Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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Ezra Arrives in Jerusalem
(Ezra 7.1–10)
1 Many years later, when Artaxerxes
was emperor of Persia, a
man named Ezra came from Babylon.
He traced his ancestry back to
Aaron, the High Priest, as follows:
Ezra was the son of Seraiah, son of
Azariah, son of Hilkiah, son of Shallum,
2 son of Zadok, son of Ahitub,
son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son
of Bukki, son of Abishua, son of
Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron.
3
4 Ezra was a scholar with a thorough
knowledge of the Law, which
the God of Israel had given to
Moses. The emperor had a high regard
for him and approved all the requests
he made. Ezra set out from
Babylonia
5 for Jerusalem with a
group of Israelites which included
priests, Levites, Temple musicians,
Temple guards, and workmen.
6 They left Babylonia on the first day
of the first month in the seventh year
of the reign of Artaxerxes. God gave
them a safe journey, and they arrived
in Jerusalem on the first day of
the fifth month.
7 Ezra had a thorough
knowledge of the Law of the
Lord and neglected none of its details.
As a result he could teach all
its laws and regulations to all the
people of Israel.
The Document That Emperor
Artaxerxes Gave to Ezra
(Ezra 7.11–26)
8 The following is a copy of the
decree that Emperor Artaxerxes
-- --
gave to Ezra, the priest and scholar
of the Law of the Lord:
9 “From Emperor Artaxerxes
to the priest Ezra, scholar of the
Law of the Lord, greetings.
10 “In my generosity I have decided
to decree that throughout
my empire any of the Jews who
so desire, including priests and
Levites, may go with you to Jerusalem.
11 I and the seven counselors
who have the title
‘Friends of the Emperor’ have
decided that all who wish to do
so may go with you.
12 Let them
investigate the conditions in Jerusalem
and Judah to see how
well the Law of the Lord is being
obeyed.
13 Let them also take
with them to Jerusalem the gifts
which I and my counselors have
vowed to give to the Lord of Israel,
including all the silver and
gold belonging to the Lord
which may be found in Babylonia,
14 and all that is given by the
people of Israel for the Temple
of their Lord. The silver and gold
are to be collected to buy bulls,
rams, lambs, and everything
else that is necessary,
15 so that
sacrifices may be offered on the
altar of the Lord in Jerusalem.
16 “You may use the silver and
gold for whatever you and your
fellow countrymen desire, in accordance
with the will of your
God.
17
18 You may obtain from
the royal treasury the sacred
vessels of the Lord that are
being entrusted to you for use in
the Temple of your God in Jerusalem,
as well as anything else
you may need for the Temple
service.
19 “I command all the treasury
officials in Greater Syria and
Phoenicia to provide promptly
for Ezra, the priest and scholar
of the Law of God Most High,
everything he asks for,
20 up to a
limit of 7,500 pounds of silver,
500 bushels of wheat, 550 gallons
of wine, and as much salt as
may be needed.
21 You must be
careful to do everything that the
Law requires in order to honor
God Most High and so make
sure that he is never angry with
me or with those who reign after
me.
22 You are forbidden to collect
any taxes from the priests,
Levites, musicians, guards,
workmen, or anyone else connected
with this Temple. No one
has the right to impose any burden
on them.
23 “You, Ezra, using the wisdom
that comes from God, shall
appoint administrators and
judges to govern all the people
in Greater Syria and Phoenicia
who live by the Law of your
God. You must teach that Law
to anyone who does not know it.
24 If anyone disobeys the laws of
your God or the laws of the empire,
he is to be punished
promptly: by death, by fine, by
exile, or by some other punishment.”
Ezra Praises God
(Ezra 7.27–28)
25 Ezra said, “Praise the Lord, the
Lord alone! He has made the emperor
willing to restore the glory of
the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem.
26 By God's grace, I have won the respect
of the emperor, his counselors,
all his Friends, and all his powerful
officials.
27 The Lord my God has given
me courage, and I have been able
to persuade many men to return
with me.”
