2 Chronicles 35 - Ezra 8

New International Version

Josiah Celebrates the Passover^(A)

35 Josiah celebrated the Passover^(B) to the Lord in Jerusalem, and the Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month. ² He appointed the priests to their duties and encouraged them in the service of the Lord’s temple. ³ He said to the Levites, who instructed^(C) all Israel and who had been consecrated to the Lord: “Put the sacred ark in the temple that Solomon son of David king of Israel built. It is not to be carried about on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel. ⁴ Prepare yourselves by families in your divisions,^(D) according to the instructions written by David king of Israel and by his son Solomon.

⁵ “Stand in the holy place with a group of Levites for each subdivision of the families of your fellow Israelites, the lay people. ⁶ Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves^(E) and prepare the lambs for your fellow Israelites, doing what the Lord commanded through Moses.”

⁷ Josiah provided for all the lay people who were there a total of thirty thousand lambs and goats for the Passover offerings,^(F) and also three thousand cattle—all from the king’s own possessions.^(G)

⁸ His officials also contributed^(H) voluntarily to the people and the priests and Levites. Hilkiah,^(I) Zechariah and Jehiel, the officials in charge of God’s temple, gave the priests twenty-six hundred Passover offerings and three hundred cattle. ⁹ Also Konaniah^(J) along with Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brothers, and Hashabiah, Jeiel and Jozabad,^(K) the leaders of the Levites, provided five thousand Passover offerings and five hundred head of cattle for the Levites.

¹⁰ The service was arranged and the priests stood in their places with the Levites in their divisions^(L) as the king had ordered.^{(M) 11} The Passover lambs were slaughtered,^(N) and the priests splashed against the altar the blood handed to them, while the Levites skinned the animals. ¹² They set aside the burnt offerings to give them to the subdivisions of the families of the people to offer to the Lord, as it is written in the Book of Moses. They did the same with the cattle. ¹³ They roasted the Passover animals over the fire as prescribed,^(O) and boiled the holy offerings in pots, caldrons and pans and served them quickly to all the people. ¹⁴ After this, they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were sacrificing the burnt offerings and the fat portions^(P) until nightfall. So the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the Aaronic priests.

¹⁵ The musicians,^(Q) the descendants of Asaph, were in the places prescribed by David, Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun the king’s seer. The gatekeepers at each gate did not need to leave their posts, because their fellow Levites made the preparations for them.

¹⁶ So at that time the entire service of the Lord was carried out for the celebration of the Passover and the offering of burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord, as King Josiah had ordered. ¹⁷ The Israelites who were present celebrated the Passover at that time and observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. ¹⁸ The Passover had not been observed like this in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel; and none of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated such a Passover as did Josiah, with the priests, the Levites and all Judah and Israel who were there with the people of Jerusalem. ¹⁹ This Passover was celebrated in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign.

The Death of Josiah^(R)

²⁰ After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Necho king of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish^(S) on the Euphrates,^(T) and Josiah marched out to meet him in battle. ²¹ But Necho sent messengers to him, saying, “What quarrel is there, king of Judah, between you and me? It is not you I am attacking at this time, but the house with which I am at war. God has told^(U) me to hurry; so stop opposing God, who is with me, or he will destroy you.”

²² Josiah, however, would not turn away from him, but disguised^(V) himself to engage him in battle. He would not listen to what Necho had said at God’s command but went to fight him on the plain of Megiddo.

²³ Archers^(W) shot King Josiah, and he told his officers, “Take me away; I am badly wounded.” ²⁴ So they took him out of his chariot, put him in his other chariot and brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. He was buried in the tombs of his ancestors, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him.

²⁵ Jeremiah composed laments for Josiah, and to this day all the male and female singers commemorate Josiah in the laments.^(X) These became a tradition in Israel and are written in the Laments.^(Y)

²⁶ The other events of Josiah’s reign and his acts of devotion in accordance with what is written in the Law of the Lord— ²⁷ all the events, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. 36 ¹ And the people^(Z) of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father.

