AFV2020 - Ezra

Chapter 1

1:1  Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the Word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might he fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,

1:2  "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, 'The LORD God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. And He has charged me to build Him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

1:3  Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel—He is the God Who is in Jerusalem.

1:4  And whoever remains in any place where he resides, let the men of his place help him with silver and with gold and with goods and with animals, besides the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.' ”

1:5  And the chiefs of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, even all whose spirit God had stirred up, arose to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.

1:6  And all those who were around them made their hands strong with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with animals, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered.

1:7  And Cyrus the king brought out the vessels of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought out of Jerusalem and had put in the house of his gods.

1:8  Even those Cyrus king of Persia brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer and numbered them to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.

1:9  And this is the number of them: thirty basins of gold, a thousand basins of silver, twenty-nine knives,

1:10  Thirty bowls of gold, four hundred and ten silver bowls of a second kind, and a thousand other vessels.

1:11  All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these Sheshbazzar brought up when the exiles went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Chapter 2

2:1  And these are the children of the province who went up out of the captivity, of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon. And these came again to Jerusalem and Judah, each one to his city.

2:2  These are the ones who came with Zerubbabel: Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah. This is the number of the men of the people of the children of Israel:

2:3  The children of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two.

2:4  The children of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two.

2:5  The children of Arah, seven hundred and seventy-five.

2:6  The children of Pahath-Moab, of the sons of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and twelve.

2:7  The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred and fifty-four.

2:8  The children of Zattu, nine hundred and forty-five.

2:9  The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty.

2:10  The children of Bani, six hundred and forty-two.

2:11  The children of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-three.

2:12  The children of Azgad, a thousand two hundred and twenty-two.

2:13  The children of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-six.

2:14  The children of Bigvai, two thousand and fifty-six.

2:15  The children of Adin, four hundred and fifty-four.

2:16  The children of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety-eight.

2:17  The children of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-three.

2:18  The children of Jorah, a hundred and twelve.

2:19  The children of Hashum, two hundred and twenty-three.

2:20  The children of Gibbar, ninety-five.

2:21  The children of Bethlehem, a hundred and twenty-three.

2:22  The men of Netophah, fifty-six.

2:23  The men of Anathoth, a hundred and twenty-eight.

2:24  The children of Azmaveth, forty-two.

2:25  The children of Kirjath-Arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth seven hundred and forty-three.

2:26  The children of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty-one.

2:27  The men of Michmas, a hundred and twenty-two.

2:28  The men of Bethel and Ai, two hundred and twenty-three.

2:29  The men of Nebo, fifty-two.

2:30  The men of Magbish, a hundred and fifty-six.

2:31  The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred and fifty-four.

2:32  The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.

2:33  The children of Lod, Hadid and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-five.

2:34  The children of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five.

2:35  The children of Senaah, three thousand, six hundred and thirty.

2:36  The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three.

2:37  The children of Immer, a thousand and fifty-two.

2:38  The children of Pashhur, a thousand two hundred and forty-seven.

2:39  The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.

2:40  The Levites: the children of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the children of Hodaviah seventy-four.

2:41  The singers: the children of Asaph, a hundred and twenty-eight.

2:42  The children of the gatekeepers: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, in all a hundred and thirty-nine.

2:43  The temple servants: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth,

2:44  The children of Keros, the children of Siaha, the children of Padon,

2:45  The children of Lebanah, the children of Hagabah, the children of Akkub,

2:46  The children of Hagab, the children of Shalmai, the children of Hanan,

2:47  The children of Giddel, the children of Gahar, the children of Reaiah

2:48  The children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda, the children of Gazzam,

2:49  The children of Uzza, the children of Paseah, the children of Besai,

2:50  The children of Asnah, the children of Meunim, the children of Nephusim,

2:51  The children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur,

2:52  The children of Bazluth, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha,

2:53  The children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Tamah,

2:54  The children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha.

2:55  The children of Solomon's servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Peruda,

2:56  The children of Jaala, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel,

2:57  The children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth of Zebaim, the children of Ami.

2:58  All the temple servants, and the children of Solomon's servants three hundred and ninety-two.

2:59  And these were they who went up from Tel-Melah, Tel-Harsa, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, but they could not verify their father's house and their seed, whether they were of Israel:

2:60  The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred and fifty-two.

2:61  And of the children of the priests, the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai (who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name).

2:62  These looked for their family records among the genealogy, but they were not found. Therefore they were deemed polluted and removed from the priesthood.

