Scrutatio

Venerdi, 29 marzo 2024 - Santi Simplicio e Costantino ( Letture di oggi)

Ezra 7


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1After these events, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son ofHilkiah,2son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub,3son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth,4son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki,5son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of the chief priest Aaron-6this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a scribe versed in the Law of Moses, which Yahweh, God ofIsrael, had given. The king gave him everything that he asked for, since the hand of Yahweh his God was overhim.7A number of Israelites, priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers and temple slaves went up to Jerusalem inthe seventh year of the reign of King Artaxerxes.8Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month, in the seventh year of the king's reign;9for he had ordered the departure from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived inJerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, since the kindly hand of his God was over him.10For Ezra had devoted himself to studying the Law of Yahweh so as to put into practice and teach itsstatutes and rulings.11This is the text of the document which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra, the priest-scribe, a student ofmatters pertaining to Yahweh's commandments and statutes relating to Israel:12'Artaxerxes, king of kings, to the priest Ezra, Secretary of the Law of the God of heaven: greetings!13'Now here are my orders. Al members of the people of Israel in my kingdom, including their priests andLevites, who freely choose to go to Jerusalem, may go with you,14for you are being sent by the king and his seven counsel ors to investigate how the Law of your God, inwhich you are expert, is being applied in Judah and Jerusalem,15and to transport the silver and gold which the king and his counsel ors have voluntarily offered to theGod of Israel who resides in Jerusalem,16as wel as all the silver and gold which you receive throughout the province of Babylon and thevoluntary offerings freely contributed by the people and the priests for the Temple of their God in Jerusalem.17'This money you wil punctiliously use for the purchase of bul s, rams, lambs and the materials for theoblations and libations which go with them, offering these on the altar of the Temple of your God in Jerusalem,18and using the remainder of the silver and gold in accordance with the wil of your God as you and yourbrothers may think fit.19'You wil deliver the articles which have been given you for the ministry of the Temple of your God, tothe God of Jerusalem,20and whatever else is needed and you are obliged to supply for the Temple of your God, you will supplyfrom the royal treasury.21'I, King Artaxerxes, have issued the fol owing instruction to all the treasurers of Transeuphrates:Whatever the priest Ezra, Secretary of the Law of the God of heaven, may request of you is to be punctiliouslycomplied with:22up to one hundred talents of silver, one hundred kor of wheat, one hundred bat of wine, one hundred bat of oil, and unlimited salt.23Whatever the God of heaven demands for the Temple of the God of heaven must be diligentlyprovided; why should retribution come on the realm of the king and of his sons?24You are further informed that it is against the law to impose tribute, tax or tol on any of the priests,Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple slaves or other servants of this temple of God.25'And you, Ezra, by virtue of the wisdom of your God, which you possess, are to appoint magistratesand scribes to administer justice for the whole people of Transeuphrates, that is, for all who know the Law ofyour God; and you are to teach it to those who do not know it.26And on anyone who wil not comply with the Law of your God and the Law of the king let sentence beswiftly executed, whether it be death, banishment, fine or imprisonment.'27Blessed be Yahweh, God of our ancestors, who moved the king's heart in this way to restore thebeauty of the Temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem,28won for me the faithful love of the king, his counsel ors and al the most powerful of the king's officials!Taking heart since the hand of Yahweh my God was over me, I assembled those Israelite heads of families whowere to go with me.