1   After these events, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, came Ezra, son of Saraeas, son of Ezerias, son of Chelkias, son of Salemus, 2   son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, son of Amarias, son of Ezias, son of Mareroth, son of Zaraeas, son of Savia, son of Bocca, son of Abishua, son of Phineas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest. 3   This Ezra came from Babylon as a talented scholar in the law of Moses which had been given by the God of Israel. 4   The king held him in high regard and looked with favour upon all the requests he made. 5   He was accompanied to Jerusalem by some Israelites, priests, Levites, 6   temple singers, door-keepers, and temple-servitors, in the

Ezra in Jerusalem fifth month of the seventh year of Artaxerxes' reign. ^noteThey left Babylon at the new moon in the first month and reached Jerusalem at the new moon in the fifth month; for the Lord gave them a safe journey. 7   Ezra's knowledge of the law of the Lord and the commandments was exact in every detail, so that he could teach all Israel the ordinances and judgements.

8   The following is a copy of the mandate from King Artaxerxes to Ezra the priest, doctor of the law of the Lord:

   9   King Artaxerxes to Ezra the priest, doctor of the law of the Lord, greeting.

   10   I have graciously decided, and now command, that those of the Jewish nation and of the priests and Levites, in our kingdom, who so choose, shall go with you to Jerusalem. 11   I and my council of seven Friends have decided that all who so desire may accompany you. 12   Let them look to the affairs of Judaea and Jerusalem in pursuance of the law of the Lord, 13   and bring to Jerusalem for the Lord of Israel the gifts which I and my Friends have vowed, all the gold and silver in Babylonia that may be found to belong to the Lord in Jerusalem, 14   together with what has been given by the nation for the temple of the Lord their God in Jerusalem. Let the gold and silver be expended upon ^note bulls, rams, lambs, and so forth, 15   so that sacrifices may be offered upon the altar of the Lord their God in Jerusalem. 16   Make use of the gold and silver in whatever ways you and your colleagues desire, according to the will of your God, 17   and deliver the sacred vessels of the Lord which have been given you for the use of the temple of your God in Jerusalem.

   18   Any other expenses that you may incur for the needs of the temple of your God you shall defray from the royal treasury. 19   I, Artaxerxes the king, direct the treasurers of Syria and Phoenicia to give without fail to Ezra the priest, doctor of the law of the Most High God, 20   whatever he may request up to a hundred talents of silver, and similarly up to a hundred sacks of wheat and a hundred casks of wine, and salt without limit. 21   Let him diligently fulfil in honour of the Most High God all the requirements of God's law, so that divine displeasure may not befall the kingdom of the king and of his descendants. 22   You are also informed that no tax or other

Ezra in Jerusalem impost is to be laid on the priests, the Levites, the temple singers, the door-keepers, the temple-servitors, and the lay officers of this temple; no one is permitted to impose any burden on them. 23   You, Ezra, under God's guidance, are to appoint judges and magistrates to judge all who know the law of your God in all Syria and Phoenicia; you yourself shall see to the instruction of those who do not know it. 24   All who transgress the law of your God and of the king shall be duly punished with death, degradation, fine, or exile.

25   Then Ezra said: All praise to the Lord alone, who put this into the king's mind, to glorify his house in Jerusalem. 26   He singled me out for honour before the king, his counsellors, and all his Friends and dignitaries. 27   I took courage from the help of the Lord my God and gathered men of Israel to go up with me.

28   These are the leaders according to clans and divisions who went with me from Babylon to Jerusalem in the reign of King Artaxerxes: from the line of Phineas, Gershom; 29   from the line of Ithamar, Gamael; 30   from the line of David, Attus son of Sechenias; from the line of Phoros, Zacharias and a hundred and fifty men with him according to the register; 31   from the line of Phaath-moab, Eliaonias son of Zaraeas and with him two hundred men; 32   from the line of Zathoe, Sechenias son of Jezelus and with him three hundred men; from the line of Adin, Obeth son of Jonathan and with him two hundred and fifty men; 33   from the line of Elam, Jessias son of Gotholias and with him seventy men; 34   from the line of Sophotias, Zaraeas son of Michael and with him seventy men; 35   from the line of Joab, Abadias son of Jezelus and with him two hundred and twelve men; 36   from the line of Bani, Assalimoth son of Josaphias and with him a hundred and sixty men; 37   from the line of Babi, Zacharias son of Bebae and with him twenty-eight men; 38   from the line of Astath, Joannes son of Hacatan and with him a hundred and ten men; 39   last came those from the line of Adonikam, by name Eliphalatus, Jeuel, and Samaeas, and with them seventy men; 40   from the line of Bago, Uthi son of Istalcurus and with him seventy men.

41   I assembled them at the river called Theras, where we encamped for three days, and I inspected them. 42   As I found no one there who was of priestly or levitical descent, 43   I sent to Eleazar, Iduelus, Maasmas, 44   Elnathan, Samaeas, Joribus, Nathan, Ennatas, Zacharias, and Mosollamus, who were prominent and discerning men. 45   I told

Ezra in Jerusalem them to go to Doldaeus the chief man at the treasury. 46   I instructed them to speak with Doldaeus, his colleagues, and the treasurers there, and ask them to send us priests to officiate in the house of our Lord. 47   Under the providence of God they brought us discerning men from the line of Mooli son of Levi son of Israel, Asebebias and his sons and brothers, 48   eighteen men in all, also Asebias and Annunus and Hosaeas his brother. Those of the line of Chanunaeus and their sons amounted to twenty men; 49   and those of the temple-servitors whom David and the leading men appointed for the service of the Levites amounted to two hundred and twenty. A register of all these names was compiled.

