Ezra 7:1–15

Ezra Goes Up from Babylon to Jerusalem

^1aNow after these things, in the reign of ^bArtaxerxes king of Persia, there went up Ezra son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah,

²son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub,

³son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth,

⁴son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki,

⁵son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest.

⁶This Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a ^ascribe skilled in the law of Moses, which Yahweh, the God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all ¹he requested ^bbecause the hand of Yahweh his God was upon him.

^7aAnd 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.

⁸He came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.

⁹For on the first of the first month ¹he began to go up from Babylon; and on the first of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, ^abecause the good hand of his God was upon him.

¹⁰For Ezra had set his heart to ¹study the law of Yahweh and to practice it, and ^ato teach His statute and judgment in Israel.

The King’s Decree on Behalf of Ezra

¹¹Now this is the copy of the letter which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, ¹learned in the words of the commandments of Yahweh and His statutes to Israel:

¹²“¹Artaxerxes, ^aking of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace. And now—

^13aI have issued a decree that any of the people of Israel and their priests and the Levites in my kingdom who freely offer to go to Jerusalem, may go with you.

¹⁴“Forasmuch as you are sent from before the king and his ^aseven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God which is in your hand,

¹⁵and to bring the silver and gold, which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, ^awhose dwelling is in Jerusalem,