Jehoahaz King of Judah^(AA)

² Jehoahaz^[a] was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. ³ The king of Egypt dethroned him in Jerusalem and imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents^[b] of silver and a talent^[c] of gold. ⁴ The king of Egypt made Eliakim, a brother of Jehoahaz, king over Judah and Jerusalem and changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Necho^(AB) took Eliakim’s brother Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt.^(AC)

Jehoiakim King of Judah^(AD)

⁵ Jehoiakim^(AE) was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God. ⁶ Nebuchadnezzar^(AF) king of Babylon attacked him and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.^{(AG) 7} Nebuchadnezzar also took to Babylon articles from the temple of the Lord and put them in his temple^[d] there.^(AH)

⁸ The other events of Jehoiakim’s reign, the detestable things he did and all that was found against him, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son succeeded him as king.

Jehoiachin King of Judah^(AI)

⁹ Jehoiachin^(AJ) was eighteen^[e] years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. ¹⁰ In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar sent for him and brought him to Babylon,^(AK) together with articles of value from the temple of the Lord, and he made Jehoiachin’s uncle,^[f] Zedekiah, king over Judah and Jerusalem.

Zedekiah King of Judah^(AL)

¹¹ Zedekiah^(AM) was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. ¹² He did evil in the eyes of the Lord^(AN) his God and did not humble^(AO) himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the Lord. ¹³ He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him take an oath^(AP) in God’s name. He became stiff-necked^(AQ) and hardened his heart and would not turn to the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹⁴ Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful,^(AR) following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the Lord, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.

The Fall of Jerusalem^(AS)(AT)

¹⁵ The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers^(AU) again and again,^(AV) because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. ¹⁶ But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed^(AW) at his prophets until the wrath^(AX) of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.^{(AY) 17} He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians,^[g](AZ) who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and did not spare young men^(BA) or young women, the elderly or the infirm.^(BB) God gave them all into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar.^{(BC) 18} He carried to Babylon all the articles^(BD) from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the Lord’s temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. ¹⁹ They set fire^(BE) to God’s temple^(BF) and broke down the wall^(BG) of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed^(BH) everything of value there.^(BI)

²⁰ He carried into exile^(BJ) to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants^(BK) to him and his successors until the kingdom of Persia came to power. ²¹ The land enjoyed its sabbath rests;^(BL) all the time of its desolation it rested,^(BM) until the seventy years^(BN) were completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah.

²² In the first year of Cyrus^(BO) king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:

²³ “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:

Cyrus Helps the Exiles to Return^(BQ)

1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah,^(BR) the Lord moved the heart^(BS) of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:

⁵ Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin,^(CA) and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved^(CB)—prepared to go up and build the house^(CC) of the Lord in Jerusalem. ⁶ All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold,^(CD) with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings.

⁷ Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god.^{[h](CE) 8} Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar^(CF) the prince of Judah.

⁹ This was the inventory:

gold dishes	30
silver dishes	1,000
silver pans[i]	29
10 gold bowls	30
matching silver bowls	410
other articles	1,000

¹¹ In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and of silver. Sheshbazzar brought all these along with the exiles when they came up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

The List of the Exiles Who Returned^(CG)

2 Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles,^(CH) whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon^(CI) had taken captive to Babylon (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to their own town,^{(CJ) 2} in company with Zerubbabel,^(CK) Joshua,^(CL) Nehemiah, Seraiah,^(CM) Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah):

3 the descendants of Parosh(CN)	2,172
4 of Shephatiah	372
5 of Arah	775
6 of Pahath-Moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab)	2,812
7 of Elam	1,254
8 of Zattu	945
9 of Zakkai	760
10 of Bani	642
11 of Bebai	623
12 of Azgad	1,222
13 of Adonikam(CO)	666
14 of Bigvai	2,056
15 of Adin	454
16 of Ater (through Hezekiah)	98
17 of Bezai	323
18 of Jorah	112
19 of Hashum	223
20 of Gibbar	95

