以斯拉记 7
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
以斯拉到达耶路撒冷
7 这些事以后，波斯王亚达薛西年间，以斯拉从巴比伦上到耶路撒冷。以斯拉是西莱雅的儿子，西莱雅是亚撒利雅的儿子，亚撒利雅是希勒迦的儿子， 2 希勒迦是沙龙的儿子，沙龙是撒督的儿子，撒督是亚希突的儿子， 3 亚希突是亚玛利雅的儿子，亚玛利雅是亚撒利雅的儿子，亚撒利雅是米拉约的儿子， 4 米拉约是西拉希雅的儿子，西拉希雅是乌西的儿子，乌西是布基的儿子， 5 布基是亚比书的儿子，亚比书是非尼哈的儿子，非尼哈是以利亚撒的儿子，以利亚撒是大祭司亚伦的儿子。 6 这以斯拉是位律法教师，精通以色列的上帝耶和华赐下的摩西律法。他的上帝耶和华帮助他，使王批准他的一切要求。
7 亚达薛西王第七年，一些以色列人、祭司、利未人、歌乐手、殿门守卫和殿役来到耶路撒冷。 8-9 这年一月一日，以斯拉从巴比伦启程去耶路撒冷，五月一日就到达那里，因为他的上帝施恩帮助他。 10 以斯拉定意研读、遵行耶和华的律法，并在以色列教导律例和典章。
亚达薛西王给以斯拉的谕旨
11 以斯拉是祭司和律法教师，精通耶和华赐给以色列的诫命和律例。亚达薛西王降旨给以斯拉，内容如下：
12 “王中之王亚达薛西降旨给精通天上上帝律法的教师以斯拉祭司，愿你平安！
13 “我现在降旨，我国中的以色列人、祭司和利未人，凡愿意上耶路撒冷的都可以与你同去。 14 我和七位谋士派你去按照你手中上帝的律法察看犹大和耶路撒冷的情况， 15 并带去我和谋士们自愿献的金银，献给住在耶路撒冷的以色列的上帝， 16 还要带去你在巴比伦省得到的金银，以及民众和祭司为耶路撒冷的上帝之殿自愿奉献的祭物。 17 你一定要用这些金银购买公牛、公绵羊和绵羊羔，以及素祭和奠祭用品，把这一切献在耶路撒冷上帝殿的祭坛上。 18 至于余下的金银，你和你的弟兄可以按你们上帝的心意妥善使用。 19 那些交托给你、用来在你上帝的殿里敬拜的器皿，你要带到耶路撒冷的上帝面前。 20 如果你们上帝的殿还需要什么，你可以从国库支取费用。
21 “我亚达薛西王降旨给河西所有的财政大臣，精通天上上帝律法的律法教师以斯拉祭司无论向你们要什么，都要速速办理， 22 可以给他银子三点四吨、麦子两万二千升、酒两千二百升、油两千二百升，盐可以随意取用。 23 不论天上的上帝为祂的殿有何要求，都要认真办理，以免祂的烈怒临到王及众王子的国。 24 我们也通知你们不可向这座上帝殿的祭司、利未人、歌乐手、殿门守卫、殿役或其他工人征收赋税。
25 “你以斯拉要运用上帝赐给你的智慧委派官员和审判官，让他们治理河西省的人民，就是明白你上帝律法的人。你要教导那些不明白你上帝律法的人。 26 凡不遵行你上帝的律法和王法的，要对他严加治罪，或处死，或发配，或抄家，或监禁。”
以斯拉赞美上帝
27 以斯拉说：
“我们祖先的上帝耶和华当受赞美！因为祂使王有这样的心意尊崇耶路撒冷耶和华的殿。 28 祂又在王及其谋士和所有权贵面前施恩于我。因为我的上帝耶和华帮助我，我便有勇气召集以色列的首领与我一同上去。”
Ezra 7
Common English Bible
Introduction to Ezra
7 After this, in the rule of Persia’s King Artaxerxes, Ezra son of Seraiah son of Azariah son of Hilkiah 2 son of Shallum son of Zadok son of Ahitub 3 son of Amariah son of Azariah son of Meraioth 4 son of Zerahiah son of Uzzi son of Bukki 5 son of Abishua son of Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the chief priest— 6 this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a scribe skilled in the Instruction from Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given. Moreover, the king gave him everything he requested because the Lord his God’s power was with him.
