Sep 25 Ezra 7-10
The
Arrival of Ezra
7 Now after
these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of
Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, 2 the son of Shallum, the son
of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, 3 the son of Amariah, the son
of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, 4 the son of Zerahiah, the
son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, 5 the son of Abishua, the son
of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest— 6 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. 7 Some of
the children of Israel, the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers,
and the Nethinim came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King
Artaxerxes. 8 And Ezra
came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh
year of the king. 9 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. 10 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.
The
Letter of Artaxerxes to Ezra
11 This is a
copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave Ezra the priest, the scribe,
expert in the words of the commandments of the Lord, and of His statutes to Israel:
To Ezra
the priest, a scribe of the Law of the God of heaven:
13 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. 14 And whereas you are being
sent by the king and his seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and
Jerusalem, with regard to the Law of your God which is in your
hand; 15 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; 16 and whereas all
the silver and gold that you may find in all the province of Babylon, along
with the freewill offering of the people and the priests, are to be freely
offered for the house of their God in Jerusalem— 17 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.
18 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. 19 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. 20 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.
21 And I, even I,
Artaxerxes 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, 22 up to one
hundred talents of silver, one hundred kors of wheat, one hundred baths of
wine, one hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribed limit. 23 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?
24 Also we inform you that it
shall not be lawful to impose tax, tribute, or custom on any of the priests,
Levites, singers, gatekeepers, Nethinim, or servants of this house of God.25 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.26 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.
27 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, 28 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.
Heads of
Families Who Returned with Ezra
8 These are the
heads of their fathers’ houses, and this is the
genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of King
Artaxerxes: 2 of the
sons of Phinehas, Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of
David, Hattush; 3 of the
sons of Shecaniah, of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah; and registered with
him were one hundred and fifty males; 4 of the sons of Pahath-Moab,
Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males; 5 of the sons of Shechaniah,[c] Ben-Jahaziel,
and with him three hundred males; 6 of the sons of Adin, Ebed
the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males; 7 of the sons of Elam,
Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males; 8 of the sons of Shephatiah,
Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him eighty males; 9 of the sons of Joab,
Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males; 10 of the sons of Shelomith,[d] Ben-Josiphiah,
and with him one hundred and sixty males; 11 of the sons of Bebai,
Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight males; 12 of the sons of Azgad,
Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him one hundred and ten males; 13 of the last sons of
Adonikam, whose names are these—Eliphelet, Jeiel, and
Shemaiah—and with them sixty males; 14 also of the sons of Bigvai,
Uthai and Zabbud, and with them seventy males.
Servants
for the Temple
15 Now I
gathered them by the river that flows to Ahava, and we camped there three days.
And I looked among the people and the priests, and found none of the sons of
Levi there. 16 Then I
sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan,
Zechariah, and Meshullam, leaders; also for Joiarib and Elnathan, men of
understanding. 17 And I
gave them a command for Iddo the chief man at the place Casiphia, and I told
them what they should say to Iddo and his brethren[e] the
Nethinim at the place Casiphia—that they should bring us servants for the house
of our God. 18 Then, by
the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of understanding, of
the sons of Mahli the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, with
his sons and brothers, eighteen men; 19 and Hashabiah, and with him
Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brothers and their sons, twenty men; 20 also of the Nethinim, whom
David and the leaders had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred
and twenty Nethinim. All of them were designated by name.
Fasting
and Prayer for Protection
21 Then I
proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves
before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and
all our possessions. 22 For I was ashamed to
request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the
enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, “The hand of our
God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and
His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.” 23 So we fasted and entreated
our God for this, and He answered our prayer.
Gifts for
the Temple
24 And I
separated twelve of the leaders of the priests—Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of
their brethren with them— 25 and weighed out to them the
silver, the gold, and the articles, the offering for the house of our God which
the king and his counselors and his princes, and all Israel who were present,
had offered. 26 I weighed
into their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, silver articles weighing one
hundred talents, one hundred talents of gold, 27 twenty gold basins worth a
thousand drachmas, and two vessels of fine polished bronze, precious as
gold. 28 And I
said to them, “You are holy to the Lord; the articles are holy
also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to
the Lord God of your
fathers. 29 Watch and
keep them until you weigh them before the
leaders of the priests and the Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses of
Israel in Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the Lord.” 30 So the priests and the
Levites received the silver and the gold and the articles by weight, to
bring them to Jerusalem to the house of our God.
The
Return to Jerusalem
31 Then 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 ambush along the road. 32 So we came to Jerusalem,
and stayed there three days.
33 Now on
the fourth day the silver and the gold and the articles were weighed in the
house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with
him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; with them were the
Levites, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui, 34 with the number and weight
of everything. All the weight was written down at that time.
35 The
children of those who had been carried away captive, who had come from the
captivity, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all
Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and twelve male goats as a
sin offering. All this was a burnt offering to the Lord.
36 And they
delivered the king’s orders to the king’s satraps and the governors in
the region beyond the River. So they gave support to the people and
the house of God.
Intermarriage
with Pagans
9 When
these things were done, the leaders came to me, saying, “The people of Israel
and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples
of the lands, with respect to the abominations of the Canaanites, the Hittites,
the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and
the Amorites. 2 For they
have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and
their sons, so that the holy seed is mixed with the peoples of those lands.
