Ezra 4:7-23
English Standard Version
The Letter to King Artaxerxes
7 In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam and (A)Mithredath and Tabeel and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written (B)in Aramaic and translated.[a] 8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows: 9 Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the (C)judges, the (D)governors, the officials, the Persians, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the (E)Elamites, 10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble (F)Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River. 11 (This is a copy of the letter that they sent.) “To Artaxerxes the king: Your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River, send greeting. And now 12 be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are (G)finishing the walls and repairing the foundations. 13 Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay (H)tribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired. 14 Now because we eat the salt of the palace[b] and it is not fitting for us to witness the king's dishonor, therefore we send and inform the king, 15 in order that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will find in the book of the records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and that sedition was stirred up in it from of old. That was why this city was laid waste. 16 We make known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River.”
The King Orders the Work to Cease
17 The king sent an answer: “To Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe and the rest of their associates who live in Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River, greeting. And now 18 the letter that you sent to us has been (I)plainly read before me. 19 And I made a decree, and search has been made, and it has been found that this city from of old has risen against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it. 20 And mighty kings have been over Jerusalem, (J)who ruled over the whole province Beyond the River, to whom (K)tribute, custom, and toll were paid. 21 Therefore make a decree that these men be made to cease, and that this city be not rebuilt, until a decree is made by me. 22 And take care not to be slack in this matter. Why should damage grow to the hurt of the king?”
23 Then, when the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their associates, they went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease.
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Psalm 106
English Standard Version
Give Thanks to the Lord, for He Is Good
106 (A)Praise the Lord!
(B)Oh give thanks to the Lord, (C)for he is good,
(D)for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord,
or declare all his praise?
3 Blessed are they who observe justice,
who (E)do righteousness at all times!
4 (F)Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people;
help me when you save them,[a]
5 that I may look upon the prosperity of your (G)chosen ones,
that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,
that I may glory with your inheritance.
6 (H)Both we and (I)our fathers have sinned;
we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.
7 Our fathers, when they were in Egypt,
did not consider your wondrous works;
they (J)did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love,
but (K)rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.
8 Yet he saved them (L)for his name's sake,
(M)that he might make known his mighty power.
9 He (N)rebuked the Red Sea, and it (O)became dry,
and he (P)led them through the deep as through a desert.
10 So he (Q)saved them from the hand of the foe
and (R)redeemed them from the power of the enemy.
11 And (S)the waters covered their adversaries;
not one of them was left.
12 Then (T)they believed his words;
they (U)sang his praise.
13 But they soon (V)forgot his works;
they did not wait for (W)his counsel.
14 But they had (X)a wanton craving in the wilderness,
and (Y)put God to the test in the desert;
15 he (Z)gave them what they asked,
but sent (AA)a wasting disease among them.
16 When men in the camp (AB)were jealous of Moses
and Aaron, (AC)the holy one of the Lord,
17 (AD)the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
and covered the company of Abiram.
18 (AE)Fire also broke out in their company;
the flame burned up the wicked.
19 They (AF)made a calf in Horeb
and worshiped a metal image.
20 They (AG)exchanged the glory of God[b]
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
21 They (AH)forgot God, their Savior,
who had done great things in Egypt,
22 wondrous works in (AI)the land of Ham,
and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
23 Therefore (AJ)he said he would destroy them—
had not Moses, his (AK)chosen one,
(AL)stood in the breach before him,
to turn away his wrath from destroying them.
24 Then they (AM)despised (AN)the pleasant land,
having (AO)no faith in his promise.
25 They (AP)murmured in their tents,
and did not obey the voice of the Lord.
26 Therefore he (AQ)raised his hand and swore to them
that he would make them fall in the wilderness,
27 and would make their offspring fall among the nations,
(AR)scattering them among the lands.
28 Then they (AS)yoked themselves to the (AT)Baal of Peor,
and ate sacrifices offered to (AU)the dead;
29 they provoked the Lord to anger with their deeds,
and a plague broke out among them.
30 Then (AV)Phinehas stood up and intervened,
and the plague was stayed.
31 And that was (AW)counted to him as righteousness
from generation to generation forever.
32 They (AX)angered him at the waters of Meribah,
and it went ill with Moses on their account,
33 for they (AY)made his spirit bitter,[c]
and he (AZ)spoke rashly with his lips.
34 They did not (BA)destroy the peoples,
(BB)as the Lord commanded them,
35 but they (BC)mixed with the nations
and learned to do as they did.
36 They served their idols,
which became (BD)a snare to them.
37 They (BE)sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to (BF)the demons;
38 they poured out innocent blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and the land was (BG)polluted with blood.
39 Thus they (BH)became unclean by their acts,
and (BI)played the whore in their deeds.
