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Historical

Read the books of the Bible as they were written historically, according to the estimated date of their writing.

Duration: 365 days

Ezra 6-7

Darius Issues a Decree

6 So Darius the king issued orders, and they searched in the archives^[a] of the treasury which were deposited there in Babylon. ²A scroll was found in the citadel^[b] of Ecbatana which is in the province of Media, and it was inscribed as follows:

“Memorandum: ³In the first year of his reign,^[c] King Cyrus gave orders concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem: ‘Let the temple be rebuilt as a place where sacrifices are offered. Let its foundations be set in place.^[d] Its height is to be 90 feet and its width 90 feet,^[e] ⁴with three layers of large stones^[f] and one^[g] layer of timber. The expense is to be subsidized^[h] by the royal treasury.^[i] ⁵Furthermore, let the gold and silver vessels of the temple of God, which Nebuchadnezzar brought from the temple in Jerusalem and carried to Babylon, be returned and brought to their proper place in the temple in Jerusalem. Let them be deposited in the temple of God.’

⁶“Now Tattenai governor of Trans-Euphrates, Shethar-Bozenai, and their colleagues, the officials of Trans-Euphrates—all of you stay far away from there. ⁷Leave the work on this temple of God alone.^[j] Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this temple of God in its proper place.

⁸“I also hereby issue orders as to what you are to do with those elders of the Jews in order to rebuild this temple of God. From the royal treasury, from the taxes of Trans-Euphrates, the complete costs are to be given to these men so that there may be no interruption of the work.^[k] ⁹Whatever is needed—whether oxen or rams or lambs for burnt offerings for the God of heaven or wheat or salt or wine or oil, as required by^[l] the priests who are in Jerusalem—must be given to them daily without any neglect, ¹⁰so that they may be offering incense to the God of heaven and may be praying for the good fortune of the king and his family.^[m]

¹¹“I hereby give orders that if anyone changes this directive a beam is to be pulled out from his house and he is to be raised up and impaled^[n] on it, and his house is to be reduced^[o] to a rubbish heap^[p] for this indiscretion.^[q] ¹²May God who makes his name to reside there overthrow any king or nation^[r] who reaches out^[s] to cause such change so as to destroy this temple of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have given orders. Let them be carried out with precision!”

The Temple Is Finally Dedicated

¹³Then Tattenai governor of Trans-Euphrates, Shethar-Bozenai, and their colleagues acted accordingly—with precision, just as Darius the king had given instructions.^[t] ¹⁴The elders of the Jews continued building and prospering, while at the same time^[u] Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo continued prophesying. They built and brought it to completion by the command of the God of Israel and by the command of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia. ¹⁵They finished this temple on the third day of the month Adar, which is the sixth^[v] year of the reign of King Darius.

¹⁶The people^[w] of Israel—the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the exiles^[x]—observed the dedication of this temple of God with joy. ¹⁷For the dedication of this temple of God they offered 100 bulls, 200 rams, 400 lambs, and 12 male goats for the sin of all Israel, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. ¹⁸They appointed the priests by their divisions and the Levites by their divisions over the worship of God at Jerusalem, in accord with^[y] the book of Moses. ¹⁹^[z] The exiles^[aa] observed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. ²⁰The priests and the Levites had purified themselves, every last one,^[ab] and they all were ceremonially pure. They sacrificed the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their colleagues^[ac] the priests, and for themselves. ²¹The Israelites who were returning from the exile ate it, along with all those who had joined them^[ad] in separating themselves from the uncleanness of the nations of the land to seek the Lord God of Israel. ²²They observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with joy, for the Lord had given them joy and had changed the opinion^[ae] of the king of Assyria^[af] toward them so that he assisted them^[ag] in the work on the temple of God, the God of Israel.

