the king.9For in the first yom of the first chodesh he began the going up from Bavel, and in the first yom of the fifth chodesh they came to Yerushalayim, FOR THE GOOD HAND OF HIS ELOHIM WAS UPON HIM.10For Ezra HAD DETERMINED IN HIS HEART TO SEEK THE TORAH, AND TO DO AND TEACH the ordinances and judgments in Yisra'el.11And this is the copy of the order which Artachshasta gave to Ezra the Kohen, the sofer of the book of the words of the mitzvot of Yahuah, and of His ordinances to Yisra'el:12"Artachshasta, KING OF KINGS, to Ezra, the sofer of the Torah of Yahuah Elohim of shamayim: Let the order and the answer be accomplished.13A decree is made by me, that every one who is willing in my malchut of the am of Yisra'el, and of the Kohanim and Levi'im, to go to Yerushalayim, be permitted to go with thee.14One hath been sent from the king and the seven councillors, TO VISIT YEHUDAH AND YERUSHALAYIM, ACCORDING TO THE TORAH OF THEIR ELOHIM THAT IS IN THINE HAND.15And for the house of Yahuah there have been sent silver and gold, which the king and the councillors have freely given to the Elohim of Yisra'el, who dwells in Yerushalayim.16And all the silver and gold, whatsoever thou shalt find in all the land of Bavel, with the freewill offering of the am, and the Kohanim that offer freely for the house of Elohim which is in Yerushalayim.17And as for every one that arriveth there, speedily order him by this letter to bring calves, rams, lambs, and their meat offerings, and their drink offerings; and thou shalt offer them on the mizbeach of the house of your Elohim which is in Yerushalayim.18And whatever it shall seem good to thee and to thy brethren to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, do as it is pleasing to your Elohim.19And deliver the vessels that are given thee for the service of the house of Elohim, before Elohim in Yerushalayim.20And as to the rest of the need of the house of thy Elohim, thou shalt give from the king's treasure-houses,21and from me, whatever it shall seem good to thee to give. I, king Artachshasta, have made a decree for all the treasuries that are in the country beyond the River, THAT WHATEVER EZRA THE KOHEN AND SOFER OF THE ELOHIM OF SHAMAYIM MAY ASK YOU, IT SHALL BE DONE SPEEDILY,22to the amount of a hundred talents of silver, and a hundred measures of wheat, and a hundred baths of wine, and a hundred baths of oil, and salt without reckoning.23Let whatever is in the decree of the Elohim of shamayim be done; take heed lest any one make an attack on the house of the Elohim of shamayim, lest at any time there should be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons.24Also this hath been declared to you: with respect to all the Kohanim, and Levi'im, the singers, gatekeepers, Netinim, and ministers of the house of Elohim, LET NO TRIBUTE BE PAID; thou shalt not have power to oppress them.25And thou, Ezra, as the wisdom of Elohim is in thy hand, APPOINT SCRIBES AND JUDGES, that they may judge for all the am beyond the River — all that know the Torah of Yahuah thy Elohim; and ye shall make it known to him that knoweth not.26And whosoever shall not do the Torah of Elohim, AND THE LAW OF THE KING, readily, judgment shall be taken upon him, whether for death, or for chastisement, or for a fine of his property, or casting into prison."27BLESSED BE YAHUAH ELOHIM OF OUR FATHERS, who hath put it thus into the heart of the king, to glorify the house of Yahuah which is in Yerushalayim,28and hath given me favour in the eyes of the king, and of his councillors, and all the rulers of the king, the exalted ones. And I WAS STRENGTHENED ACCORDING TO THE GOOD HAND OF ELOHIM UPON ME, and I gathered chief men of Yisra'el to go up with me.
