Chapter 7. Now after these things in the reign of Artaxerxes King of Persia Ezra the son of Soraya the son of Azariah the son of hilkaya the son of Shalom the son of zadok the son of a Heitab the son of amariah the son of Azariah the son of murrayoff the son of Zarahaya the son of azai the son of Bakai the son of a bishua the son of Phinehas the son of elieza the son of Aaron the chief priest This Ezra came up from Babylon And he was a skilled scribe in the law Of Moses which the Lord God of Israel Had given The king granted him all his request According to the hand of the Lord his God upon him Some of the children of Israel the Priests the Levites the singers The Gatekeepers and the nephonym came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Arthur Xerxes And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth Month which was in the seventh year of The king On the first day of the first month he Began his journey 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 For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek The law of the Lord and to do it and to
Teach statutes and ordinances in Israel This is a copy of the letter that King Arthur Xerxes gave Ezra the priest The Scribe expert in the words of The Commandments of the Lord and of his Statutes to Israel Arthur Xerxes King of Kings To Ezra the priest a scribe of the law Of the god of Heaven Perfect peace and so forth I issue a decree that all those of the People of Israel and the priests and Levites in my realm who volunteer to go Up to Jerusalem May go with you And whereas you are being sent by the King and his seven councilors to inquire Concerning Judah and Jerusalem with Regard to the law of your God which is In your hand And whereas you are to carry the silver And gold which the king and his Counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel Whose dwelling is in Jerusalem And whereas all the silver and gold that You may find in all the province of Babylon along with the Free Will Offering of the people and the priests Are to be freely offered for the house Of their God in Jerusalem Now therefore be careful to buy with This money Bulls Rams and Lambs with Their grain offerings and their drink Offerings and offer them on the altar of
The House of your God in Jerusalem And whatever seems good to you and your Brethren to do with the rest of the Silver and the gold do it according to The will of your God Also the articles that are given to you For the service of the House of your God Deliver in full before the god of Jerusalem And whatever more may be needed for the House of your God which you may have Occasion to provide pay for it from the King's Treasury And I even I artaxerx sees the king Issue a decree to all the treasurers who Are in the region beyond the river That whatever Ezra the priest the Scribe Of the law of the god of Heaven may Require of you let it be done diligently Up to 100 talents of silver 100 cores of Wheat 100 baths of wine 100 baths of oil And salt without prescribed limit Whatever is commanded by the god of Heaven Let It diligently be done for the House of the god of Heaven For why should there be wrath against The realm of the king and his sons Also we inform you that it shall not be Lawful to impose tax tribute or custom On any of the priests Levites singers Gatekeepers nephonym or Servants of this House of God And you Ezra according to your god-given Wisdom
Set magistrates and judges who may judge All the people who are in the region Beyond the river all such as know the Laws of your God And teach those who do not know them Whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king Let judgment be executed speedily on him Whether it be death or banishment or Confiscation of goods or imprisonment Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers Who has put such a thing as this in the King's heart To beautify the house of the Lord which Is in Jerusalem And has extended Mercy to me before the King and his counselors and before all The king's Mighty princes So I was encouraged as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me And I gathered Leading Men of Israel to Go up with me