The Arrival of Ezra

7 Now after these things had happened, during the reign of King Artaxerxes^[ah] of Persia, Ezra came up from Babylon.^[ai] Ezra was the son of Seraiah, who was the son of Azariah, who was the son of Hilkiah, ²who was the son of Shallum, who was the son of Zadok, who was the son of Ahitub, ³who was the son of Amariah, who was the son of Azariah, who was the son of Meraioth, ⁴who was the son of Zerahiah, who was the son of Uzzi, who was the son of Bukki, ⁵who was the son of Abishua, who was the son of Phinehas, who was the son of Eleazar, who was the son of Aaron the chief priest. ⁶This Ezra is the one who came up from Babylon. He was a scribe who was skilled in the law of Moses which the Lord God of Israel had given. The king supplied him with everything he requested, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him. ⁷In the seventh year of King Artaxerxes, Ezra brought up^[aj] to Jerusalem some of the Israelites and some of the priests, the Levites, the attendants, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants. ⁸He entered Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king. ⁹On the first day of the first month he had determined to make^[ak] the ascent from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he arrived at Jerusalem,^[al] for the good hand of his God was on him. ¹⁰Now Ezra had dedicated himself^[am] to the study of the law of the Lord, to its observance, and to teaching^[an] its statutes and judgments in Israel.

Artaxerxes Gives Official Endorsement to Ezra’s Mission

¹¹What follows^[ao] is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priestly scribe.^[ap] Ezra was^[aq] a scribe in matters pertaining to the commandments of the Lord and his statutes over Israel:

¹²^[ar] “Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven:^[as] ¹³I have now issued a decree^[at] that anyone in my kingdom from the people of Israel—even the priests and Levites—who wishes to do so may go up with you to Jerusalem. ¹⁴You are authorized^[au] by the king and his seven advisers to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of your God which is in your possession,^[av] ¹⁵and to bring silver and gold which the king and his advisers have freely contributed to the God of Israel, who resides in Jerusalem, ¹⁶along with all the silver and gold that you may collect^[aw] throughout all the province of Babylon and the contributions of the people and the priests for the temple of their God which is in Jerusalem. ¹⁷With this money you should be sure to purchase bulls, rams, and lambs, along with the appropriate^[ax] meal offerings and libations. You should bring them to the altar of the temple of your God which is in Jerusalem. ¹⁸You may do whatever seems appropriate to you and your colleagues^[ay] with the rest of the silver and the gold, in keeping with the will of your God. ¹⁹Deliver to^[az] the God of Jerusalem the vessels that are given to you for the service of the temple of your God. ²⁰The rest of the needs for the temple of your God that you may have to supply,^[ba] you may do so from the royal treasury.

²¹“I, King Artaxerxes, hereby issue orders to all the treasurers of^[bb] Trans-Euphrates, that you precisely execute all that Ezra the priestly scribe of the law of the God of heaven may request of you— ²²up to 100 talents of silver, 100 cors of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths of olive oil,^[bc] and unlimited^[bd] salt. ²³Everything that the God of heaven has required should be precisely done for the temple of the God of heaven. Why should there be wrath^[be] against the empire of the king and his sons? ²⁴Furthermore, be aware of the fact^[bf] that you have no authority to impose tax, tribute, or toll on any of the priests, the Levites, the musicians, the doorkeepers, the temple servants, or the attendants at the temple of this God.

²⁵“Now you, Ezra, in keeping with the wisdom of your God which you possess,^[bg] appoint judges^[bh] and court officials who can arbitrate cases on behalf of all the people who are in Trans-Euphrates who know the laws of your God. Those who do not know this law should be taught. ²⁶Everyone who does not observe both the law of your God and the law of the king will be completely^[bi] liable to the appropriate penalty, whether it is death or banishment or confiscation of property or detainment in prison.”

²⁷^[bj] Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, who so moved in the heart of the king to so honor the temple of the Lord which is in Jerusalem! ²⁸He has also conferred his favor on me before the king, his advisers, and all the influential leaders of the king. I gained strength as the hand of the Lord my God was on me, and I gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me.