The People Who Returned from Exile
(Ezra 8.1–14)
28 This is the list of the leaders of
the clans and families who had been
in exile in Babylonia and returned
with Ezra to Jerusalem when Artaxerxes
was emperor:
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40 Gershom, of the clan of
Phinehas
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40 Gamael, of the clan of Ithamar
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40 Hattush son of Shecaniah, of the
clan of David
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40 Zechariah, of the clan of Parosh,
with 150 men of his clan (there
were records of their family
line)
-- --
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40 Eliehoenai son of Zechariah, of
the clan of Pahath Moab, with
200 men
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40 Shecaniah son of Jehaziel, of the
clan of Zattu, with 300 men
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40 Ebed son of Jonathan, of the clan
of Adin, with 250 men
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40 Jeshaiah son of Gotholiah, of the
clan of Elam, with 70 men
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40 Zeraiah son of Michael, of the
clan of Shephatiah, with 70
men
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40 Obadiah son of Jehiel, of the clan
of Joab, with 212 men
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40 Shelomith son of Josiphiah, of the
clan of Bani, with 160 men
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40 Zechariah son of Bebai, of the
clan of Bebai, with 28 men
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40 Johanan son of Hakkatan, of the
clan of Azgad, with 110 men
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40 Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, of
the clan of Adonikam, with 70
men (they returned at a later
date)
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40 Uthai son of Istalcurus, of the
clan of Bigvai, with 70 men
Ezra Finds Priests and Levites
for the Temple
(Ezra 8.15–20)
41 I assembled the entire group at
Theras River, and we camped there
for three days. I inspected them
42 and found that there were no
priests or Levites in the group,
43
44 so I sent a message to ten of the
leaders who were competent men:
Eliezer, Iduel, Maasmas, Elnathan,
Shemaiah, Jarib, Nathan, Elnathan,
Zechariah, and Meshullam.
45 I told
them to go to Iddo, the chief official
at the treasury,
46 and ask him, his
associates, and the treasury officials
to send us priests to serve in the
Temple of our Lord.
47 With God's
help, they sent us some able men:
Sherebiah, a Levite from the clan of
Mahli, with eighteen of his sons and
relatives,
48 and Hashabiah, Annunus,
and his brother Jeshaiah of the
clan of Hananiah, with twenty of
their sons.
49 There were also 220
Temple workmen whose ancestors
had been designated by King David
and his officials to assist the Levites.
They were all listed in the register
by name.
Ezra Leads the People in
Fasting and Prayer
(Ezra 8.21–23)
50 There by Theras River I made a
vow that the young men should fast
in the presence of our Lord and ask
him for a safe journey for us, our
children, and our animals.
51 I would
have been ashamed to ask the emperor
for infantry and cavalry to accompany
us and protect us from our
enemies,
52 because I had told him
that our Lord by his strength blesses
and protects those who trust him.
53 So once again we prayed for our
Lord to protect us, and he answered
our prayers.
The Gifts for the Temple
(Ezra 8.24–30)
54 From among the leading priests
I chose Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and
ten others.
55 Then I weighed out the
silver, the gold, and the sacred utensils
which the emperor, his advisers
and officials, and the people of Israel
had given to be used in the Temple,
and I gave it to the priests.
56
57 This
is what I gave them:
silver25 tons
silver utensils7,500 pounds
gold7,500 pounds
gold bowls20
fine bronze bowls
that looked like
gold12
58 I said to the priests, “You are sacred
to the Lord, the Lord of our ancestors,
and so are the utensils and
the silver and gold brought to him in
fulfillment of a vow.
59 Guard them
carefully until you reach the Temple.
There in the priests' rooms, turn
them over to the leaders of the
priests and the Levites and to the
leaders of the people of Israel in Jerusalem.”
60 So the priests and the
Levites took charge of the silver, the
gold, and the utensils for Jerusalem
and brought them to the Temple.
The Return to Jerusalem
(Ezra 8.31–36)
61 It was on the twelfth day of the
first month that we left Theras
-- --
River, and with the Lord's presence
and protection we reached Jerusalem.
He protected us from all our enemies
on our journey, and we arrived
safely.
62 After we had been
there three days, we went to the
Temple, weighed the silver and gold
and turned it all over to Meremoth
the priest, son of Uriah.
63 With him
were Eleazar son of Phinehas and
two Levites, Jozabad son of Jeshua
and Moeth son of Sabannus.
64 Everything was counted and
weighed, and a complete record was
made at the same time.