40 Then (BJ)the anger of the Lord was kindled against (BK)his people,
and he abhorred his (BL)heritage;
41 he (BM)gave them into the hand of the nations,
so that those who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies (BN)oppressed them,
and they were brought into subjection under their power.
43 (BO)Many times he delivered them,
but they were rebellious in their (BP)purposes
and were (BQ)brought low through their iniquity.
44 Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress,
when he (BR)heard their cry.
45 For their sake he (BS)remembered his covenant,
and (BT)relented according to (BU)the abundance of his steadfast love.
46 He caused them to be (BV)pitied
by all those who held them captive.
47 (BW)Save us, O Lord our God,
and (BX)gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.
48 (BY)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting!
(BZ)And let all the people say, “Amen!”
(CA)Praise the Lord!
Footnotes
- Psalm 106:4 Or Remember me, O Lord, with the favor you show to your people; help me with your salvation
- Psalm 106:20 Hebrew exchanged their glory
- Psalm 106:33 Or they rebelled against God's Spirit
Ezra 7:1-8:14
English Standard Version
Ezra Sent to Teach the People
7 Now after this, (A)in the reign of (B)Artaxerxes king of Persia, (C)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 Aaron the chief priest— 6 this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe (D)skilled in the Law of Moses that the Lord, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, (E)for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.
7 And there went up also to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king, some of the people of Israel, and (F)some of the priests and (G)Levites, the singers and gatekeepers, and the temple (H)servants. 8 And Ezra[a] came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. 9 For on the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylonia, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, (I)for the good hand of his God was on him. 10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it (J)and to (K)teach his statutes and rules in Israel.
11 This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, a man learned in matters of the commandments of the Lord and his statutes for Israel: 12 “Artaxerxes, (L)king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the (M)scribe of the Law of the God of heaven. Peace.[b] (N)And now 13 (O)I make a decree that anyone of the people of Israel or their priests or Levites in my kingdom, who freely offers to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. 14 For you are sent by the king (P)and his seven counselors to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which is in your hand, 15 and also to carry the silver and gold that the king (Q)and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, (R)whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, 16 (S)with all the silver and gold that you shall find in the whole province of Babylonia, and (T)with the freewill offerings of the people and the priests, vowed willingly for the house of their God that is in Jerusalem. 17 With this money, then, you shall with all diligence buy bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and (U)you shall offer them on the altar of the house of your God that is in Jerusalem. 18 Whatever seems good to you and your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do, according to the will of your God. 19 The vessels that have been given you for the service of the house of your God, you shall deliver before the God of Jerusalem. 20 And whatever else is required for the house of your God, which it falls to you to provide, you may provide it out of the king's treasury.
21 “And I, Artaxerxes the king, make a decree to all the treasurers in the province Beyond the River: Whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, requires of you, let it be done with all diligence, 22 up to 100 talents[c] of silver, 100 cors[d] of wheat, 100 baths[e] of wine, 100 baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much. 23 Whatever is decreed by the God of heaven, let it be done in full for the house of the God of heaven, lest his wrath be against the realm of the king and his sons. 24 We also notify you that it shall not be lawful to impose (V)tribute, custom, or toll on anyone of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the doorkeepers, the temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.
25 “And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, (W)appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God. (X)And those who do not know them, you shall teach. 26 Whoever will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be strictly executed on him, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of his goods or for imprisonment.”
27 (Y)Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, (Z)who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem, 28 (AA)and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king's mighty officers. I took courage, for the hand of the Lord my God was on me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.
Genealogy of Those Who Returned with Ezra
8 These are the heads of their fathers' houses, and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylonia, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king: 2 Of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom. Of the sons of (AB)Ithamar, Daniel. Of the sons of David, (AC)Hattush. 3 Of the sons of Shecaniah, who was of the sons of (AD)Parosh, Zechariah, with whom were registered 150 men. 4 (AE)Of the sons of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him 200 men. 5 Of the sons of Zattu,[f] Shecaniah the son of Jahaziel, and with him 300 men. 6 Of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him 50 men. 7 Of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him 70 men. 8 Of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him 80 men. 9 Of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him 218 men. 10 Of the sons of Bani,[g] Shelomith the son of Josiphiah, and with him 160 men. 11 (AF)Of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah, the son of Bebai, and with him 28 men. 12 Of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men. 13 Of the sons of Adonikam, those who came later, their names being Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men. 14 Of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zaccur, and with them 70 men.
Footnotes
- Ezra 7:8 Aramaic he
- Ezra 7:12 Aramaic Perfect (probably a greeting)
- Ezra 7:22 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
- Ezra 7:22 A cor was about 6 bushels or 220 liters
- Ezra 7:22 A bath was about 6 gallons or 22 liters
- Ezra 8:5 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks of Zattu
- Ezra 8:10 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks Bani
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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