Ezra 7

7 ¹ After all this, during the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, ² son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, ³ son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, ⁴ son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, ⁵ son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest ⁶ —this Ezra went up from Babylon. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that our Father, the God of Israel, had given. The king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of his Father was upon him. ⁷ Some of the people of Israel, and some of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants also went up to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king. ⁸ Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, in the seventh year of the king. ⁹ He had set out from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and arrived at Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the good hand of his Father was upon him. ¹⁰ For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of our Father, to obey it, and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.

The King's Letter for Ezra

¹¹ This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest and scribe, an expert in our Father's commandments and statutes for Israel:

¹² Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, scribe of the Law of the God of heaven: Greetings. And now,

¹³ I decree that any of the people of Israel in my kingdom, including their priests and Levites, who freely chooses to go to Jerusalem may go with you. ¹⁴ For you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to inquire about Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which you carry with you, ¹⁵ and to carry the silver and gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, ¹⁶ together with all the silver and gold you find in the whole province of Babylon, along with the freewill offerings of the people and the priests, given willingly for the house of their God in Jerusalem. ¹⁷ With this money you are to buy without delay bulls, rams, and lambs, along with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and offer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem. ¹⁸ Whatever seems best to you and your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do, according to the will of your God. ¹⁹ Deliver to the God of Jerusalem the vessels given to you for the service of the house of your God. ²⁰ And whatever else is needed for the house of your God that you must provide, you may provide it from the king's treasury.

²¹ Now I, King Artaxerxes, decree to all the treasurers in the province Beyond the River: whatever Ezra the priest, scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, asks of you is to be done with all diligence, ²² up to about seven thousand five hundred pounds of silver, about six hundred bushels of wheat, about six hundred gallons of wine, about six hundred gallons of oil, and salt without limit. ^a a v22 A cor was a large dry measure of grain, roughly six bushels — about 220 liters. ²³ Whatever the God of heaven has commanded, let it be done diligently for the house of the God of heaven, so that no wrath comes upon the realm of the king and his sons. ²⁴ We also inform you that it is not lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants, or other workers of this house of God.

²⁵ And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges to govern all the people in the province Beyond the River, all who know the laws of your God; and whoever does not know them, you are to teach. ²⁶ Whoever will not obey the Law of your God and the law of the king must be strictly punished — by death, banishment, confiscation of his goods, or imprisonment.

²⁷ Blessed be our Father, the God of our fathers, who put it into the heart of the king to bring such beauty to the house of our Father in Jerusalem, ²⁸ and who has shown me his covenant love before the king, his counselors, and all the king's powerful officials. So I took courage, for the hand of my Father was upon me, and I gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me.