65 All those who had returned from
exile then offered sacrifices to the
Lord, the God of Israel. They offered
12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams,
66 and
72 lambs; they also offered 12 goats
as a fellowship offering. They sacrificed
all these animals to the Lord.
67 Then they took the decree the emperor
had given them and gave it to
the governors and officials of
Greater Syria and Phoenicia, who
then honored the Jewish people and
the Temple of the Lord.
Ezra Learns of Intermarriages
with Non-Jews
(Ezra 9.1–15)
68 After all this had been done,
some of the leaders of the people of
Israel came and told me that
69 the
people, the leaders, the priests, and
the Levites had not kept themselves
separate from the people in the
neighboring countries of Edom,
Moab, and Egypt, or from the
Caananites, Hittites, Perizzites, and
Jebusites. They were doing the same
disgusting things which those people
did.
70 God's holy people had become
contaminated because Jewish
men were marrying foreign women.
Even the leaders and the officials
had taken part in this breaking of
the Law from the very beginning.
71 As soon as I heard this, I tore my
clothes and my sacred robe in despair.
I also tore my hair and my
beard, and sat down crushed with
anxiety and grief.
72 I sat there grieving
about this sin until it was time
for the evening sacrifice to be offered,
when people began to gather
around me—all those who were disturbed
by what the Lord of Israel
had said.
73 Then I got up from where I had
been fasting, and still wearing my
torn clothes, I knelt in prayer and
stretched out my hands to the Lord.
74 I said, “O Lord, I am ashamed and
confused in your presence.
75 Our
sins tower over our heads; they
reach as high as the heavens.
76 This
has been true from the days of our
ancestors until now; we, your people,
have sinned greatly.
77 Because
of our sins and the sins of our ancestors,
we and our relatives, our kings,
and our priests have fallen into the
hands of foreign kings, and we have
been slaughtered, robbed, and carried
away as prisoners. We have
been totally disgraced, as we still are
today.
78 Now, Lord, for a short time
you have shown us great mercy. You
have allowed just a few of us to survive
in order to carry on the name
Israel here in your holy Temple.
79 You have let the light of our nation
shine again, after feeding us and taking
care of us during the time of our
slavery.
80 Even when we were
slaves you did not abandon us; you
made the emperors of Persia favor
us, so that they gave us food,
81 restored
the glory of your Temple, rebuilt
the city of Jerusalem out of its
ruins, and gave us a place of security
here in Judah and Jerusalem.
-- --
82 “But now, Lord, what can we
say, after you have done all this for
us? We have again disobeyed the
commands that you gave us through
your servants, the prophets. They
told us that
83 the land we were to
occupy was an impure land because
the heathen people who lived in it
filled it with their disgusting deeds.
84 They told us that we should never
intermarry with those people
85 and
never seek peaceful relations with
them if we wanted to be strong and
enjoy the land and pass it on to our
descendants forever. note
86 Even after
everything that has happened to us
in punishment for our sins, we know
that you, Lord, have punished us
less than we deserve
87 and have allowed
us to survive. But we have rebelled
again, broken your Law, and
intermarried with these wicked people.
88 Yet you were not angry
enough to destroy us completely and
leave none of us alive, with no descendants
and without our name.
89 Lord of Israel, you are faithful; you
have allowed us to survive.
90 We
confess our guilt to you; we have no
right to come into your presence.”
The Plan for Ending Mixed Marriages
(Ezra 10.1–17)
91 While Ezra was bowing in
prayer in front of the Temple, weeping
and confessing these sins, a large
group of people from Jerusalem—
men, women, and children—gathered
around him, all of them weeping
bitterly.
92 Then Shecaniah son of
Jehiel, one of the Israelites, said to
Ezra, “We have sinned against the
Lord by marrying foreign women,
but even so, there is still hope for Israel.
93 Now we must make a solemn
promise to the Lord that we will
send all these foreign women and
their children away.
94 We will do
what you and the others who obey
the Law of the Lord advise us to do.
95 It is your responsibility to act. We
are behind you, so go ahead and get
it done.”
96 So Ezra began by making the
leaders of the priests, of the Levites,
and of the rest of the people take an
oath that they would divorce their
foreign wives.
Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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