2:63  And the governor said to them that they should not eat of the most holy things until there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim.

2:64  The whole congregation together was forty-two thousand, three hundred and sixty,

2:65  Besides their servants and their maids, seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven. And among them were two hundred singing men and singing women.

2:66  Their horses were seven hundred and thirty-six, their mules two hundred and forty-five,

2:67  Their camels four hundred and thirty-five, and their donkeys six thousand seven hundred and twenty.

2:68  And some of the chief of the fathers, when they came to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God to set it up in its place.

2:69  They gave according to their ability to the treasury of the work, sixty-one thousand drachmas of gold, and five thousand minas of silver, and one hundred priestly garments.

2:70  And the priests, and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers, and the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.

Chapter 3

3:1  Now when the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves as one man to Jerusalem.

3:2  And Jeshua the son of Jozadak stood up, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren. And they built the altar of the God of Israel in order to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.

3:3  And they set the altar on its bases, for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries. And they offered burnt offerings upon it unto the LORD, burnt offerings both morning and evening.

3:4  And they kept the Feast of Tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the ordinance, as the duty of every day required.

3:5  And afterward they offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons and of all the appointed feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and of everyone who willingly offered a freewill offering to the LORD.

3:6  From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, but the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid.

3:7  They gave money also to the masons and to the carpenters. And they gave food and drink and oil to the people of Sidon and to the people of Tyre to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea and on to Joppa, according to the grant which they had from Cyrus king of Persia.

3:8  And in the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they who had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to oversee the work of the house of the LORD.

3:9  Then Jeshua stood up together with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, to oversee the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites.

3:10  And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their robes with silver trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the ordinance of David king of Israel.

3:11  And they sang, praising and giving thanks to the LORD, "Because He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever toward Israel." And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.

3:12  But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers—ancient men who had seen the first house—when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice. And many shouted aloud for joy,

3:13  So that the people could not tell the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people. For the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

Chapter 4

4:1  And when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the exile were building the temple to the LORD God of Israel,

4:2  Then they came to Zerubbabel and to the chief of the fathers, and said to them, "Let us build with you, for we seek your God, even as you. And we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here."

4:3  But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said to them, "You have nothing to do with us to build a house unto our God. But we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us."

4:4  Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building.

4:5  And they hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

4:6  And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

4:7  And in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabel and the rest of their companions, wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. Now the letter was written in the Syrian tongue and interpreted in the Syrian tongue.

4:8  Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this way.

4:9  Then wrote Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions, the judges, and the emissaries, the consuls, the officials, the Erechites, the Babylonians, Elamites of Susa,

4:10  And the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar brought over and set in the cities of Samaria, and in the rest of the province beyond the River—and now,

4:11  This is the copy of the letter which they sent to him, to Artaxerxes the king: "Your servants the men of the province beyond the River, and so now,

4:12  Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have come to Jerusalem, and are building the rebellious and the evil city, and have set up its walls, and have joined the foundations.

4:13  Let it be known to the king that if this city is built and the walls set up, then they will not pay toll, taxes, or custom, and you shall endanger the revenue of the kings.

4:14  Now because we have eaten the salt of the palace, and it was not right for us to see the king's dishonor, therefore we have sent and notified the king,

4:15  So that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers, and you shall find in the book of the records, and shall know that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and that they have incited sedition in it in the past, for which cause that city was destroyed.

4:16  We notify the king that if this city is built and the walls of it set up, then you shall have no portion beyond the River."

4:17  The king sent an answer to Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions who dwell in Samaria, and to the rest beyond the River: "Peace! And now,

4:18  The letter which you sent to us has been plainly read before me.

4:19  And I decreed, and search has been made, and it is found that this city has risen up against kings in the past, and rebellion and revolt have been made in it.

4:20  There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, who have ruled over all the country beyond the River. And toll, taxes, and custom were paid to them.

4:21  Now make a decree to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not built until the decree shall be given from me.

4:22  And take heed that you do not fail to do this. Why should damage increase to the hurt of the kings?"

4:23  And when the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they hurried to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them cease by force and power.

4:24  Then the work of the house of God at Jerusalem ceased. So it ceased to the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Chapter 5

5:1  Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, Who was over them.

5:2  Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God at Jerusalem. And with them were the prophets of God helping them.

5:3  At the same time Tattenai, governor of the province beyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai, and their companions, came to them and said this to them: "Who has commanded you to build this house and to make this wall?"