50   There I made a vow that the young men should fast before our Lord to beg him to give us a safe journey for ourselves, our children who accompanied us, and our pack-animals. 51   I was ashamed to ask the king for an escort of infantry and cavalry against our enemies; 52   for we had told the king that the strength of our Lord would ensure success for those who looked to him. 53   So once more we laid all these things before our Lord in prayer and found him gracious.

54   I set apart twelve men from among the heads of the priestly families, and with them Sarabias and Asamias and ten of their brother priests. 55   I weighed out for them the silver, the gold, and the sacred vessels of the house of our Lord; these had been presented by the king himself, his counsellors, the chief men, and all Israel. 56   When I had weighed it all I handed over to them six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and vessels of silver weighing a hundred talents, a hundred talents of gold, 57   and twenty pieces of gold plate, and twelve vessels of brass so fine that it gleamed like gold. 58   I said to them: ‘You are consecrated to the Lord, and so are the vessels; the silver and the gold are vowed to the Lord, the Lord of our fathers. 59   Be vigilant and keep guard until you hand them over at Jerusalem, in the priests' rooms in the house of our Lord, to the heads of the priestly and levitical families and to the leaders of the clans of Israel.’ 60   The priests and the Levites who received the silver, the gold, and the vessels in Jerusalem brought them to the temple of the Lord.

61   We left the river Theras on the twelfth day of the first month, and under the powerful protection which our Lord gave us we reached Jerusalem. He guarded us against every enemy on our journey, and so we arrived at Jerusalem. 62   Three days passed, and on the fourth the silver and gold were weighed and handed over in the house of our

Ezra in Jerusalem Lord to the priest Marmathi son of Uri, 63   with whom was Eleazar son of Phineas. With them also were the Levites Josabdus son of Jeshua and Moeth son of Sabannus. Everything was numbered and weighed and every weight recorded there and then. 64    65   The returned exiles offered sacrifices to the Lord the God of Israel, twelve bulls for all Israel, 66   with ninety-six rams and seventy-two lambs, and also twelve goats for a peace-offering, the whole as a sacrifice to the Lord. 67   They delivered the king's orders to the royal treasurers and the governors of Coele-syria and Phoenicia, and so added lustre to the nation and the temple of the Lord.

68   When these matters had been settled the leaders came to me and said: 69   ‘The nation of Israel, the rulers, the priests, and the Levites, have not kept themselves apart from the alien population of the land with all their pollutions, that is to say the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Edomites. 70   For they and their sons have intermarried with the daughters of these peoples, and the holy race has been mingled with the alien population of the land; and the leaders and principal men have shared in this violation of the law from the very beginning.’

71   As soon as I heard of this I tore my clothes and sacred vestment, plucked out the hair of my head and my beard, and sat down perplexed and miserable. 72   Those who at that time were moved by the word of the Lord of Israel gathered round me, while I grieved over this disregard of the law, and sat in my misery until the evening sacrifice. 73   Then I rose from my fast with my clothes and sacred vestment torn, 74   and knelt down and, stretching out my hands to the Lord, said:

‘O Lord, I am covered with shame and confusion in thy presence. 75    76   Our sins tower above our heads; from the time of our fathers our offences have reached the sky, and today we are as deep in sin as ever. 77   Because of our sins and the sins of our fathers, we and our brothers, our kings and our priests, were given over to the kings of the earth to be killed, taken prisoner, plundered, and humiliated down to this very day. 78   And now, Lord, how great is the mercy thou hast shown us! We still have a root and a name in the place of thy sanctuary, 79   and thou hast rekindled our light in the house of our Lord, and given us food in the time of our servitude. 80   Even when we were slaves we were not deserted by our Lord; for he secured for us

Ezra in Jerusalem the favour of the kings of Persia, 81   who have provided our food and added lustre to the temple of our Lord and restored the ruins of Zion, giving us a firm foothold in Judaea and Jerusalem. 82   And now, Lord, what are we to say, we who have received all this? For we have broken thy commandments given us through thy servants the prophets. 83   Thou didst say: “The land which you are to occupy is a land defiled with the pollution of its heathen peoples; they have filled it with their impurities. 84   Do not marry your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters for your sons; 85   never try to make peace with them if you want to be strong and enjoy the good things of the land and take possession of it for your children for ever.” 86   All our misfortunes have come upon us through our evil deeds and our great sins. Although thou, Lord, hast lightened the burden of our sins and given us so firm a root, 87   yet we have fallen away again and broken thy law by sharing in the impurities of the heathen peoples of this land. 88   But thou wast not so angry with us, Lord, as to destroy us, root, seed, and name; 89   thou keepest faith, O Lord of Israel; the root is left, we are here today. 90   Behold us, now before thee in our sins; because of all we have done we can no longer hold up our heads before thee.’

91   While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping prostrate on the ground before the temple, a very large crowd gathered, men, women, and youths of Jerusalem, and there was widespread lamentation among the people. 92   Jechonias son of Jeel, one of the Israelites, called out to Ezra: ‘We have sinned against the Lord in taking alien wives from the heathen population of this land; and yet there is still hope for Israel. 93   Let us take an oath to the Lord to expel all our wives of alien race with their children, 94   in accordance with your judgement and the judgement of all who are obedient to the law of the Lord. 95   Come now, set about it, it is in your hands; take strong action and we are with you.’ 96   Ezra got up and laid an oath upon the principal priests and Levites of all Israel that they would act in this way, and they swore to it.

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