21 the men of Bethlehem(CP)	123
22 of Netophah	56
23 of Anathoth	128
24 of Azmaveth	42
25 of Kiriath Jearim,[j] Kephirah and Beeroth	743
26 of Ramah(CQ) and Geba	621
27 of Mikmash	122
28 of Bethel and Ai(CR)	223
29 of Nebo	52
30 of Magbish	156
31 of the other Elam	1,254
32 of Harim	320
33 of Lod, Hadid and Ono	725
34 of Jericho(CS)	345
35 of Senaah	3,630

the descendants of Jedaiah(CT) (through the family of Jeshua)	973
37 of Immer(CU)	1,052
38 of Pashhur(CV)	1,247
39 of Harim(CW)	1,017

the descendants of Jeshua(CY) and Kadmiel (of the line of Hodaviah)

74

the descendants of Asaph

128

the descendants of
Shallum, Ater, Talmon,
Akkub, Hatita and Shobai	139

the descendants of

Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,

44 Keros, Siaha, Padon,

45 Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub,

46 Hagab, Shalmai, Hanan,

47 Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah,

48 Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam,

49 Uzza, Paseah, Besai,

50 Asnah, Meunim, Nephusim,

51 Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,

52 Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,

53 Barkos, Sisera, Temah,

54 Neziah and Hatipha

the descendants of

Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda,

56 Jaala, Darkon, Giddel,

57 Shephatiah, Hattil,

Pokereth-Hazzebaim and Ami

58 The temple servants(DC) and the descendants of the servants of Solomon

392

60 The descendants of
Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda	652

The descendants of

Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai (a man who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite(DE) and was called by that name).

⁶⁸ When they arrived at the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, some of the heads of the families^(DK) gave freewill offerings toward the rebuilding of the house of God on its site. ⁶⁹ According to their ability they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 darics^[k] of gold, 5,000 minas^[l] of silver and 100 priestly garments.

⁷⁰ The priests, the Levites, the musicians, the gatekeepers and the temple servants settled in their own towns, along with some of the other people, and the rest of the Israelites settled in their towns.^(DL)

Rebuilding the Altar

3 When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,^(DM) the people assembled^(DN) together as one in Jerusalem. ² Then Joshua^(DO) son of Jozadak^(DP) and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel^(DQ) and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses^(DR) the man of God. ³ Despite their fear^(DS) of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices.^{(DT) 4} Then in accordance with what is written, they celebrated the Festival of Tabernacles^(DU) with the required number of burnt offerings prescribed for each day. ⁵ After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings, the New Moon^(DV) sacrifices and the sacrifices for all the appointed sacred festivals of the Lord,^(DW) as well as those brought as freewill offerings to the Lord. ⁶ On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, though the foundation of the Lord’s temple had not yet been laid.

Rebuilding the Temple

⁷ Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters,^(DX) and gave food and drink and olive oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they would bring cedar logs^(DY) by sea from Lebanon^(DZ) to Joppa, as authorized by Cyrus^(EA) king of Persia.

⁸ In the second month^(EB) of the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel^(EC) son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak and the rest of the people (the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem) began the work. They appointed Levites twenty^(ED) years old and older to supervise the building of the house of the Lord. ⁹ Joshua^(EE) and his sons and brothers and Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Hodaviah^[m]) and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together in supervising those working on the house of God.

¹⁰ When the builders laid^(EF) the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets,^(EG) and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise^(EH) the Lord, as prescribed by David^(EI) king of Israel.^{(EJ) 11} With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:

And all the people gave a great shout^(EL) of praise to the Lord, because the foundation^(EM) of the house of the Lord was laid. ¹² But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple,^(EN) wept^(EO) aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. ¹³ No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy^(EP) from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.