5:4  They also asked, "What are the names of the men who are building this building?"

5:5  But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, so that they could not cause them to stop until a report could go to Darius, and then a written reply be returned concerning it.

5:6  The copy of the letter which Tattenai, governor of the province beyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai, and his companions, the officials beyond the River, sent to Darius the king,

5:7  They sent a letter to him, in which this was written: "To Darius the king, all peace.

5:8  Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judea to the house of the great God, which is being built with great stones, and timber is being laid in the walls, and this work goes on with diligence and prospers in their hands.

5:9  Then we asked those elders and said this to them: 'Who commanded you to build this house and furnish this wall?'

5:10  We also asked their names in order to notify you so that we might write the names of the men who are the chief of them.

5:11  And they returned this answer to us, saying, 'We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth. And we build the house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished.

5:12  But because our fathers had provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried the people away to Babylon.

5:13  But in the first year of Cyrus the king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to build this house of God.

5:14  And also the vessels of gold and silver from the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple in Jerusalem and brought them into the temple of Babylon, those Cyrus the king took out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to one whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor.

5:15  And he said to him, "Take these vessels and go. Deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be built in His place."

5:16  Then the same Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem. And since that time even until now it has been in building, but is not yet finished.'

5:17  Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, let a search be made in the king's treasure house there at Babylon, whether it is so that a decree was given from Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem. And let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter."

Chapter 6

6:1  Then Darius the king made a decree, and a search was made in the house of the scrolls where the treasures were laid up in Babylon.

6:2  And there was found at Achmetha, in the palace that was in the province of the Medes, a scroll. And in it was a record thus written:

6:3  "In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem: 'Let the house be built, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations of it be strongly laid. The height of it shall be sixty cubits, and the breadth of it shall be sixty cubits,

6:4  With three rows of great stones and a row of new timber. And let the expenses be given out of the king's house.

6:5  And also let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple at Jerusalem, and brought to Babylon, be restored and brought again to the temple which is at Jerusalem, to their place, and put them in the house of God.' ”

6:6  "Now, therefore, Tattenai, governor of the province beyond the River, Shethar- Boznai, and your companions, the officials beyond the River, keep away from there.

6:7  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 its place.

6:8  Moreover, I make a decree as to what you shall do for the elders of these Jews for the building of this house of God, that at once expense be given to these men from the king's goods, from the tax beyond the River, so that they may not be hindered.

6:9  And that which they have need of, both young bulls and rams and lambs, for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the request of the priests at Jerusalem, let it be given them day by day without fail,

6:10  So that they may offer sacrifices of sweet savors to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king and of his sons.

6:11  Also I have made a decree that whoever shall alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his house and be lifted up, and let him be hanged on it. And let his house be made a dunghill for this.

6:12  And may the God who has caused His name to dwell there, overthrow all kings and people who shall put their hand to alter or to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I, Darius, have made a decree. Let it be done with all diligence."

6:13  Then Tattenai, governor of the province beyond the River, Shethar-Boznai, and their companions, according to that which Darius the king had sent, did so speedily.

6:14  And the elders of the Jews built, and they were prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finished it according to the command of the God of Israel, and according to the decree of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

6:15  And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

6:16  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.

6:17  And they offered at the dedication of this house of God a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, and four hundred lambs. And for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve he-goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

6:18  And they set the priests in their sections, and the Levites in their divisions, for the service of God which is at Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of Moses.

6:19  And the children of the captivity kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.

6:20  The priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them pure. And they killed the Passover lamb for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.

6:21  And the children of Israel ate the Passover lamb, all who had come again out of exile, and all such as had separated themselves to them from the uncleanness of the nations of the land in order to seek the LORD God of Israel.

6:22  And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the LORD had made them joyful, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them to make their hands strong in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

Chapter 7

7:1  Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the priest the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,

7:2  The son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,

7:3  The son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,

7:4  The son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,

7:5  The son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest—

7:6  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 he asked, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.

7:7  And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the gatekeepers, and the temple servants, to Jerusalem in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.

7:8  And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, in the seventh year of the king.

7:9  Now on the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him,

7:10  For Ezra had set his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.

