Verse
BSB
Berean Standard Bible
KJV
King James Version
Many
years
later
, during
the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,
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,
the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,
The son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,
the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,
The son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,
the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,
The son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,
the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest —
The son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest :
this Ezra came
up from Babylon .
He was a scribe skilled
in the Law of Moses, which the LORD ,
the
God of Israel ,
had given .
The king had
granted Ezra
all his requests
, for
the hand of the LORD his God was
upon him.
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 his request
, according
to
the hand of the LORD his God upon him.
So
in
the
seventh
year
of
King
Artaxerxes,
he
went up to
Jerusalem
with
some of the Israelites
, including
priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers
, and temple
servants
.
And
there
went up some of the children
of
Israel
, and
of
the
priests, and
the
Levites, and
the
singers, and
the
porters
, and the
Nethinims,
unto
Jerusalem,
in
the
seventh
year
of
Artaxerxes
the
king
.
Ezra
arrived
in
Jerusalem in the fifth month of
the seventh year of the king.
And
he
came
to
Jerusalem in the fifth month ,
which
was
in
the seventh year of the king.
He
had
begun
the
journey
from
Babylon
on
the first day of the first month, and he
arrived
in
Jerusalem
on the first day of the fifth month, for
the gracious
hand of his God was
upon him.
For
upon
the first day of the first month began
he
to
go
up
from
Babylon
, and on the first day of the fifth month came
he
to
Jerusalem
, according
to
the good
hand of his God upon him.
For Ezra had set
his heart to study
the Law of the LORD, to practice
it, and to teach its
statutes
and
ordinances
in Israel.
For Ezra had prepared
his heart to seek
the law of the LORD, and
to do
it, and to teach in Israel statutes
and
judgments
.
This is the text
of the letter King Artaxerxes had
given
to
Ezra the priest and
scribe, an
expert
in
the commandments and
statutes
of the LORD to Israel :
Now
this is the copy
of the letter that
the
king Artaxerxes gave
unto
Ezra the priest ,
the
scribe, even
a
scribe
of
the words
of
the
commandments of the LORD ,
and
of
his
statutes
to Israel .
Artaxerxes, king of kings .
To
Ezra the priest, the
scribe of the Law of the God of heaven :
Greetings
.
Artaxerxes, king of kings ,
unto
Ezra the priest, a
scribe of the law of the God of heaven ,
perfect
peace,
and
at
such
a
time
.
I hereby
decree that any
volunteers
among
the Israelites
in
my
kingdom
, including
the
priests and Levites, may
go up with
you
to Jerusalem.
I make
a
decree ,
that all
they
of
the people
of
Israel
, and
of
his
priests and Levites, in
my
realm,
which
are
minded
of
their
own
freewill
to
go up to Jerusalem ,
go
with
thee
.
You
are
sent by
the king and his seven counselors
to evaluate
Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your
God ,
which is in your
hand .
Forasmuch
as
thou
art
sent of
the king ,
and of
his seven counsellors,
to enquire
concerning
Judah and Jerusalem ,
according to the law of thy
God which is in thine
hand ;
Moreover,
you
are
to take
with
you
the silver and gold that
the king and his counselors
have freely offered to
the God of Israel, whose dwelling
is in Jerusalem,
And
to carry
the silver and gold ,
which
the king and his counsellors
have freely offered unto
the God of Israel, whose habitation
is in Jerusalem,
together
with
all the silver and gold you
may
find in all the province of Babylon, as
well
as
the freewill offerings
of the people and priests to
the house of their God in Jerusalem .
And
all the silver and gold that
thou
canst
find in all the province of Babylon, with
the freewill offering
of the people ,
and of
the
priests ,
offering
willingly
for
the house of their God which
is
in Jerusalem :
With this money ,
therefore,
you
are
to
buy
as
many
bulls
, rams, and
lambs as
needed
, together
with their grain
offerings and drink offerings, and offer them on
the altar at
the house of your God in Jerusalem.
