Ezra Journeys from Babylon to Jerusalem

7 ^(A)Now after these things, in the reign of ^(B)Artaxerxes king of Persia, there went up 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 went up from Babylon, and he was a ^(C)scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all ^[a]he requested ^(D)because the hand of the Lord his God was upon him. ^7 (E)Some of the sons of Israel and some of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers and the temple servants went up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.

⁸ He came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. ⁹ For on the first of the first month ^[b]he began to go up from Babylon; and on the first of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, ^(F)because the good hand of his God was upon him. ¹⁰ For Ezra had set his heart to ^[c]study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and ^(G)to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.

King’s Decree on Behalf of Ezra

¹¹ Now this is the copy of the decree which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, ^[d]learned in the words of the commandments of the Lord and His statutes to Israel: ¹² “^[e]Artaxerxes, ^(H)king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace. And now ^13 (I)I have issued a decree that any of the people of Israel and their priests and the Levites in my kingdom who are willing to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. ¹⁴ Forasmuch as you are sent ^[f]by the king and his ^(J)seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God which is in your hand, ¹⁵ and to bring the silver and gold, which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, ^(K)whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, ¹⁶ with ^(L)all the silver and gold which you find in the whole province of Babylon, along ^(M)with the freewill offering of the people and of the priests, who ^(N)offered willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem; ¹⁷ with this money, therefore, you shall diligently buy bulls, rams and lambs, ^(O)with their grain offerings and their drink offerings and ^(P)offer them on the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem. ¹⁸ Whatever seems good to you and to your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do according to the will of your God. ¹⁹ Also the utensils which are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem. ²⁰ The rest of the needs for the house of your God, for which you may have occasion to provide, ^(Q)provide for it from the royal treasury.

²¹ “I, even I, King Artaxerxes, issue a decree to all the treasurers who are in the provinces beyond the ^[g]River, that whatever Ezra the priest, ^(R)the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, may require of you, it shall be done diligently, ²² even up to 100 talents of silver, 100 ^[h]kors of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths of oil, and salt ^[i]as needed. ²³ Whatever is ^[j]commanded by the God of heaven, let it be done with zeal for the house of the God of heaven, ^(S)so that there will not be wrath against the kingdom of the king and his sons. ²⁴ We also inform you that ^(T)it is not allowed to ^[k]impose tax, tribute or toll ^(U)on any of the priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, Nethinim or servants of this house of God.

²⁵ “You, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God which is in your hand, ^(V)appoint magistrates and judges that they may judge all the people who are in the province beyond the River, even all those who know the laws of your God; and you may ^(W)teach anyone who is ignorant of them. ^26 (X)Whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed upon him strictly, whether for death or for ^[l]banishment or for confiscation of goods or for imprisonment.”

The King’s Kindness

²⁷ Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, ^(Y)who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to adorn the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, ²⁸ and ^(Z)has extended lovingkindness to me before the king and his counselors and before all the king’s mighty princes. Thus I was strengthened according to ^(AA)the hand of the Lord my God upon me, and I gathered ^[m]leading men from Israel to go up with me.

An Experience of the Captivity.

Message to Pergamum

¹² “And to the angel of the church in ^(A)Pergamum write:

The One who has ^(B)the sharp two-edged sword says this:

¹³ ‘I know where you dwell, where ^(C)Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny ^(D)My faith even in the days of Antipas, My ^(E)witness, My ^(F)faithful one, who was killed among you, ^(G)where Satan dwells. ¹⁴ But ^(H)I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the ^(I)teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, ^(J)to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. ¹⁵ So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the ^(K)Nicolaitans. ¹⁶ Therefore ^(L)repent; or else ^(M)I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with ^(N)the sword of My mouth. ^17 (O)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^(P)To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden ^(Q)manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a ^(R)new name written on the stone ^(S)which no one knows but he who receives it.’

Message to Thyatira

¹⁸ “And to the angel of the church in ^(T)Thyatira write:

^(U)The Son of God, ^(V)who has ^[a]eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this:

¹⁹ ‘^(W)I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and ^[b]perseverance, and that your ^[c]deeds of late are greater than ^[d]at first. ²⁰ But ^(X)I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman ^(Y)Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they ^(Z)commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. ^21 (AA)I gave her time to repent, and she ^(AB)does not want to repent of her immorality. ²² Behold, I will throw her ^[e]on a bed of sickness, and those who ^(AC)commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of ^[f]her deeds. ²³ And I will kill her children with ^[g]pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who ^(AD)searches the ^[h]minds and hearts; and ^(AE)I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. ²⁴ But I say to you, the rest who are in ^(AF)Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the ^(AG)deep things of Satan, as they call them—I ^(AH)place no other burden on you. ²⁵ Nevertheless ^(AI)what you have, hold fast ^(AJ)until I come. ^26 (AK)He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds ^(AL)until the end, ^(AM)to him I will give authority over the ^[i]nations; ²⁷ and he shall ^[j](AN)rule them with a rod of iron, ^(AO)as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; ²⁸ and I will give him ^(AP)the morning star. ^29 (AQ)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’