Footnotes

Ezra 6:1 tn Aram “the house of the archives.”
Ezra 6:2 tc The translation reads בִירְתָא (birtaʾ, citadel”) rather than the reading בְּבִירְתָא (b^eviretaʾ, “in the citadel”) found in the MT. The MT probably experienced dittography here.
Ezra 6:3 tn Aram “In the first year of Cyrus the king.”
Ezra 6:3 tn Aram “raised”; or perhaps “retained” (so NASB; cf. NLT), referring to the original foundations of Solomon’s temple.
Ezra 6:3 tc The Syriac Peshitta reads “20 cubits” here, a measurement probably derived from dimensions given elsewhere for Solomon’s temple. According to 1 Kgs 6:2 the dimensions of the Solomonic temple were as follows: length, 60 cubits; width, 20 cubits; height, 30 cubits. Since one would expect the dimensions cited in Ezra 6:3 to correspond to those of Solomon’s temple, it is odd that no dimension for length is provided. The Syriac has apparently harmonized the width dimension provided here (“20 cubits”) to that given in 1 Kgs 6:2.tn Aram “Its height 60 cubits and its width 60 cubits.” The standard cubit in the OT is assumed by most authorities to be about 18 inches (45 cm) long.
Ezra 6:4 tn Aram “stones of rolling.”
Ezra 6:4 tc The translation follows the LXX reading חַד (khad, “one”) rather than the MT חֲדַת (khadat, “new”). If the MT reading “new” is understood to mean freshly cut timber that has not yet been seasoned it would seem to be an odd choice for construction material.
Ezra 6:4 tn Aram “let be given.”
Ezra 6:4 tn Aram “house.”
Ezra 6:7 tc For the MT reading “the work on this temple of God” the LXX reads “the servant of the Lord Zurababel” [= Zerubbabel].
Ezra 6:8 tn The words “of the work” are not in the Aramaic, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
Ezra 6:9 tn Aram “according to the word of.”
Ezra 6:10 tn Aram “for the life of the king and his sons.”
Ezra 6:11 sn The practice referred to in v. 11 has been understood in various ways: hanging (cf. 1 Esd 6:32 and KJV); flogging (cf. NEB, NLT); impalement (BDB 1091 s.v. זְקַף; HALOT 1914 s.v. מחא hitpe; cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV). The last seems the most likely.
Ezra 6:11 tn Aram “made.”
Ezra 6:11 tn Aram “a dunghill.”
Ezra 6:11 tn Aram “for this.”
Ezra 6:12 tn Aram “people.”
Ezra 6:12 tn Aram “who sends forth his hand.”
Ezra 6:13 tn Aram “sent.”
Ezra 6:14 tn Aram “in” or “by,” in the sense of accompaniment.
Ezra 6:15 sn The sixth year of the reign of Darius would be ca. 516 b.c.
Ezra 6:16 tn Aram “sons of.”
Ezra 6:16 tn Aram “sons of the exile.”
Ezra 6:18 tn Aram “according to the writing of.”
Ezra 6:19 sn At this point the language of the book reverts from Aramaic (4:8-6:18) back to Hebrew. Aramaic will again be used in Ezra 7:12-26.
Ezra 6:19 tn Heb “the sons of the exile.” So also in v. 20.
Ezra 6:20 tn Heb “as one.” The expression is best understood as referring to the unity shown by the religious leaders in preparing themselves for the observance of Passover. On the meaning of the Hebrew phrase see DCH 1:182 s.v. אֶחָד 3b. See also HALOT 30 s.v. אֶחָד 5.
Ezra 6:20 tn Heb “brothers.”
Ezra 6:21 tn Heb “who had separated from the uncleanness of the nations of the land to them.”
Ezra 6:22 tn Heb “heart.”
Ezra 6:22 sn The expression “king of Assyria” is anachronistic, since Assyria fell in 612 b.c., long before the events of this chapter. Perhaps the expression is intended subtly to contrast earlier kings of Assyria who were hostile toward Israel with this Persian king who showed them favor.
Ezra 6:22 tn Heb “to strengthen their hands.”