7 Some of the Israelites and some of the priests and the Levites, the singers and gatekeepers and the temple servants also came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes. 8 They reached Jerusalem in the fifth month, in the seventh year of the king. 9 The journey from Babylon began on the first day of the first month, and they came to Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was upon him. 10 Ezra had determined to study and perform the Lord’s Instruction, and to teach law and justice in Israel.
Letter from Artaxerxes
11 This is a copy of the letter that Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest and scribe, a scholar of the text of the Lord’s commandments and his requirements for Israel:
12 [a] Artaxerxes, king of kings,
And now 13 I decree that any of the people of Israel or their priests or Levites in my kingdom who volunteer to go to Jerusalem with you may go. 14 You are sent by the king and his seven counselors to investigate Judah and Jerusalem according to the Instruction from your God, which is in your hand.
15 You should bring the silver and gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, 16 together with any of the silver and gold that you find in the entire province of Babylonia. You should also bring the spontaneous gifts of the people and the priests, given freely for God’s house in Jerusalem. 17 With this money you will be careful to buy bulls, rams, and lambs, as well as their grain offerings and their drink offerings. And you will offer them on the altar of God’s house in Jerusalem. 18 As long as it is God’s will, you and your colleagues may do what you think best with the rest of the silver and gold. 19 You will deliver the equipment that has been given to you for the service of God’s house to the God of Jerusalem. 20 If anything else is required for God’s house that you are responsible to provide, you may provide it from the royal treasury.
21 I, King Artaxerxes, decree to all of the treasurers in the province Beyond the River: Whatever Ezra the priest and scribe of the Instruction from the God of heaven requires of you, it must be provided precisely, 22 even up to one hundred kikkars of silver, one hundred kors of wheat, one hundred baths[c] of wine, one hundred baths of oil, and unlimited salt. 23 Whatever the God of heaven commands will be done carefully for the house of the God of heaven, or wrath will come upon the realm of the king and his heirs. 24 You must also know that it is illegal for you to charge tribute, custom, or dues on any of the priests and Levites, the singers, the doorkeepers, the temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.
25 And you, Ezra, based on the divine wisdom that you have, appoint supervisors and judges to adjudicate among all the people in the province Beyond the River who know the laws of your God. You will also teach those who do not know them. 26 Let judgment be strictly carried out upon anyone who does not obey the Instruction from your God and the law of your king, including death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.
Ezra prepares to leave
27 Bless the Lord, the God of our ancestors, who has moved the king to glorify the Lord’s house in Jerusalem, 28 and who has demonstrated his graciousness for me before the king and his counselors and all the king’s mighty officers. I took courage because the Lord my God’s power was with me. I gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me.
Footnotes
- Ezra 7:12 7:12-26 is written in Aramaic.
- Ezra 7:12 Syr, Vulg 1 Esdr 8:9; Aram Perfect
- Ezra 7:22 One bath is approximately twenty quarts or five gallons.
Ezra 7
New Catholic Bible
The Deeds of Ezra[a]
Chapter 7
Ezra the Scribe. 1 After these occurrences, during the reign of Artaxerxes,[b] king of Persia, Ezra, the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, 2 son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, 3 son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, 4 son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, 5 son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of the high priest Aaron— 6 this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a scribe who was skilled in the law of Moses which was given by the Lord, the God of Israel, and the king granted him everything that he requested, since the hand of the Lord God was upon him.
7 Ezra was accompanied to Jerusalem by a number of Israelites, priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple slaves in the seventh year of the reign of King Artaxerxes. 8 Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king’s reign.