Opposition to the Rebuilding

4 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building^(EQ) a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, ² they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, “Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon^(ER) king of Assyria, who brought us here.”^(ES)

³ But Zerubbabel, Joshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, “You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.”^(ET)

⁴ Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building.^{[n](EU) 5} They bribed officials to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Later Opposition Under Xerxes and Artaxerxes

⁶ At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes,^[o](EV) they lodged an accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.^(EW)

⁷ And in the days of Artaxerxes^(EX) king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic script and in the Aramaic^(EY) language.^[p][q]

⁸ Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows:

¹¹ (This is a copy of the letter they sent him.)

¹⁷ The king sent this reply:

²³ As soon as the copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum and Shimshai the secretary and their associates,^(FM) they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and compelled them by force to stop.

²⁴ Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius^(FN) king of Persia.

Tattenai’s Letter to Darius

5 Now Haggai^(FO) the prophet and Zechariah^(FP) the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied^(FQ) to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. ² Then Zerubbabel^(FR) son of Shealtiel and Joshua^(FS) son of Jozadak set to work^(FT) to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.

³ At that time Tattenai,^(FU) governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai^(FV) and their associates went to them and asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and to finish it?”^{(FW) 4} They^[s] also asked, “What are the names of those who are constructing this building?” ⁵ But the eye of their God^(FX) was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received.

⁶ This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates, the officials of Trans-Euphrates, sent to King Darius. ⁷ The report they sent him read as follows:

The Decree of Darius

6 King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives^(GI) stored in the treasury at Babylon. ² A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media, and this was written on it:

Completion and Dedication of the Temple

¹³ Then, because of the decree King Darius had sent, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates^(GY) carried it out with diligence. ¹⁴ So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching^(GZ) of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus,^(HA) Darius^(HB) and Artaxerxes,^(HC) kings of Persia. ¹⁵ The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.^(HD)

¹⁶ Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication^(HE) of the house of God with joy. ¹⁷ For the dedication of this house of God they offered^(HF) a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred male lambs and, as a sin offering^[w] for all Israel, twelve male goats, one for each of the tribes of Israel. ¹⁸ And they installed the priests in their divisions^(HG) and the Levites in their groups^(HH) for the service of God at Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.^(HI)

The Passover

¹⁹ On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles celebrated the Passover.^{(HJ) 20} The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were all ceremonially clean. The Levites slaughtered^(HK) the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their relatives the priests and for themselves. ²¹ So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves^(HL) from the unclean practices^(HM) of their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the Lord,^(HN) the God of Israel. ²² For seven days they celebrated with joy the Festival of Unleavened Bread,^(HO) because the Lord had filled them with joy by changing the attitude^(HP) of the king of Assyria so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel.

Ezra Comes to Jerusalem

7 After these things, during the reign of Artaxerxes^(HQ) king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah,^(HR) the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,^{(HS) 2} the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok,^(HT) the son of Ahitub,^{(HU) 3} the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, ⁴ the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, ⁵ the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas,^(HV) the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest— ⁶ this Ezra^(HW) came up from Babylon. He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted^(HX) him everything he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.^{(HY) 7} Some of the Israelites, including priests, Levites, musicians, gatekeepers and temple servants, also came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.^(HZ)

⁸ Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king. ⁹ He had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him.^{(IA) 10} For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching^(IB) its decrees and laws in Israel.

King Artaxerxes’ Letter to Ezra

¹¹ This is a copy of the letter King Artaxerxes had given to Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law, a man learned in matters concerning the commands and decrees of the Lord for Israel:

²⁷ Praise be to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, who has put it into the king’s heart^(IT) to bring honor^(IU) to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem in this way ²⁸ and who has extended his good favor^(IV) to me before the king and his advisers and all the king’s powerful officials. Because the hand of the Lord my God was on me,^(IW) I took courage and gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me.

List of the Family Heads Returning With Ezra

8 These are the family heads and those registered with them who came up with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:^(IX)

The Return to Jerusalem

¹⁵ I assembled them at the canal that flows toward Ahava,^(JD) and we camped there three days. When I checked among the people and the priests, I found no Levites^(JE) there.