1   And after him when Artaxerxes king of the Persians reigned, came Esdras the sonne of Azarias, the sonne of Helcias the sonne of Salome,

2   the sonne of Sadoc, the sonne of Achirob, the sonne of Ameri, the sonne of Azahel, the sonne of Bocci, the sonne of Abisue, the sonne of Phinees the sonne of Eleazar, the sonne of Aaron the first priest.

3   This Esdras came vp from Babylon being scribe & wise in the law of Moyses, which was geuen of our Lord the God of Israel to reach and to doe.

4   And the king gaue him glorie, because he had found grace in al dignitie and desire in his sight.

5   And there went vp with him of the children of Israel, and the Priestes, and the Leuites, and the sacred singers of the temple, and the porters, and the seruantes of the temple into Ierusalem.

6   In the seuenth yeare when Artaxerxes reigned in the fifth moneth, this is the seuenth yeare of his reigne, going forth of Babylon in the new moone of the fifth moneth,

7   they came to Ierusalem according to his commandment, according to the prosperitie of their iourney, which their Lord gaue them.

8   For in these Esdras had great knowlege, that he would not pretermitte anie of those thinges, which were according to the law, and the preceptes of our Lord, and in teaching al Israel al iustice and iudgement.

9   And they that wrote the writinges of Artaxerxes the king, coming deliuered the writing which was granted of Artaxerxes the king to Esdras the Priest, & the reader of the law of our Lord, the copie wherof here foloweth.

10   King Artaxerxes to Esdras the Priest, and reader of the law of the Lord, greeting.

11   I of curtesie esteming it among benefites, haue commanded them that of their owne accord are desirous of the nation of the Iewes, and of the Priestes and Leuites, which are in my kingdom, to goe with thee into Ierusalem.

12   If anie therfore desire to goe with thee, let them come together, and set forward as it hath pleased me, and my seuen freindes my counselers:

13   that they may visite those thinges which are done touching Iurie and Ierusalem, obseruing as thou hast in the law of the Lord.

14   And let them carie the giftes to the Lord the God of Israel, which I haue vowed and my freindes to Ierusalem, and al the gold and siluer, that shal be found in the countrie of Babylon to the Lord in Ierusalem, with that,

15   which is geuen for the nation it self vnto the temple of their Lord which is in Ierusalem: that this gold and siluer be gathered for oxen, and rammes, and lambes, and kiddes, and for the thinges that are agreable to these,

16   that they may offer hostes to the Lord vpon the altar of their Lord, which is in Ierusalem.

17   And al thinges whatsoeuer thou with thy brethren wilt doe with gold and siluer, doe it at thy pleasure according to the precept of the Lord thy God.

18   And the sacred vessels, which are geuen thee to the workes of the house of the Lord thy God, which is in Ierusalem.

19   And other thinges whatsoeuer shal helpe thee to the workes of the temple of thy God, thou shalt geue it out of the kings treasure.

20   When thou with thy brethren wilt doe ought with gold and siluer, doe according to the wil of the Lord.

21   And I king Artaxerxes haue geuen commandment to the keepers of the treasure of Syria and Phænice, that what thinges soeuer Esdras the Priest and reader of the law of the Lord, shal write for, they geue him vnto an hundred talentes of siluer, likewise also of gold.

22   And vnto an hundred measures of corne, & an hundred vessels of wine, and other thinges whatsoeuer abound without taxing.

23   Let al thinges be done to the most high God according to the law of God, lest perhaps there arise wrath in the reigne of the king, and of his sonne, and his sonnes.

24   And to you it is sayd, that vpon al the Priestes, and Leuites, and sacred singers, and seruantes of the temple, & scribes of this temple

25   no tribute, nor any other taxe be sette, and that no man haue auctoritie to obiect any thing to them.

26   But thou Esdras according to the wisedom of God appoynt iudges, and arbitrers in al Syria and Phænice: and teach al them that know no the law of thy God:

27   that whosoeuer shal transgresse the law, they be diligently punished either with death, or with torment, or els with a forfeite of money, or with banishment.

28   And Esdras the scribe sayd: Blessed be the God of our fathers, which hath geuen this wil into the kings hart, to glorifie his house, which is in Ierusalem.

29   And hath honoured me in the sight of the king, and of his counselers, and freindes, and them that weare purple.

30   And I was made constant in minde according to the ayde of our Lord my God, and gathered together of Israel men, that should goe vp together with me.

