Ezra 6:1–8:36
6 King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archivesq stored in the treasury at Babylon. 2 A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media, and this was written on it:
Memorandum:
3 In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem:
Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its foundations be laid.r It is to be sixty cubitsa high and sixty cubits wide, 4 with three coursess of large stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid by the royal treasury.t 5 Also, the goldu and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, are to be returned to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; they are to be deposited in the house of God.v
6 Now then, Tattenai,w governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenaix and you other officials of that province, stay away from there. 7 Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its site.
8 Moreover, I hereby decree what you are to do for these elders of the Jews in the construction of this house of God:
Their expenses are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury,y from the revenuesz of Trans-Euphrates, so that the work will not stop. 9 Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, male lambs for burnt offeringsa to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and olive oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem—must be given them daily without fail, 10 so that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the well-being of the king and his sons.b
11 Furthermore, I decree that if anyone defies this edict, a beam is to be pulled from their house and they are to be impaledc on it. And for this crime their house is to be made a pile of rubble.d 12 May God, who has caused his Name to dwell there,e overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree or to destroy this temple in Jerusalem.
I Dariusf have decreed it. Let it be carried out with diligence.
Completion and Dedication of the Temple
13 Then, because of the decree King Darius had sent, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associatesg carried it out with diligence. 14 So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preachingh of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus,i Dariusj and Artaxerxes,k kings of Persia. 15 The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.l
16 Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedicationm of the house of God with joy. 17 For the dedication of this house of God they offeredn a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred male lambs and, as a sin offeringb for all Israel, twelve male goats, one for each of the tribes of Israel. 18 And they installed the priests in their divisionso and the Levites in their groupsp for the service of God at Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.q
19 On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles celebrated the Passover.r 20 The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were all ceremonially clean. The Levites slaughtereds the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their relatives the priests and for themselves. 21 So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselvest from the unclean practicesu of their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the Lord,v the God of Israel. 22 For seven days they celebrated with joy the Festival of Unleavened Bread,w because the Lord had filled them with joy by changing the attitudex of the king of Assyria so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel.
7 After these things, during the reign of Artaxerxesy king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah,z the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,a 2 the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok,b the son of Ahitub,c 3 the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, 4 the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, 5 the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas,d the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest—6 this Ezrae 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 grantedf him everything he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.g 7 Some of the Israelites, including priests, Levites, musicians, gatekeepers and temple servants, also came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.h
8 Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king. 9 He had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him.i 10 For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teachingj its decrees and laws in Israel.
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:
12 Artaxerxes, king of kings,k
To Ezra the priest, teacher of the Law of the God of heaven:
Greetings.
13 Now I decree that any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including priests and Levites, who volunteer to go to Jerusalem with you, may go. 14 You are sent by the king and his seven advisersl to inquire about Judah and Jerusalem with regard to the Law of your God, which is in your hand. 15 Moreover, you are to take with you the silver and gold that the king and his advisers have freely givenm to the God of Israel, whose dwellingn is in Jerusalem, 16 together with all the silver and goldo you may obtain from the province of Babylon, as well as the freewill offerings of the people and priests for the temple of their God in Jerusalem.p 17 With this money be sure to buy bulls, rams and male lambs,q together with their grain offerings and drink offerings,r and sacrifices them on the altar of the temple of your God in Jerusalem.
18 You and your fellow Israelites may then do whatever seems best with the rest of the silver and gold, in accordance with the will of your God. 19 Delivert to the God of Jerusalem all the articles entrusted to you for worship in the temple of your God. 20 And anything else needed for the temple of your God that you are responsible to supply, you may provide from the royal treasury.u
21 Now I, King Artaxerxes, decree that all the treasurers of Trans-Euphrates are to provide with diligence whatever Ezra the priest, the teacher of the Law of the God of heaven, may ask of you—22 up to a hundred talentsa of silver, a hundred corsb of wheat, a hundred bathsc of wine, a hundred bathsd of olive oil, and salt without limit. 23 Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence for the temple of the God of heaven. Why should his wrath fall on the realm of the king and of his sons?v 24 You are also to know that you have no authority to impose taxes, tribute or dutyw on any of the priests, Levites, musicians, gatekeepers, temple servants or other workers at this house of God.x
25 And you, Ezra, in accordance with the wisdom of your God, which you possess, appointy magistrates and judges to administer justice to all the people of Trans-Euphrates—all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teachz any who do not know them. 26 Whoever does not obey the law of your God and the law of the king must surely be punished by death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.e a
27 Praise be to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, who has put it into the king’s heartb to bring honorc to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem in this way 28 and who has extended his good favord to me before the king and his advisers and all the king’s powerful officials. Because the hand of the Lord my God was on me,e I took courage and gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me.
List of the Family Heads Returning With Ezra
8 These are the family heads and those registered with them who came up with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:f
2 of the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom;
of the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel;
of the descendants of David, Hattush 3 of the descendants of Shekaniah;g
of the descendants of Parosh,h Zechariah, and with him were registered 150 men;
4 of the descendants of Pahath-Moab,i Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, and with him 200 men;
5 of the descendants of Zattu,a Shekaniah son of Jahaziel, and with him 300 men;
6 of the descendants of Adin,j Ebed son of Jonathan, and with him 50 men;
7 of the descendants of Elam, Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, and with him 70 men;
8 of the descendants of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of Michael, and with him 80 men;
9 of the descendants of Joab, Obadiah son of Jehiel, and with him 218 men;
10 of the descendants of Bani,b Shelomith son of Josiphiah, and with him 160 men;
11 of the descendants of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him 28 men;
12 of the descendants of Azgad, Johanan son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men;
13 of the descendants of Adonikam,k the last ones, whose names were Eliphelet, Jeuel and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men;
14 of the descendants of Bigvai, Uthai and Zakkur, and with them 70 men.
15 I assembled them at the canal that flows toward Ahava,l and we camped there three days. When I checked among the people and the priests, I found no Levitesm there. 16 So I summoned Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam, who were leaders, and Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of learning, 17 and I