Ezra (1 Esdras)—Chapter 8
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1And these are the heads of their families, the leaders that went up with me in the reign of Artachshasta the king of Bavel:2of the sons of Pinchas, Gershom; of the sons of Itamar, Dani'el; of the sons of David, Chattush;3of the sons of Shechanyah, and of the sons of Parosh, Zecharyah; and with him a company of a hundred and fifty;4of the sons of Pachat-Mo'av, Elyeho'enai the son of Zerachyah, and with him two hundred that were males;5and of the sons of Zattu, Shechanyah the son of Yachazi'el, and with him three hundred males;6and of the sons of Adin, Eved the son of Yonatan, and with him fifty males;7and of the sons of Elam, Yeshayah the son of Atalyah, and with him seventy males;8and of the sons of Shefatyah, Zevadyah the son of Micha'el, and with him eighty males;9and of the sons of Yo'av, Ovadyah the son of Yechi'el, and with him two hundred and eighteen males;10and of the sons of Bani, Shelomit the son of Yosifyah, and with him a hundred and sixty males;11and of the sons of Bevai, Zecharyah the son of Bevai, and with him twenty-eight males;12and of the sons of Azgad, Yochanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him a hundred and ten males;13and of the sons of Adonikam were the last, and these were their names: Elifelet, Ye'i'el, and Shema'yah, and with them sixty males;14and of the sons of Bigvai, Utai, and Zabbud, and with him seventy males.15And I gathered them to the river that cometh to AHAVA, and we encamped there shalosh yamim; and I reviewed the am and the Kohanim, AND FOUND NONE OF THE SONS OF LEVI THERE.16And I sent men of understanding to Eli'ezer, to Ari'el, to Shema'yah, and to Elnatan, and to Yariv, and to Elnatan, and to Natan, and to Zecharyah, and to Meshullam, and to Yo'yariv, and to Elnatan.17And I forwarded them to the rulers with the money of the place, and I put words in their mouth to speak to their brethren the Netinim, that they should bring us ministers for the house of our Elohim.18And they came to us, AS THE GOOD HAND OF OUR ELOHIM WAS UPON US, even a man of understanding of the sons of Machli, the son of Levi, the son of Yisra'el; and at the commencement came his sons and his brethren, eighteen.19And Chashavyah, and Yeshayah of the sons of Merari, his brethren and his sons, twenty.20And of the Netinim, whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levi'im, there were two hundred and twenty Netinim; all were gathered by their names.21And I proclaimed there a FAST, at the river Ahava, THAT WE SHOULD HUMBLE OURSELVES BEFORE OUR ELOHIM, to seek of Him a straight way for us, and for our children, and for all our property.22FOR I WAS ASHAMED TO ASK OF THE KING A GUARD AND HORSEMEN to save us from the enemy in the way; for we had spoken to the king, saying, "THE HAND OF OUR ELOHIM IS UPON ALL THAT SEEK HIM, FOR GOOD; BUT HIS POWER AND HIS WRATH ARE UPON ALL THAT FORSAKE HIM."23So we fasted, and asked of our Elohim concerning this; AND HE HEARKENED TO US.24And I gave charge to twelve of the chiefs of the Kohanim, to Sherevyah, to Chashavyah, and ten of their brethren with them.25And I weighed to them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of the firstfruits of the house of our Elohim, which the king, and his councillors, and his princes, and all Yisra'el that were found, had dedicated.26I even weighed into their hands six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and a hundred silver vessels, and a hundred talents of gold,27and twenty golden bowls, weighing about a thousand drachms, and superior vessels of fine shining brass, precious as gold.28And I said to them, "YE ARE KADOSH TO YAHUAH, and the vessels are kadosh; and the silver and the gold are freewill offerings to Yahuah Elohim of our fathers.29Be watchful and keep them, until ye weigh them before the chief Kohanim and the Levi'im, and the chiefs of families in Yerushalayim, at the chambers of the house of Yahuah."30So the Kohanim and the Levi'im took the weight of the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, to bring to Yerushalayim into the house of our Elohim.31And we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth yom of the first chodesh, to come to Yerushalayim; AND THE HAND OF OUR ELOHIM WAS UPON US, AND DELIVERED US FROM THE HAND OF THE ENEMY AND ADVERSARY in the way.32And we came to Yerushalayim, and abode there shalosh yamim.33And it came to pass on the fourth yom that we weighed the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, in the house of our Elohim, into the hand of Meremot the son of Uriyah the Kohen; and with him was El'azar the son of Pinchas, and with them Yozavad the son of Yeshua, and No'adyah the son of Binnui, the Levi'im.34ALL THINGS WERE RECKONED BY NUMBER AND WEIGHT, and the whole weight was written down.35At that time the children of the banishment that came from the captivity offered whole burnt offerings to the Elohim of Yisra'el — twelve calves for all Yisra'el, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, twelve goats for a sin offering; all whole burnt offerings to Yahuah.36And they gave the king's mandate to the king's lieutenants, and the governors beyond the River; and they honoured the am and the house of Elohim.