31   And these are the princes according to their kindredes, and seueral principalities of them that came vp from Babylon the kingdom of Artaxerxes.

32   Of the children of Phares, Gersomus: and of the children of Siemarith, Amenus; of the children of Dauid, Acchus the sonne of Scecilia:

33   Of the children of Phares, Zacharias, and with him returned an hundred fiftie men.

34   Of the children of leader Moabilion, Zaræi, and with him two hundred fiftie men:

35   Of the children of Zachues, Iechonias of Zechoel,

and with him two hundred fiftie men:

36   of the children of Sala, Maasias of Gotholia, & with him seuentie men:

37   of the children of Saphatia, Zarias of Michel, and with him eightie men:

38   of the children of Iob, Abdias of Iehel, and with him two hundred twelue men:

39   of the children of Bania, Salimoth, the sonne of Iosaphia, and with him an hundred sixtie men:

40   of the children of Beer, Zacharias Bebei, and with him two hundred eight men:

41   of the children of Ezead, Ioannes of Eccetan, and with him an hundred ten men:

42   of the children of Adonicam, which were last, and these are their names, Eliphalam the sonne of Gebel, and Semeias, and with him seuentie men.

43   And I gathered them together to the riuer that is called Thia, and we camped there three dayes, and vewed them againe.

44   And of the children of the Priestes and Leuites I found not there.

45   And I sent to Eleazarus, and Eccelon, and Masman, and Maloban, and Enaathan, and Samea, and Ioribum, Nathan, Enuagam, Zacharias, and Mosolam the leaders them selues, and that were skilful.

46   And I sayd to them that they should come to Loddeus, who was at the place of the treasurie.

47   And I commanded them to say to Loddeus, and his brethren, and to them that were in the treasurie, that they should send vs them that might doe the function of priesthood in the house of the Lord our God.

48   And they brought vnto vs according to the mightie hand of the Lord our God cunning men: of the children of Moholi, the sonne of Leui, the sonne of Israel, Sebebia, & his sonnes and brethren, which were eightene:

49   Asbia, and Amin of the sonnes of the children of Chananeus, and their children twentie men.

50   And of them that serued the temple, whom Dauid gaue, and the princes themselues to the ministerie of the Leuites of them that serued the temple, two hundred twentie. Al their names were signified in writings.

51   And I vowed there a fast to the yong men in the sight of God, that I might aske of him a good iourney for vs, and them that were with vs, and for the children, and the cattel because of ambushementes.

52   For I was ashamed to aske of the king footemen and horsemen in my companie, to guard vs, against our aduersaries.

53   For we sayd to the king that the power of our Lord wil be with them that seeke him with al affection.

54   And agayne we besought the Lord our God according to these thinges: whom also we had propicious, and we obteyned of our God.

55   And I separated of the rulers of the people, and of the Priestes of the temple, twelue men, and Sedebia, and Asanna, and with them

of their brethren ten men.

56   And I weyed to them the gold and siluer, and the vessels of the house of our God perteyning to the Priestes, which the king had geuen, and his counselers, and the princes, and al Israel.

57   And when I had weyed it, I deliuered of siluer an hundred fiftie talentes, and siluer vessels of an hundred talentes, and of gold an hundred talentes.

58   And of vessels of gold seuen score and twelue brasen vessels good of shyning brasse, resembling the forme of gold.

59   And I sayd to them: You are also sanctified to our Lord, and the vessels be holie, and the gold and siluer is vowed to our Lord the God of our fathers.

60   Watch and keepe, til you deliuer them to some of the rulers of the people, and to the Priestes, and Leuites, and to the princes of the cities of Israel in Ierusalem, in the treasurie of the house of our God.

61   And those Priestes and Leuites that receiued the gold and siluer and vessels, brought it to Ierusalem into the temple of our Lord.

62   And we went forward from the riuer Thia, the twelfth day of the first moneth, til we entred into Ierusalem.

63   And when the third day was come, in the fourth day the gold being weyed, and the siluer, was deliuered in the house of the Lord our God, to Marimoth Priest the sonne of Iori.

64   And with him was Eleazar the sonne of Phinees: and with them were Iosadus the sonne of Iesus, and Medias, and Banni the sonne of a Leuite, by number and weight al thinges.