9 On the first day of the first month, Ezra had ordered the departure from Babylon, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, since the gracious hand of his God was upon him. 10 For he had devoted himself to the study and observance of the law of the Lord so as to put that law into practice and to teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.
11 The Decree of Artaxerxes. This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest-scribe, a scholar in matters pertaining to the commandments and statutes of the Lord for Israel:[c]
12 “Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest-scribe, a scholar versed in the commandments and statutes of the Lord for Israel. 13 I have issued a decree stating that any of the people of Israel in my kingdom, including their priests and Levites, who freely choose to go up to Jerusalem with you are free to do so. 14 For you are being sent by the king and his seven counselors to make inquiries as to how the law of your God in which you are extremely knowledgeable is being followed in Judah and Jerusalem.
15 “You are also to convey the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have voluntarily offered to the God of Israel whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, 16 as well as all the silver and gold which you may receive throughout the province of Babylon and the voluntary offerings that have been freely contributed by the people and the priests for the house of their God in Jerusalem.
17 “You must spend this money with extreme care to purchase bulls, rams, and lambs, as well as the cereal offerings and libations, and sacrifice them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem. 18 As for the remainder of the silver and gold, you and your brothers may do whatever seems best to you. 19 In the presence of the God of Israel you are to deliver those vessels that have been given to you for the service of the house of your God. 20 As for whatever else is required and you are obliged to supply for the needs of the house of your God, you may supply from the royal treasury.
21 “I, King Artaxerxes, have issued this decree to all the treasurers of West-of-Euphrates: Whatever the priest Ezra, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, may request of you is to be provided to him exactly, 22 up to one hundred talents of silver, one hundred kors of wheat, one hundred baths of oil, and unlimited amounts of salt. 23 Let everything that the God of heaven commands be carried out exactly for the house of the God of heaven so that wrath may not be inflicted upon the realm of the king and his sons. 24 We also wish to make clear to you that it is against the law to impose a tribute, tax, or toll on any priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple slaves, or other servants of this house of God.
25 “As for you, Ezra, in accordance with the wisdom of your God which you possess, you are to appoint magistrates and judges[d] to administer justice to all the people in West-of-Euphrates—to all, that is, who know the laws of your God. Furthermore, you are to instruct all those who do not know these laws. 26 Whoever refuses to obey the law of your God and the law of the king is to have judgment be strictly executed, whether the penalty be death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.”
27 Ezra and His Companions. Then Ezra said: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of our ancestors, who has influenced the heart of the king in this way to glorify the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, 28 and who permitted me to be granted the faithful love of the king and his counselors and all the most powerful of the king’s officials. Because the hand of the Lord, my God was upon me, I assembled those Israelite leaders to accompany me.”[e]
Footnotes
- Ezra 7:1 At the beginning of the fourth century, or even earlier, Ezra was concerned to create a solid organization of his countrymen who had again settled in Palestine, in order to protect them against pagan influences. In his person a new kind of biblical personage makes his appearance: the scribe. The scholar, as servant of the royal court, had existed since David’s time, but now he becomes more important; as an expert in the law, he gradually replaces the priest (who henceforth deals almost exclusively with the ritual performance of worship) and becomes an influential personage. His often disturbing presence will be seen throughout the gospel story.
The main element in Ezra’s reform has to do with the marriages of Jews to women of the local population and reaches the point of dismissing these foreign wives. To understand this resolution of the problem, we must look to the setting. Infidelity had brought the nation into exile; therefore only an intransigent fidelity could safeguard it against a new disaster. Furthermore, as the entire past showed, beginning with Solomon’s harem, infidelity made its way in through mixed marriages. - Ezra 7:1 Artaxerxes: this would seem to be Artaxerxes II (404–358 B.C.). Therefore, the seventh year of his reign is 398 B.C.
- Ezra 7:11 The document is written in Aramaic.
- Ezra 7:25 Magistrates and judges: those that acknowledge the religion of the Israelite people.
- Ezra 7:28 This prayer of thanks and praise is Ezra’s way of completely acknowledging his dependence on God, without whom he would not have attained his state in life.
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