Indeed, the hand of the leaders and rulers has been foremost in this
trespass.” 3 So when I
heard this thing, I tore my garment and my robe, and plucked out some of the
hair of my head and beard, and sat down astonished. 4 Then everyone who trembled at
the words of the God of Israel assembled to me, because of the transgression of
those who had been carried away captive, and I sat astonished until the evening
sacrifice.
5 At the
evening sacrifice I arose from my fasting; and having torn my garment and my
robe, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God. 6 And I said: “O my God, I am
too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our
iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has
grown up to the heavens. 7 Since the days of our
fathers to this day we have been very guilty, and for our
iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered
into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to
plunder, and to humiliation, as it is this day. 8 And now for a little while
grace has been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to
give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give
us a measure of revival in our bondage. 9 For we were slaves.
Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in
the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God,
to rebuild its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem. 10 And now, O our God, what
shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments, 11 which You commanded by Your
servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land which you are entering to possess is
an unclean land, with the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, with their
abominations which have filled it from one end to another with their
impurity. 12 Now
therefore, do not give your daughters as wives for their sons, nor take their
daughters to your sons; and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may
be strong and eat the good of the land, and leave it as an
inheritance to your children forever.’ 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 deliverance as this, 14 should we again break Your
commandments, and join in marriage with the people committing these
abominations? Would You not be angry with us until You had consumed us, so
that there would be no remnant or survivor? 15 O Lord God of Israel, You are righteous,
for we are left as a remnant, as it is this day. Here we are before
You, in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this!”
Confession
of Improper Marriages
10 Now while
Ezra was praying, and while he was confessing, weeping, and bowing down before
the house of God, a very large assembly of men, women, and children gathered to
him from Israel; for the people wept very bitterly. 2 And Shechaniah the son of
Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra,
“We have trespassed against our God, and have taken pagan wives from the
peoples of the land; yet now there is hope in Israel in spite of this. 3 Now therefore, let us make
a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and those who have been
born to them, according to the advice of my master and of those who tremble at
the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. 4 Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We
also are with you. Be of good courage, and do it.”
5 Then Ezra
arose, and made the leaders of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel swear
an oath that they would do according to this word. So they swore an oath. 6 Then Ezra rose up from
before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of
Eliashib; and when he came there, he ate no bread and drank no
water, for he mourned because of the guilt of those from the captivity.
7 And they
issued a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the descendants of
the captivity, that they must gather at Jerusalem, 8 and that whoever would not
come within three days, according to the instructions of the leaders and
elders, all his property would be confiscated, and he himself would be
separated from the assembly of those from the captivity.
9 So all
the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem within three days. It was the
ninth month, on the twentieth of the month; and all the people sat in the open
square of the house of God, trembling because of this matter
and because of heavy rain. 10 Then Ezra the priest stood
up and said to them, “You have transgressed and have taken pagan wives, adding
to the guilt of Israel. 11 Now therefore, make
confession to the Lord God
of your fathers, and do His will; separate yourselves from the peoples of the
land, and from the pagan wives.”
12 Then all
the assembly answered and said with a loud voice, “Yes! As you have said, so we
must do. 13 But there
are many people; it is the season for heavy rain, and
we are not able to stand outside. Nor is this the work of one
or two days, for there are many of us who have transgressed in
this matter. 14 Please,
let the leaders of our entire assembly stand; and let all those in our cities
who have taken pagan wives come at appointed times, together with the elders and
judges of their cities, until the fierce wrath of our God is turned away from
us in this matter.” 15 Only Jonathan the son of
Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and
Shabbethai the Levite gave them support.
16 Then the
descendants of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain
heads of the fathers’ households, were set apart by the
fathers’ households, each of them by name; and they sat down on the first day
of the tenth month to examine the matter. 17 By the first day of the
first month they finished questioning all the men who had
taken pagan wives.
Pagan
Wives Put Away
18 And among
the sons of the priests who had taken pagan wives the following were
found of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak,[f] and
his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19 And they gave their promise
that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they
presented a ram of the flock as their trespass offering.
20 Also of
the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah; 21 of the sons of Harim:
Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah; 22 of the sons of Pashhur:
Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
23 Also of
the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (the same is Kelita),
Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.
24 Also of
the singers: Eliashib; and of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
25 And
others of Israel: of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, Jeziah, Malchiah, Mijamin,
Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah; 26 of the sons of Elam:
Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Eliah; 27 of the sons of Zattu:
Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza; 28 of the sons of Bebai:
Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai; 29 of the sons of Bani:
Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Ramoth;[g] 30 of the sons of Pahath-Moab:
Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and
Manasseh; 31 of the
sons of Harim: Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah; 33 of the sons of Hashum:
Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei; 34 of the sons of Bani:
Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluh,[h]36 Vaniah, Meremoth,
Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah,
Mattenai, Jaasai,[i]38 Bani, Binnui, Shimei, 39 Shelemiah, Nathan,
Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai,
Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel,
Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph; 43 of the sons of Nebo: Jeiel,
Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai,[j] Joel, and Benaiah.
44 All these
had taken pagan wives, and some of them had wives by
whom they had children.
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