1   And after these thinges in the reigne of Artaxerxes king of Persians, Esdras the sonne of Saraias, the sonne of Azarias, the sonne of Helcias, ^note

2   the sonne of Sellum, the sonne of Sadoc, the sonne of Achitob,

3   the sonne of Amarias, the sonne of Azarias, the sonne of Maraioth,

4   the sonne of Zarahias, the sonne of Ozi, the sonne of Bocci,

5   the sonne of Abisne, the sonne of Phinees, the sonne of Eleazar, the sonne of Aaron the Priest from the begynning.

6   The same Esdras ^note came vp from Babylon, and he was a quicke scribe in the law of Moyses, which our Lord God gaue to Israel: and the king gaue him according to the hand of our Lord his God vpon him al his petition.

7   And there came vp of the children of Israel, and of the children of the Priestes, and of the children of the Leuites, and of the singing men, and of the porters, and of the Nathineites into Ierusalem in the seuenth yeare of Artaxerxes the king.

8   And they came into Ierusalem the fifth moneth, that is the seuenth yeare of the king.

9   For in the first day of the first moneth he began to goe vp from Babylon, and in the first day of the fifth moneth he came into Ierusalem according to the good hand of his God vpon him.

10   For Esdras prepared his hart to search the law of our Lord, and to doe and to teach in Israel preceptes and iudgement.

11   And this is the copie of the epistle of the edict, which king Artaxerxes gaue to Esdras the Priest, the learned scribe, in the wordes and preceptes of our Lord, and his ceremonies in Israel.

12   Artaxerxes the king of kings to

Artaxerxes. Esdras the Priest, the most learned scribe of the law of God of heau&ebar;, greeting.

13   It is decreed by me that wh&obar;soeuer it shal please in my kingdom of the people of Israel, and of the Priestes and Leuites, to goe into Ierusal&ebar;, let him goe with thee.

14   For thou art sent from the face of the king, and of his seuen counselers, that thou mayst visite Iewrie and Ierusalem in the law of thy God, which is in thy hand.

15   And that thou maist carie the siluer & gold, which the king & his counselers haue voluntarily offered to the God of Israel, whose tabernacle is in Ierusalem.

16   And al the siluer and gold whatsoeuer thou shalt finde in al the prouince of Babylon, and the people wil offer, and of the Priestes that shal voluntarely offer to the house of theyr God, which is in Ierusalem,

17   take freely, and bye diligently of this money calues, rammes, lambes, and the sacrifices and libamentes of them, and offer them vpon the altar of the temple of your God, that is in Ierusalem.

18   Yea and if it shal please thee, and thy brethren to doe any thing with the rest of the siluer and gold, doe ye according to the wil of your God.

19   The vessels also, which are geuen thee for the ministerie of the house of thy God, deliuer thou in the sight of God in Ierusalem.

20   Yea and other thinges wherof neede shal be for the house of thy God, how much soeuer is necessarie for thee to spend, thou shalt geue it out of the treasure, and excheker of the king, and from me.

21   I Artaxerxes the king haue appointed and decreed to al the keepers of the common coffer, that are beyond the Riuer, that whatsoeuer Esdras the Priest, the scribe of the law of God of heauen, shal aske of you, you geue it without delay,

22   vnto an hundred talentes of siluer, and vnto an hundred cores of wheat, and vnto an hundred bates of wyne, and vnto an hundred bates of oyle, but salt without measure.

23   Al that pertayneth to the rite of the God of heauen, let it be geuen diligently in the house of the God of heauen: lest perhaps he be angrie agaynst the kingdom of the king, and of his sonnes.

24   We doe you also to vnderstand concerning al the Priestes, and Leuites, and the singers, and the porters, the Nathineites, and ministers of the house of this God, that you haue no authoritie to put tolle and tribute, and yearlie rentes vpon them.

25   And thou Esdras according to the wisedom of thy God, which is in thy hand, appoynt iudges and presidentes, that they may iudge for al the people, that is beyond the

Artaxerxes. Riuer, that is for them which know the law of thy God, yea and the ignorant teach ye frely.

26   And euerie one that shal not doe the law of thy God, and the law of thy king diligently, there shal be iudgement of him, either vnto death, or into banishment, or to the confiscation of his substance, or at the least into prison.

27   Blessed be our Lord the God of our fathers, which hath put this in the kinges hart, that he would glorifie the house of our Lord, which is in Ierusalem,

28   and hath inclined his mercie toward me before the king and his counselers, and al the mightie princes of the king: and I taking courage by the hand of our Lord my God, which was on me, gathered together out of Israel princes that should goe vp with me.

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