Ezra 2:36–6:18
36 The priests: the descendantsf of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three; 37 the descendantsg of Immer, one thousand fifty-two; 38 the descendantsh of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred and forty-seven; 39 the descendantsi of Harim, one thousand seventeen.
40 The Levites: the descendantsj of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the descendantsk of Hodaviah, seventy-four.
41 The singers: the descendantsl of Asaph, one hundred and twenty-eight.
42 The descendantsm of the gatekeepers: the descendantsn of Shallum, the descendantso of Ater, the descendantsp of Talmon, the descendantsq of Akkub, the descendantsr of Hatita, and the descendantss of Shobai; in total one hundred and thirty-nine.
43 The temple servants: the descendantst of Ziha, the descendantsu of Hasupha, the descendantsv of Tabbaoth, 44 the descendantsw of Keros, the descendantsx of Siaha, the descendantsy of Padon, 45 the descendantsz of Lebanah, the descendantsa of Hagabah, the descendantsb of Akkub, 46 the descendantsc of Hagab, the descendantsd of Shamlai, the descendantse of Hanan, 47 the descendantsf of Giddel, the descendantsg of Gahar, the descendantsh of Reaiah, 48 the descendantsi of Rezin, the descendantsj of Nekoda, the descendantsk of Gazzam, 49 the descendantsl of Uzza, the descendantsm of Paseah, the descendantsn of Besai, 50 the descendantso of Asnah, the descendantsp of Meunim, the descendantsq of Nephisim, 51 the descendantsr of Bakbuk, the descendantss of Hakupha, the descendantst of Harhur, 52 the descendantsu of Bazluth, the descendantsv of Mehida, the descendantsw of Harsha, 53 the descendantsx of Barkos, the descendantsy of Sisera, the descendantsz of Temah, 54 the descendantsa of Neziah, and the descendantsb of Hatipha.
55 The descendantsc of Solomon’s servants: the descendantsd of Sotai, the descendantse of Hassophereth, the descendantsf of Peruda, 56 the descendantsg of Jaalah, the descendantsh of Darkon, the descendantsi of Giddel, 57 the descendantsj of Shephatiah, the descendantsk of Hattil, the descendantsl of Pochereth-hazzebaim, and the descendantsm of Ami.
58 All the temple servants and the descendantsn of Solomon’s servants were three hundred and ninety-two.
59 Now these were the ones who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, but they were not able to prove their fathers’ household and their descent, if they were from Israel: 60 the descendantso of Delaiah, the descendantsp of Tobiah, and the descendantsq of Nekoda, six hundred and fifty-two. 61 And from the descendantsr of the priests: the descendantss of Habaiah, the descendantst of Hakkoz, and the descendantsu of Barzillai (who took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their name). 62 These sought their record in the genealogy records, but they were not found, and ⌊were excluded from the priesthood as unclean⌋.v 63 The governor said to them that they could not eat from the holy food of the sanctuaryw until there was present a priest for the Urim and Thummim.
64 The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty, 65 apart from their male and female servants, of whom were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred male and female singers. 66 Their horses numbered seven hundred and thirty-six, their mules numbered two hundred and forty-five, 67 their camels numbered four hundred and thirty-five, their donkeys numbered six thousand seven hundred and twenty.
68 When some of the heads of ⌊families⌋x came to the house of Yahweh that is in Jerusalem, they gave freewill offerings for the house of God to erect it on its place. 69 According to their ability they gave to the treasury room for the work sixty-one thousand darics of gold, five thousand minas of silver, and one hundred priestly tunics.
70 The priests, the Levites, and some of the people lived in Jerusalem, and the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.
3 Now the seventh month drew near and the ⌊Israelites⌋a were in the cities, so the people gathered as ⌊one⌋b in Jerusalem. 2 And Jeshua son of Jehozadak and his brothers the priests stood up, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brothers built the altar of the God of Israel, in order to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the law of Moses, the man of God. 3 They set up the altar on its foundations, because ⌊they were in terror⌋c because of the peoples of the lands. And they offered burnt offerings on it for Yahweh, burnt offerings for the morning and the evening. 4 And they kept the feast of booths, as it is written, and offered burnt offerings day by day in number according to the ordinance ⌊as described for each day⌋.d 5 After this, they presented the daily sacrifice of burnt offerings, the offerings for the New Moon Festival, and for all of the appointed times consecrated for Yahweh and for all who gave a freewill offering to Yahweh. 6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to Yahweh. But the temple of Yahweh was not yet founded. 7 So they gave money to the stone craftsmen and skilled craftsmen, and food, drink, and olive oil to the Sidonians and Tyrians, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the authorization over them of Cyrus king of Persia.
Foundation of the Temple is Laid
8 In the second year after their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jehozadak began their work, and the remainder of their brothers the priests and the Levites and all who came from the captivity to Jerusalem. They appointed the Levites ⌊from twenty years and older⌋e to direct the work of the house of Yahweh. 9 And Jeshua with his sons and brothers, and Kadmiel and his sons—the sons of Judah—together directed the workers in the house of God, along with the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers the Levites.
10 And the builders laid the foundation of the temple of Yahweh, and the priests in their apparel with the trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with the cymbals, were positioned to praise Yahweh, ⌊as described by⌋f King David of Israel. 11 And they ⌊sang responsively⌋,g with praising and thanksgiving to Yahweh saying, “For he is good, for his loyal love is everlasting for Israel.”
And all of the people responded with a great shout of joyful acclaim in praise to Yahweh because the house of Yahweh was laid. 12 But many of the elderly priests, Levites, and heads of the families who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house, but many ⌊shouted aloud with joy⌋.h 13 No person could distinguish the sound of joyful acclaim from the sound of people weeping, for the people shouted with great joyful acclaim and the sound was heard from afar.
Resistance to Rebuilding the House of God
4 Now the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the ⌊returned exiles⌋a were building a temple for Yahweh the God of Israel. 2 And they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the ⌊families⌋,b and they said to them, “Let us build with you. Like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him from the days of Esarhaddon the king of Assyria who brought us up here. 3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of the ⌊families⌋c of Israel said to them, “It is not for you but for us to build a house for our God. For we ourselves alone will build it for Yahweh the God of Israel, just as Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”
4 Then the people of the land discouraged ⌊the people of Judah⌋d and made them afraid to build 5 and bribed officials against them to frustrate their plan for all the days of Cyrus king of Persia until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Resistance to Rebuilding Jerusalem
6 In the reign of Ahasuerus, at the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. 7 And in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their colleagues wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated from Aramaic. 8 Rehum the royal officer and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows 9 (then Rehum the royal officer, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the envoys, the officials, the Persians, the Erechs, the Babylonians, the Susians (that is the Elamites) 10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and the rest of the province Beyond the River) and now 11 this is the copy of the letter which they sent to him:
“To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River. And now, 12 be it known to the king that the Jews who have come up from near you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are building the rebellious and wicked city. They are finishing the wall and repairing the foundation. 13 Now be it known to the king that if this city is built and the walls are finished, they will not pay tribute and toll, and the royal revenue will be reduced. 14 Now since we eat the salt of the palace and the dishonor of the king is not proper for us to see, we send and make this known to the king, 15 so that it may be investigated in the book of records of your ancestors.e You will find in the book of records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and they have rebelled in its midst from ancient times. Because of that this city was destroyed. 16 We make known to the king that if this city is built and the walls are finished, you will have nothing in the province Beyond the River.”
17 The king sent a reply: “To Rehum the royal officer, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates who live in Samaria and the rest of the province Beyond the River, greetings. And