Ezra (1 Esdras)—Chapter 9
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1And when these things were finished, the princes drew near to me, saying, "The am of Yisra'el, and the Kohanim, and the Levi'im, HAVE NOT SEPARATED THEMSELVES FROM THE AM OF THE LANDS in their abominations — even the Kena'ani, the Chitti, the Perizzi, the Yevusi, the Ammoni, the Mo'avi, the Mitzri, and the Emori.2For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons; and THE HOLY SEED HAS PASSED AMONG THE NATIONS OF THE LANDS, and the hand of the rulers hath been first in this transgression."3And when I heard this thing, I rent my garments, and trembled, and plucked some of the hairs of my head and of my beard, and sat down mourning.4Then there assembled to me all that followed the word of the Elohim of Yisra'el, on account of the transgression of the captivity; and I remained mourning until the evening minchah.5And at the evening minchah I rose up from my humiliation; and when I had rent my garments, then I trembled, AND I BOW MYSELF ON MY KNEES, and spread out my hands to Yahuah my Elohim,6and I said, "O my Elohim, I AM ASHAMED AND CONFOUNDED, O my Elohim, to lift up my face to Thee; for our transgressions have abounded over our head, and our trespasses have increased even to shamayim.7From the yamim of our fathers we have been in a great trespass until this yom; and because of our iniquities we, and our kings, and our children, have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the Goyim by the sword, and by captivity, and by spoil, and with shame of our face, as at this yom.8And now our Elohim hath dealt mercifully with us, so as to leave us to escape, and to give us a nail in His holy place, THAT HE MIGHT ENLIGHTEN OUR EYES, and give a little reviving in our bondage.9For we are bondmen, yet in our bondage Yahuah our Elohim hath not deserted us; AND HE HATH EXTENDED FAVOUR TO US in the sight of the kings of the Paras, to give us a reviving, that they should raise up the house of our Elohim, and repair the desolate places of it, and to give us a fence in Yehudah and Yerushalayim.10What shall we say, O our Elohim, after this? For we have forsaken Thy mitzvot,11which Thou hast given us by the hand of Thy servants the nevi'im, saying, 'THE LAND INTO WHICH YE GO TO INHERIT IT IS A LAND SUBJECT TO DISTURBANCE by the removal of the am of the nations for their abominations, wherewith they have filled it from one end to the other by their uncleanness.12And now give not your daughters to their sons, and take not of their daughters for your sons, neither shall ye seek their peace nor their good 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.'13And after all that is come upon us because of our evil deeds, and our great trespass, IT IS CLEAR THAT THERE IS NONE SUCH AS OUR ELOHIM, for Thou hast lightly visited our iniquities, and hast given us deliverance;14whereas we have repeatedly broken Thy mitzvot, and intermarried with the am of the lands: BE NOT VERY ANGRY WITH US TO OUR UTTER DESTRUCTION, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping one.15O Yahuah Elohim of Yisra'el, THOU ART RIGHTEOUS; for we remain yet escaped, as at this yom; behold, we are before Thee in our trespasses; FOR WE CANNOT STAND BEFORE THEE ON ACCOUNT OF THESE THINGS."