That
thou
mayest
buy
speedily
with this money bullocks
, rams, lambs, with their meat
offerings and their
drink offerings, and offer them upon
the altar of
the house of your God which
is
in Jerusalem.
You
and your
brothers
may
do whatever
seems
best
with the rest of the silver and gold, according
to
the will of your God.
And whatsoever
shall
seem
good
to
thee,
and
to
thy
brethren,
to
do with the rest of the silver and the
gold, that
do
after
the will of your God.
You
must
deliver
to
the God
of
Jerusalem
all
the
articles
given to
you
for the service of the house of your
God.
The vessels
also
that
are
given thee
for the service of the house of thy
God ,
those
deliver
thou
before
the
God
of
Jerusalem
.
And if
anything
else
is
needed
for the house of your
God that
you
may
have occasion to supply
, you
may
pay
for
it from
the royal
treasury
.
And whatsoever
more
shall
be
needful
for the house of thy
God ,
which
thou
shalt
have occasion to bestow
, bestow
it out
of
the king's
treasure
house
.
I, King
Artaxerxes, decree to all the treasurers west
of
the Euphrates:
Whatever
Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, may
require of you, it must
be provided
promptly
,
And
I, even
I
Artaxerxes the
king
, do
make
a
decree to all the treasurers which
are
beyond
the river,
that
whatsoever
Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall
require of you, it be done
speedily
,
up
to
a
hundred talents of silver, a
hundred cors
of wheat, a
hundred baths of wine, a
hundred baths of olive
oil, and salt without limit
.
Unto
an
hundred talents of silver, and
to
an
hundred measures
of wheat, and
to
an
hundred baths of wine, and
to
an
hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing
how
much
.
Whatever
is commanded by the God of heaven must
be done
diligently for His
house .
For why should wrath fall
on
the realm of the king and his sons?
Whatsoever
is commanded by the God of heaven ,
let
it
be diligently done
for the
house of
the
God
of
heaven:
for why should there
be
wrath against
the realm of the king and his sons?
And
be
advised
that
you have
no
authority
to
impose
tribute
, duty,
or
toll
on
any of the priests ,
Levites, singers, doorkeepers
, temple
servants
, or other
servants
of this house of God.
Also
we
certify
you, that
touching
any of the priests and
Levites, singers, porters
, Nethinims
, or ministers
of this house of God ,
it
shall
not
be
lawful
to
impose
toll,
tribute,
or
custom,
upon
them
.
And you
, Ezra, according
to
the wisdom of your
God which
you
possess
, are
to
appoint
magistrates and judges to
judge all the people west
of
the Euphrates—
all who
know the laws of your
God .
And you
are
to
teach these
laws
to
anyone
who
does
not
know them.
And thou
, Ezra, after
the wisdom of thy
God, that
is
in
thine
hand,
set
magistrates and judges ,
which
may
judge all the people that
are
beyond
the river,
all such
as
know the laws of thy
God ;
and teach ye
them
that
know them not
.
If
anyone
does
not keep
the law of your
God and the law of the king, let a
strict
judgment be executed against
him, whether death, banishment, confiscation of property
, or imprisonment.
And
whosoever
will
not do
the law of thy
God ,
and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily
upon
him, whether it
be
unto
death, or
to
banishment, or
to
confiscation of goods
, or to
imprisonment.
Blessed be the LORD ,
the
God of our fathers, who
has
put into
the heart of
the
king
to so
honor
the house of the LORD in Jerusalem ,
Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which
hath
put such
a
thing
as
this
in
the king's
heart ,
to beautify
the house of the LORD which
is
in Jerusalem :
and who
has
shown
me favor
before the king, his counselors
, and all his
powerful
officials
. And because
the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, I
took
courage
and gathered the
leaders
of Israel to return
with me.
And hath
extended
mercy
unto
me before the king, and
his counsellors
, and before
all the
king's
mighty
princes
. And I
was
strengthened
as
the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I
gathered together
out
of Israel chief
men
to go
up
with me.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible and King James Version. Public domain; source text distributed by BSB Publishing, LLC.; UK publication rights are administered by the Crown's patentee; public domain in most other jurisdictions..