Ezra Reads and Explains the Law

Now all (A)the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was (B)in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the (C)scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel.

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all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate.(A) They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses,(B) which the Lord had commanded for Israel.

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this Ezra came up from Babylon; and he was (A)a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given. The king granted him all his request, (B)according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him.

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this Ezra(A) 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(B) him everything he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.(C)

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26 Moreover (A)the Nethinim who dwelt in (B)Ophel made repairs as far as the place in front of (C)the Water Gate toward the east, and on the projecting tower.

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26 and the temple servants(A) living on the hill of Ophel(B) made repairs up to a point opposite the Water Gate(C) toward the east and the projecting tower.

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15 Then Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the (A)book to Shaphan.

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15 Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law(A) in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan.

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The Letter of Artaxerxes to Ezra

11 This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave Ezra the priest, the scribe, expert in the words of the commandments of the Lord, and of His statutes to Israel:

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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:

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Worship Restored at Jerusalem

And when the (A)seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. Then [a]Jeshua the son of (B)Jozadak[b] and his brethren the priests, (C)and Zerubbabel the son of (D)Shealtiel and his brethren, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is (E)written in the Law of Moses the man of God. Though fear had come upon them because of the people of those countries, they set the altar on its [c]bases; and they offered (F)burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening burnt offerings. (G)They also kept the Feast of Tabernacles, (H)as it is written, and (I)offered the daily burnt offerings in the number required by ordinance for each day. Afterwards they offered the (J)regular burnt offering, and those for New Moons and for all the appointed feasts of the Lord that were consecrated, and those of everyone who willingly offered a freewill offering to the Lord. From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, although the foundation of the temple of the Lord had not been laid. They also gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and (K)food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to the sea, to (L)Joppa, (M)according to the permission which they had from Cyrus king of Persia.

Restoration of the Temple Begins

Now in the second month of the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, (N)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Jeshua the son of [d]Jozadak, and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all those who had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, began work (O)and appointed the Levites from twenty years old and above to oversee the work of the house of the Lord. Then Jeshua with his sons and brothers, Kadmiel with his sons, and the sons of [e]Judah, arose as one to oversee those working on the house of God: the sons of Henadad with their sons and their brethren the Levites.

10 When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, (P)the[f] priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the (Q)ordinance[g] of David king of Israel. 11 (R)And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord:

(S)“For He is good,
(T)For His mercy endures forever toward Israel.”

Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.

12 But many of the priests and Levites and (U)heads of the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy, 13 so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard afar off.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezra 3:2 Or Joshua
  2. Ezra 3:2 Jehozadak, 1 Chr. 6:14
  3. Ezra 3:3 foundations
  4. Ezra 3:8 Jehozadak, 1 Chr. 6:14
  5. Ezra 3:9 Hodaviah, Ezra 2:40
  6. Ezra 3:10 So with LXX, Syr., Vg.; MT they stationed the priests
  7. Ezra 3:10 Lit. hands

Rebuilding the Altar

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,(A) the people assembled(B) together as one in Jerusalem. Then Joshua(C) son of Jozadak(D) and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel(E) 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(F) the man of God. Despite their fear(G) 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.(H) Then in accordance with what is written, they celebrated the Festival of Tabernacles(I) with the required number of burnt offerings prescribed for each day. After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings, the New Moon(J) sacrifices and the sacrifices for all the appointed sacred festivals of the Lord,(K) as well as those brought as freewill offerings to the Lord. 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

Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters,(L) and gave food and drink and olive oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they would bring cedar logs(M) by sea from Lebanon(N) to Joppa, as authorized by Cyrus(O) king of Persia.

In the second month(P) of the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel(Q) 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(R) years old and older to supervise the building of the house of the Lord. Joshua(S) and his sons and brothers and Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Hodaviah[a]) 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(T) the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets,(U) and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise(V) the Lord, as prescribed by David(W) king of Israel.(X) 11 With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:

“He is good;
    his love toward Israel endures forever.”(Y)

And all the people gave a great shout(Z) of praise to the Lord, because the foundation(AA) 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,(AB) wept(AC) 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(AD) from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezra 3:9 Hebrew Yehudah, a variant of Hodaviah

34 (A)Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: (B)some of them you will kill and crucify, and (C)some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city,

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34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify;(A) others you will flog in your synagogues(B) and pursue from town to town.(C)

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13 “But (A)woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

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Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees

13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!(A) You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.(B)

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saying: (A)“The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.

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“The teachers of the law(A) and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.

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52 Then He said to them, “Therefore every [a]scribe instructed [b]concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure (A)things new and old.”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 13:52 A scholar of the Old Testament
  2. Matthew 13:52 Or for

52 He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

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“Remember the (A)Law of Moses, My servant,
Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel,
With (B)the statutes and judgments.

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“Remember the law(A) of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb(B) for all Israel.(C)

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“How can you say, ‘We are wise,
(A)And the law of the Lord is with us’?
Look, the false pen of the scribe certainly works falsehood.
(B)The wise men are ashamed,
They are dismayed and taken.
Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord;
So (C)what wisdom do they have?

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“‘How can you say, “We are wise,
    for we have the law(A) of the Lord,”
when actually the lying pen of the scribes
    has handled it falsely?
The wise(B) will be put to shame;
    they will be dismayed(C) and trapped.(D)
Since they have rejected the word(E) of the Lord,
    what kind of wisdom(F) do they have?

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20 (A)To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because (B)there[a] is no light in them.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 8:20 Or they have no dawn

20 Consult God’s instruction(A) and the testimony of warning.(B) If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light(C) of dawn.

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