Ezra (1 Esdras)—Chapter 10
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1So when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, WEEPING AND PRAYING BEFORE THE HOUSE OF ELOHIM, a very great assembly of Yisra'el came together to him — men and women and youths; for the am wept, and wept aloud.2And Shechanyah the son of Yechi'el, of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra, "WE HAVE BROKEN BRIT WITH OUR ELOHIM, and have taken strange wives of the nations of the land; YET NOW THERE IS PATIENCE OF HOPE TO YISRA'EL CONCERNING THIS THING.3Now then let us make a brit with our Elohim, to put away all the wives, and their offspring, as thou shalt advise; arise, and alarm them with the mitzvot of our Elohim; and let it be done according to the Torah.4Rise up, for the matter is upon thee; and we are with thee; BE STRONG AND DO."5Then Ezra arose, and caused the rulers, the Kohanim, and Levi'im, and all Yisra'el, to swear that they would do according to this word; and they swore.6Then Ezra rose up from before the house of Elohim, and went to the treasury of Yehochanan the son of Elyashiv; he even went thither; HE ATE NO BREAD, AND DRANK NO WATER; for he mourned over the unfaithfulness of them of the captivity.7And they made proclamation throughout Yehudah and Yerushalayim to all the children of the captivity, that they should assemble at Yerushalayim, saying,8"Every one who shall not arrive within shalosh yamim, as is the counsel of the rulers and the elders, all his substance shall be forfeited, and he himself shall be separated from the congregation of the captivity."9So all the men of Yehudah and Binyamin assembled at Yerushalayim within the shalosh yamim. This was the ninth chodesh; on the twentieth yom of the chodesh all the am sat down in the street of the house of Yahuah, BECAUSE OF THEIR ALARM CONCERNING THE WORD, AND BECAUSE OF THE STORM.10And Ezra the Kohen arose, and said to them, "Ye have broken brit, and have taken strange wives, TO ADD TO THE TRESPASS OF YISRA'EL.11Now therefore give praise to Yahuah Elohim of our fathers, and do that which is pleasing in His sight; and SEPARATE YOURSELVES FROM THE AM OF THE LAND, and from the strange wives."12Then all the congregation answered and said, "This thy word is powerful upon us to do it.13But the am is numerous, and the season is stormy, and there is no power to stand without, and the work is more than enough for one yom or for two; FOR WE HAVE GREATLY SINNED IN THIS MATTER.14Let now our rulers stand, and for all those in our cities who have taken strange wives, let them come at appointed times, and with them elders from every several city, and judges, TO TURN AWAY THE FIERCE WRATH OF OUR ELOHIM FROM US concerning this matter."15Only Yonatan the son of Asa'el, and Yachzeyah the son of Tikvah were engaged in this matter; and Meshullam, and Shabbetai the Levite helped them.16And the children of the captivity did thus; and Ezra the Kohen, and heads of families according to their house, were separated, and all by their names; and they returned in the first yom of the tenth chodesh to search out the matter.17And they made an end with all the men who had taken strange wives by the first yom of the first chodesh.18And there were found some of the sons of the Kohanim who had taken strange wives: of the sons of Yeshua the son of Yotzadak, and his brethren — Ma'aseyah, and Eli'ezer, and Yariv, and Gedalyah.19And they pledged themselves to put away their wives, and offered a ram of the flock for a trespass offering because of their trespass.20And of the sons of Immer: Chanani, and Zevadyah.21And of the sons of Charim: Ma'aseyah, and Eliyah, and Shema'yah, and Yechi'el, and Uzziyah.22And of the sons of Pashchur: Elyeho'enai, Ma'aseyah, Yishma'el, Netan'el, Yozavad, and Elasah.23And of the Levi'im: Yozavad, and Shimi, and Kelayah (he is Kelita), Petachyah, Yehudah, and Eli'ezer.24And of the singers: Elyashiv; and of the gatekeepers: Shallum, and Telem, and Uri.25And of Yisra'el, of the sons of Parosh: Ramyah, and Yizziyah, and Malkiyah, and Miyamin, and El'azar, and Malkiyah, and Benayah.26And of the sons of Elam: Mattanyah, and Zecharyah, and Yechi'el, and Avdi, and Yeremot, and Eliyah.27And of the sons of Zattu: Elyeho'enai, Elyashiv, Mattanyah, and Yeremot, and Zavad, and Aziza.28And of the sons of Bevai: Yehochanan, Chananyah, Zabbai, Atlai.29And of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, and Adayah, Yashuv, and She'al, and Yeremot.30And of the sons of Pachat-Mo'av: Adna, and Kelal, Benayah, Ma'aseyah, Mattanyah, Betzal'el, and Binnui, and Menasheh.31And of the sons of Charim: Eli'ezer, Yishiyah, Malkiyah, Shema'yah, Shim'on,32Binyamin, Malluch, Shemaryah.33Of the sons of Chashum: Mattenai, Mattatah, Zavad, Elifelet, Yeremai, Menasheh, Shimi.34Of the sons of Bani: Ma'adai, Amram, and U'el,35Benayah, Bedeyah, Keluhu,36Vanyah, Meremot, Elyashiv,37Mattanyah, Mattenai, and Ya'asai,38and Bani, and Binnui, Shimi,39and Shelemyah, and Natan, and Adayah,40Machnadvai, Shashai, Sharai,41Azar'el, and Shelemyah, Shemaryah,42Shallum, Amaryah, Yosef.43Of the sons of Nevo: Ye'i'el, Mattityah, Zavad, Zevina, Yaddai, and Yo'el, Benayah.44All these had taken strange wives; AND SOME OF THEM HAD WIVES BY WHOM THEY HAD CHILDREN.