Bible (Wikisource)/Ezra
From Wikisource
| ←2 Chronicles | Ezra Free Bible |
Nehemiah→ |
Contents |
[edit] Chapter 1
1In the 1st year of Cyrus, king of Persia, in order to fulfil the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and put it in writing saying:
"Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia:
" 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a house in Jerusalem which is in Judah. Anyone from all his people among you—may his God be with him—let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD, the God of Israel. He is the God who is in Jerusalem. Let every survivor, wherever he lives, be helped by the people there with silver, gold, goods and livestock, as well as voluntary offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.' "
Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites—all those whose spirit God had stirred—arose to go up and build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem. All their neighbours strengthened their hands with silver vessels, gold, goods, livestock and valuables as well as the voluntary offerings.
Also King Cyrus brought our the vessels of the house of the LORD which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the house of his gods. Cyrus, king of Persia, had them brought out by Mithredath the treasurer who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.
This is their number:
- 30 gold basins
- 1000 silver basins
- 29 silver utensils
- 30 gold bowls
- 410 other silver bowls
- and 1000 other vessels.
All the articles of gold and silver totalled 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought them all up when the exiles went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.
[edit] Chapter 2
1Now these are the people who were going up from the captivity of the exiles, whom Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had taken away to Babylon. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own city. They case with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.
The number of the men of the Israelites were:
the sons of Parosh, 2,172;
the sons of Shefatiah, 372;
the sons of Arah, 775;
the sons of Pahath-Moab (thru the sons of Jeshua and Joab), 2,812;
the sons of Elam, 1,254;
the sons of Zattu, 945;
the sons of Zaccai, 760;
the sons of Bani, 642;
the sons of Bebai, 623;
the sons of Azgad, 1,222;
the sons of Adonikam, 666;
the sons of Bigvai, 2,056;
the sons of Adin, 454;
the sons of Ater (thru Hezekiah), 98;
the sons of Bezai, 323;
the sons of Jorah, 112;
the sons of Hashum, 223;
the sons of Gibbar, 95;
the men of Bethlehem, 123;
the men of Netofah, 56;
the men of Anathoth, 128;
the men of the house of Azmaveth, 42;
the men of Kiriath Jearim, Kefirah and Beeroth, 743;
the men of Ramah and Geba, 621;
the men of Micmash, 122;
the men of Bethel and Ai, 223;
the sons of Nebo, 52;
the sons of Magbish, 156;
the sons of the other Elam, 1,254;
the sons of Harim, 320;
the men of Lod, Hadid and Ono, 725;
the men of Jericho, 345;
the sons of Senaah, 3,630.
The priests:
the sons of Jedaiah (thru the house of Jeshua), 973;
the sons of Immer, 1,052;
the sons of Pashhur, 1,247;
the sons of Harim, 1,017.
The Levites:
the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel (thru the sons of Hodaviah), 74
The singers:
the sons of Asaf, 128.
The sons of the gatekeepers:
the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, and the sons of Shobai, 139.
The temple servants:
the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasufa, the sons of Tabbaoth, the sons of Keros, the sons of Siaha, the sons of Padon, the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hagab, the sons of Shalmai, the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai, the sons of Asnah, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nefisim,the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakufa, the sons of Harhur, the sons of Bazluth, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah, the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatifa.
The sons of Solomon's servants:
the sons of Sotai, the sons of Hassofereth, the sons of Peruda, the sons of Jaalah, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Shefatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the sons of Ami.
All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon's servants, 392.
Now these are the ones who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha,Kerub, Addon and Immer; however they were unable to show whether their fathers’ houses and their descendants were from Israel:
the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, 652.
From the priests:
the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai (who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and he was called by their name). There records were searched for among the genealogical records, but were not found; so they were considered unclean and excluded from the priesthood . The governor told them not to eat any of the sacred food until there was a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim.
The entire group numbered 42,360, besides their male and female servants who numbered 7,337. They also had 200 male and female singers, 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.
When they arrived at the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem, some of the heads of the fathers’ households offered voluntary offerings for the house of God in order to rebuild it on its site. According to their ability they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 gold drachmas 5,000 silver minas and 100 priestly garments.
The priests, the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers and the temple servants lived in their cities; and the rest of Israel in their cities.
[edit] Chapter 3
1When the seventh month arrived and the Israelites were in their cities, the people assembled as one man in Jerusalem. Then Jeshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his colleagues commensed building the altar of the God of Israel in order to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, as is written in the law of Moses, the man of God. They set up the altar on its foundations, even though they feared the local people; and they sacrificed burnt offerings to the LORD, both in the morning and the evening. And in accordance with what is written they observed the Festival of Booths and offered the required number of daily burnt offerings;as the duty of every day required. After that they offered the regular burnt offerings, those for the new moons, those for the LORD’s holy festivals and all those that were brought as voluntary offerring to the LORD. From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, however the foundation of the LORD’s temple had not been laid.
Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters; and food , drink and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre so that they would bring cedar wood from Lebanon to the sea at Joppa, in accordance to the edict of Cyrus king of Persia. In the second year after they had come to the house of God in Jerusalem, in the second month; Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brothers—the priests, the Levites and all those who came from the exile to Jerusalem—began the work. They appointed Levites who were 20 years and older to supervise the work on the house of the LORD. Jeshua appointed his sons and brothers, Kadmiel and his sons (sons of Yehudah), and the sons of Henadad with their sons and brothers, the Levites, to supervise the workers in the house of God. When the builders laid the foundation of the LORD’s temple, the priests in their robes with their trumpets, and the Levites (sons of Asaf) with their cymbals stood to praise the LORD according to the instructions of David king of Israel. Praising and glorifying the LORD they sang:
"For he is good;
His loving kindness toward Israel is forever."
All the people gave a great shout as they praised the LORD because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. Many of the priests, Levites and family heads—the older men who had seen the former temple—wept loudly when they saw the foundation being laid; and many others shouted for joy. The people were unable to distinguish the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping because the people were shouting so loudly, and the sound was heard far away.
[edit] Chapter 4
1When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD the God of Israel they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ households and said to them, "Let us help you build for we, like you, seek your God and we have been sacrificing to him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here." But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ households of Israel said to them, "You have no part with with us in building a house to our God. We will build it ourselves to the LORD God of Israel, just as King Cyrus, king of Persia has commanded us."
Then the local people began to discourage the people of Judah and dishearten them from building. They hired advisors to oppose them and frustrate their plans throughout all the days of Cyrus king of Persia until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
During the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem. 7In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his colleagues wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated.
Aramaic.[1]
8Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows:
Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe, and the the rest of their associates: the judges, the rulers, the secretaries, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa—that is the Elamites, and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Esarhaddon deported and settled in the city of Samaria and elsewhere beyond the River.
This is a copy of the letter they sent to him.
To Artaxerxes the king. From your servants, men beyond the River. May the king be aware that the Jews who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are completing its walls and repairing its foundations. May the king also be aware that if this city is built and the walls are completed then they will no longer pay tribute, tax or custom and the treasury of the kings will suffer. Since we under obligation to the palace and it is not fit for us to see the king’s dishonour, we are sending this information to the king so that a search can be made in the records of your fathers. You will discover in those records that this city is a rebellious city, injurious to both kings and provinces, inciting revolt since ancient times. This is the reason the city was destroyed. We are informing the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, you will be left with nothing beyond the River.
The king sent a response:
To Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates who live in Samaria and elsewhere beyond the River.
Greetings. The letter you sent to us has been translated and read in my presence. I issued a decree, a search was made and it was discovered that this city has revolted against kings since ancient times and has been a place of rebellion and sedition. Powerful kings have ruled over Jerusalem and provinces beyond the River. Tribute, taxes and custom were paid to them. Now issue a decree that these men are to stop working and this city is not to be rebuilt until I issue a decree. Be careful not to neglect this matter, why should danger increase to the detriment of the king?
As soon as the copy of the letter from King Artaxerxes was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their associates, they went quickly to the Jews in Jerusalem and stopped them with threat of armed force.
So the work on the house of God stopped. It remained halted until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
[edit] Chapter 5
[edit] Chapter 6
1
[edit] Chapter 7
[edit] Chapter 8
[edit] Chapter 9
[edit] Chapter 10
[edit] Footnotes
- ↑ The text from Ezra 4:8 to Ezra 6:18 is in Aramaic
| Old Testament |
| Genesis • Exodus • Leviticus • Numbers • Deuteronomy • Joshua • Judges • Ruth • 1 Samuel • 2 Samuel • 1 Kings • 2 Kings • 1 Chronicles • 2 Chronicles • Ezra • Nehemiah • Esther • Job • Psalms • Proverbs • Ecclesiastes • Song of Solomon • Isaiah • Jeremiah • Lamentations • Ezekiel • Daniel • Hosea • Joel • Amos • Obadiah • Jonah • Micah • Nahum • Habakkuk • Zephaniah • Haggai • Zechariah • Malachi |
| Apocrypha |
| Esdras • Tobit • Judith • Additions to Esther • Wisdom of Solomon • Susanna • Baruch • Additions to Daniel • Prayer of Manassheh • 1 Maccabees • 2 Maccabees |
| New Testament |
| Matthew • Mark • Luke • John • Acts • Romans • 1 Corinthians • 2 Corinthians • Galatians • Ephesians • Philippians • Colossians • 1 Thessalonians • 2 Thessalonians • 1 Timothy • 2 Timothy • Titus • Philemon • Hebrews • James • 1 Peter • 2 Peter • 1 John • 2 John • 3 John • Jude • Revelation |