Ezra 7:1 sn If the Artaxerxes of Ezra 7:1 is Artaxerxes I Longimanus (ca. 464-423 b.c.), Ezra must have arrived in Jerusalem ca. 458 b.c., since Ezra 7:7-8 connects the time of his arrival to the seventh year of the king. The arrival of Nehemiah is then linked to the twentieth year of the king (Neh 1:1), or ca. 445 b.c. Some scholars, however, have suggested that Ezra 7:7 should be read as “the thirty-seventh year” rather than “the seventh year.” This would have Ezra coming to Jerusalem after, rather than before, the arrival of Nehemiah. Others have taken the seventh year of Ezra 7:7-8 to refer not to Artaxerxes I but to Artaxerxes II, who ruled ca. 404-358 b.c. In this understanding Ezra would have returned to Jerusalem ca. 398 b.c., a good many years after the return of Nehemiah. Neither of these views is certain, however, and it seems better to retain the traditional understanding of the chronological sequence of returns by Ezra and Nehemiah. With this understanding there is a gap of about fifty-eight years between chapter six, which describes the dedication of the temple in 516 b.c., and chapter seven, which opens with Ezra’s coming to Jerusalem in 458 b.c.
Ezra 7:1 tn The words “came up from Babylon” do not appear in the Hebrew text until v. 6. They have been supplied here for the sake of clarity.
Ezra 7:7 tc The translation reads the Hiphil singular וַיַּעֲל (vayyaʿal, “he [Ezra] brought up”) rather than the Qal plural וַיַּעַלוּ (vayyaʿalu, “they came up”) of the MT.tn Heb “he brought”; the referent (Ezra) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Ezra 7:9 tc The translation reads יִסַּד (yissad, “he appointed” [= determined]) rather than the reading יְסֻד (y^esud, “foundation”) of the MT. (The words “to make” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.)
Ezra 7:9 sn Apparently it took the caravan almost four months to make the 500 mile journey.
Ezra 7:10 tn Heb “established his heart.”
Ezra 7:10 tn Heb “to do and to teach.” The expression may be a hendiadys, in which case it would have the sense of “effectively teaching.”
Ezra 7:11 tn Heb “this.”
Ezra 7:11 tn Heb “the priest, the scribe.” So also in v. 21.
Ezra 7:11 tn The words “Ezra was” are not in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for clarity.
Ezra 7:12 sn Ezra 7:12-26 is written in Aramaic rather than Hebrew.
Ezra 7:12 tn The verse ends with גְּמִיר וּכְעֶנֶת (g^emir ukh^eʿenet) meaning “completed and now” or “perfect and now.” Some take the masculine form גְּמִיר (gemir) to apply to Ezra, as an expert scribe (Youngs, Holman, Darby). Many others take it as an abbreviated greeting “perfect (peace)” (KJV, NASB, ESV). Some simply render “Greetings” (NIV). The second term “and now” is understood either as beginning the letter’s text, i.e., that it belongs in the next verse (ESV), or as a form of “et cetera” meaning that the full introduction, whether of Ezra’s titles or of a lengthier list of greetings was deliberately omitted as extraneous to Ezra’s purposes here. The LXX interprets it as an introduction, “the message and answer are completed.”
Ezra 7:13 tn Heb “from me is placed a decree.” So also in v. 21.
Ezra 7:14 tn Aram “sent.”
Ezra 7:14 tn Aram “in your hand.”
Ezra 7:16 tn Aram “find.”
Ezra 7:17 tn Aram “their meal offerings and their libations.”
Ezra 7:18 tn Aram “brothers.”
Ezra 7:19 tn Or “before.”
Ezra 7:20 tn Aram “may fall to you to give.”
Ezra 7:21 tn Aram “who are in.”
Ezra 7:22 tc The translation reads מְשַׁח בַּתִּין (m^eshakh battin) rather than מְשַׁח בַּתִּין (battin m^eshakh) of the MT.
Ezra 7:22 tn Aram “he did not write.”
Ezra 7:23 tn The Aramaic word used here for “wrath” (קְצַף, q^etsaf; cf. Heb קָצַף, qatsaf) is usually used in the Hebrew Bible for God’s anger as opposed to human anger (but contra Eccl 5:17 [MT 5:16]; Esth 1:18; 2 Kgs 3:27). The fact that this word is used in v. 23 may have theological significance, pointing to the possibility of divine judgment if the responsible parties should fail to make available these provisions for the temple.
Ezra 7:24 tn Aram “we are making known to you.”
Ezra 7:25 tn Aram “in your hand.”
Ezra 7:25 tc For the MT reading שָׁפְטִין (shoftim, “judges”) the LXX uses the noun γραμματεῖς (grammateis, “scribes”).
Ezra 7:26 tn On the meaning of this word see HALOT 1820-21 s.v. אָסְפַּרְנָא; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 14.
Ezra 7:27 sn At this point the language of the book reverts from Aramaic (7:12-26) back to Hebrew.

New English Translation (NET)