Ezra 7

NEW JERUSALEM	KING JAMES BIBLE
1 After these events, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son ofHilkiah,	1 Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,
2 son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub,	2 The son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,
3 son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth,	3 The son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,
4 son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki,	4 The son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,
5 son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of the chief priest Aaron-	5 The son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest:
6 this 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.	6 This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.
7 A number of Israelites, priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers and temple slaves went up to Jerusalem inthe seventh year of the reign of King Artaxerxes.	7 And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.
8 Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month, in the seventh year of the king's reign;	8 And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.
9 for 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.	9 For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.
10 For Ezra had devoted himself to studying the Law of Yahweh so as to put into practice and teach itsstatutes and rulings.	10 For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.
11 This 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:	11 Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of his statutes to Israel.
12 'Artaxerxes, king of kings, to the priest Ezra, Secretary of the Law of the God of heaven: greetings!	12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time.
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,	13 I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee.
14 for 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,	14 Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellers, to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand;
15 and to transport the silver and gold which the king and his counsel ors have voluntarily offered to theGod of Israel who resides in Jerusalem,	15 And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellers have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem,
16 as 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.	16 And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is 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,	17 That thou mayest buy speedily with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meat offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.
18 and using the remainder of the silver and gold in accordance with the wil of your God as you and yourbrothers may think fit.	18 And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God.
19 'You wil deliver the articles which have been given you for the ministry of the Temple of your God, tothe God of Jerusalem,	19 The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, those deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem.
20 and whatever else is needed and you are obliged to supply for the Temple of your God, you will supplyfrom the royal treasury.	20 And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king's treasure house.
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:	21 And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily,
22 up to one hundred talents of silver, one hundred kor of wheat, one hundred bat of wine, one hundred bat of oil, and unlimited salt.	22 Unto an hundred talents of silver, and to an hundred measures of wheat, and to an hundred baths of wine, and to an hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much.
23 Whatever 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?	23 Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?
24 You 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.	24 Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them.
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.	25 And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know them not.
26 And 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.'	26 And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.
27 Blessed 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,	27 Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem:
28 won 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.	28 And hath extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counsellers, and before all the king's mighty princes. And I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.