65   And the weight of them was writen the same houre.

66   And they that came out of the captiuitie, offered sacrifice to our Lord the God of Israel, oxen twelue, for al Israel, rammes eightie six,

67   lambes seuentie two, bucke goates for sinne twelue, and for health twelue kyne, al for the sacrifice of our Lord.

68   And they read againe the preceptes of the king to the kinges officers, and to the deputies of Cœlesyria, and Phœnice: and they honored the nation, and the temple of our Lord.

69   And these thinges being finished, the rulers came to me, saying: The stocke of Israel, and the princes, and the Priestes, and the Leuites,

70   and the strange people, and nations of the land haue not separated their vncleannes from the Chananeites, and Hetheites, and Pherezeites, and Iebuseites, and Moobites, & Ægyptians, and Idumeians.

71   For they are ioyned to their daughters both themselues, and their sonnes: and the holie sede is mingled with the strange nations of the earth, and the rulers and magistrates were partakers of that iniquitie from the beginning of the reigne it self.

72   And forth with as I heard these thinges, I rent my garmentes and the sacred tunike: and

tearing the heares of my head, and my beard, I sate sorowful and heauie.

73   And there assembled to me mourning vpon this iniquitie, as manie as were then moued by the word of our Lord the God of Israel, and I sate sad vntil the euening sacrifice.

74   And I rising vp from fasting, hauing my garmentes rent and the sacred tunike, kneeling, and stretching forth my handes to our Lord,

75   I sayd: Lord I am confounded, and ashamed before thy face,

76   for our sinnes are multiplied ouer our heades, and our iniquities are exalted euen to heauen.

77   Because from the times of our fathers we are in great sinne vnto this day.

78   And for the sinnes of vs, and of our fathers we haue bene deliuered with our brethren, and with our Priestes to the kinges of the earth, into sword and captiuitie, and spoile with confusion vnto this present day.

79   And now what a great thing is this that mercie hath happened to vs from thee ô Lord God, & leaue thou vnto vs a roote, and a name in the place of thy sanctification,

80   to discouer our light in the house of the Lord our God, to geue vs meate in al the time of our bondage.

81   And when we serued, we were not forsaken of the Lord our God: but he sette vs in fauour, appointing the kinges of the Persians to geue vs meate,

82   and to glorifie the temple of the Lord our God, and to build the desolations of Sion, to geue vs stabilitie in Iurie, and Ierusalem.

83   And now what say we Lord, hauing these thinges? For we haue transgressed thy preceptes, which thou gauest into the handes of thy seruants the prophetes,

84   saying: That the land into which ye entred to possesse the inheritance therof, is a land polluted with the coinquinations of the strangers of the land, and their vncleanes hath filled it wholy with their filthines.

85   And now your daughters you shal not match with their sonnes, and their daughters you shal not take for your sonnes.

86   And you shal not seeke to haue peace with them for euer, that growing strong you may eate the best things of the land, and may distribute the inheritance to your children for euer.

87   And the thinges that happen to vs, al are done for our nauhtie workes, and our great sinnes.

88   And thou gauest vs such a roote, and we are returned againe to transgresse thy ordinances, that we would be mingled with the vncleannes of the nations of this land.

89   Wilt not thou be wrath with vs to destroy vs til there be no roote left nor our name?

90   Lord God of Israel thou art true. For there is a roote left vntil this present day.

91   Behold, now we are in thy sight in our iniquities. For it is not to stand any longer before thee in these matters.

92   And when Esdras with

adoration confessed weeping, lying flat on the ground before the temple, there were gathered before him out of Ierusalem a verie great multitude, men and women, and yong men and youg wemen. For there was great weeping in the multitude it self.

93   And when he had cried, Iechonias of Ieheli of the children of Israel, sayd to Esdras: We haue sinned against our Lord, for that we haue taken vnto vs in mariage strange wemen of the nations of the land.

94   And now thou art ouer al Israel, in these therfore let there be an othe from our Lord to expel al our wiues that are of strangers with their children.

95   As it was decreed to thee of the ancesters according to the law of our Lord, rising vp declare it.

96   For to thee the busines perteineth, and we are with thee: doe manfully.

97   And Esdras rysing vp adiured the princes of the Priestes and Leuites, and al Israel to doe according to these thinges and they sware.

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