7:11  And this is the copy of the letter which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of His statutes to Israel:

7:12  "Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace. Now at this time,

7:13  I make a decree that everyone of the people of Israel, and their priests and Levites in my kingdom, who desire of their own free will to go up to Jerusalem, go with you;

7:14  Since you have been sent by the king and by his seven counselors to inquire about Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of your God in your hand,

7:15  And to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem,

7:16  And all the silver and gold which you can find in all the province of Babylon, with the free will offering of the people and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God in Jerusalem,

7:17  Now therefore, you shall diligently buy with this money bulls, rams, lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and shall offer them upon the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem.

7:18  And whatever shall seem good to you and to your brethren to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, you may do according to the will of your God.

7:19  Also the vessels which are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver them before the God of Jerusalem.

7:20  And whatever more shall be needed for the house of your God, which you shall have need to give, give it out of the king's treasure house.

7:21  And I, Artaxerxes the king, make a decree to all the treasurers who are beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it shall be done with all diligence,

7:22  To a hundred talents of silver, and to a hundred measures of wheat, and to a hundred baths of wine, and to a hundred baths of oil, and salt without limit.

7:23  Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be carefully done for the house of the God of heaven, for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?

7:24  Also, we notify you, that in regard to any of the priests and the Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, taxes, or tribute on them.

7:25  And now you, Ezra, after the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, set magistrates and judges who may judge all the people who are beyond the River, all who know the laws of your God; and you teach them who do not know.

7:26  And whoever will not do the law of your God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it is to death, or to exile, or to confiscation of goods, or imprisonment."

7:27  Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this into the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem,

7:28  And has extended mercy unto me before the king and his counselors and before all the king's mighty princes. And I was made strong as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered out of Israel chief men to go up with me.

Chapter 8

8:1  These are the heads of their fathers' houses, and the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king.

8:2  From the sons of Phinehas, Gershom. From the sons of Ithamar, Daniel. From the sons of David, Hattush.

8:3  From the sons of Shecaniah, from the sons of Parosh, Zechariah. And with him were counted by genealogy of the males a hundred and fifty.

8:4  From the sons of Pahath-Moab, Elihoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males.

8:5  From the sons of Shechaniah, the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males.

8:6  From the sons also of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males.

8:7  And from the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males.

8:8  And from the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him eighty males.

8:9  From the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males.

8:10  And from the sons of Shelomith, the son of Josiphiah, and with him a hundred and sixty males.

8:11  And from the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight males.

8:12  And from the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him a hundred and ten males.

8:13  And from the last sons of Adonikam, these: Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them sixty males.

8:14  From the sons of Bigvai, Uthai, and Zabbud, and with them seventy males.

8:15  Then I gathered them at the river which runs to Ahava and we stayed there in tents three days. And I looked over the people and the priests, and did not find there any of the sons of Levi.

8:16  Then I sent 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.

8:17  And I sent them with a command to Iddo, the chief of the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say to Iddo, to his brethren the temple servants, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring to us ministers for the house of our God.

8:18  And by the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of understanding, from the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen;

8:19  And Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah from the sons of Merari, his brethren and their sons, twenty;

8:20  Also of the temple servants whom David and the rulers had chosen for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty temple servants. All of them were called by name.

8:21  Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river Ahava, so that we might humble ourselves before our God in order to seek from Him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our goods.

8:22  For I was ashamed to ask of the king troops and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way because we had spoken to the king, saying, "The hand of our God is upon all those who seek Him for good, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him."

8:23  So we fasted and prayed to our God about this. And He was entreated of us.

8:24  Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them.

8:25  And I weighed to them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, the offering of the house of our God, which the king and his counselors and his lords, and all Israel who were present, had offered.

8:26  And I weighed into their hands six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels of a hundred talents, of gold a hundred talents,

8:27  And twenty basins of gold of a thousand drams, and two vessels of fine copper as precious as gold.

8:28  And I said to them, "You are holy to the LORD, and the vessels are holy. And the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the LORD, the God of your fathers.

8:29  Watch and keep them until you weigh them before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and the heads of the fathers of Israel at Jerusalem in the chambers of the house of the LORD."

8:30  So the priests and the Levites received the weight of the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem to the house of our God.

8:31  And we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day 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 from ambushers along the way.

8:32  And we came to Jerusalem and stayed there three days.

8:33  And on the fourth day the silver and the gold and the vessels were weighed 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 was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites.

8:34  They were recorded by number and by the weight of every one. And all the weight was written at that time.

8:35  The children of those who had been exiled, who had come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel, twelve young bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and twelve he-goats for a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD.

8:36  And they delivered the king's orders to the king's satraps and to the governors of the province beyond the River. And they helped the people and the house of God.

Chapter 9

9:1  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. But they are doing according to their abominations, those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites,

9:2  For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, so the holy seed is mixed with the people of those lands. Yea, the hand of the princes and rulers has been chief in this sin."

9:3  And when I heard this thing, I tore my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down appalled.

9:4  Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel was gathered to me because of the faithlessness of those who had been exiled. And I sat there appalled until the evening sacrifice.

9:5  And at the evening sacrifice I rose up from my fasting, even with my garment and my mantle torn, and I fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God.

9:6  And I said, "O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have increased over our heads, and our guiltiness has grown up to the heavens.

9:7  Since the days of our fathers we have been in great guilt to this day. And for our iniquities we, our kings, our priests, have 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.

9:8  And now for a little moment, grace has been shown from the LORD our God to leave us a remnant to escape and to give us a strong peg in His holy place, so that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a little reviving in our bondage,

9:9  For we were slaves, yet our God has not forsaken us in our bondage, but has extended mercy to 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 its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.

9:10  And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments,

9:11  Which You commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, 'The land into which you go to possess it, is an unclean land through the filthiness of the people of the lands, through their abominations which have filled it from one end to the other with their impurity.

9:12  And now therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons, nor seek their peace or their prosperity forever, so that you may be strong and eat the good of the land and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.'

9:13  And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since You our God have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such a remnant as this,

9:14  Should we again break Your commandments and make marriages with the people that do these abominations? Would You not be angry with us until You had crushed us, so that there should be no remnant or survivor?

9:15  O LORD, God of Israel, You are righteous, for we are left a remnant that has escaped, as it is this day. Behold, we are before You in our guilt, for no one can stand before You because of this."

Chapter 10

10:1  Now while Ezra prayed, and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there gathered to him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children, for the people wept with a great weeping.

10:2  And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra, "We have been unfaithful to our God and have married strange women from the people of the land. Yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this thing.

10:3  And now therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the women, and such as have been born of them, according to the counsel of the LORD, and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God. And let it be done according to the law.

10:4  Arise, for this matter belongs to you. We also will be with you. Be of good courage and do it."

10:5  Then Ezra arose and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel to swear that they would do according to this word. And they swore.

10:6  Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God and went into the room of Johanan the son of Eliashib. And he went there, and he ate no bread nor drank water, for he mourned because of the sin of those who had been exiled.

10:7  And they made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the children of the captivity to gather themselves unto Jerusalem,

10:8  And that whoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the rulers and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and he himself separated from the congregation of the exiles.

10:9  Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves to Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month. And all the people sat in the street before the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and because of the great rain.

10:10  And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have been unfaithful, and have married strange women to increase the guilt of Israel.

10:11  Now confess to the LORD God of your fathers, and do His pleasure. And separate yourselves from the people of the land and from the foreign women."

10:12  Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, "As you have said, so we must do.

10:13  But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand outside. And the work is not of one or two days, for we have transgressed greatly in this matter.

10:14  Let our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all those who have married strange women in our cities, come at set times, and with them the elders of every city and its judges, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter has turned from us."

10:15  Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah made a stand against this. And Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them.

10:16  And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain heads of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated. And they sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.

10:17  And they were finished with all the men who had married foreign women by the first day of the first month.

10:18  And among the sons of the priests, these were found who had taken strange women: from the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brethren; Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah.

10:19  And they gave their hands that they would put away their women. And being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their sin.

10:20  And from the sons of Immer; Hanani and Zebadiah.

10:21  And from the sons of Harim; Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah.

10:22  And from the sons of Pashur; Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad, and Elasah.

10:23  And from the Levites: Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah (the same is Kelita,) Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

10:24  And from the singers: Eliashib; and from the gatekeepers, Shallum and Telem and Uri.

10:25  And from Israel: from the sons of Parosh, Ramiah, and Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Mijamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah and Benaiah.

10:26  And from the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Eliah.

10:27  And from the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza.

10:28  And from the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.

10:29  And from the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth.

10:30  And from the sons of Pahath-Moab: Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, and Binnui, and Manasseh.

10:31  And from the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,

10:32  Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.

10:33  From the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattathah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.

10:34  From the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, and Uel,

10:35  Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluh,

10:36  Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,

10:37  Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasai,

10:38  And Bani, and Binnui, Shimei,

10:39  And Shelemiah, Nathan, and Adaiah,

10:40  Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

10:41  Azarel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah,

10:42  Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.

10:43  From the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.

10:44  All these had married foreign wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.