Ezra 7:12

Revised Standard Version

"Ar-ta-xerx'es, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven. And now

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, an expert in the law of the God of the heavens:

Hebrew Names Version
Artachshasta, king of kings, to Ezra the Kohen, the Sofer of the law of the God of heaven, perfect and so forth.

King James Version
Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time.

English Standard Version
"Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven. Peace. And now

New Century Version
From Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven. Greetings.

New English Translation
"Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, a scribe of the perfect law of the God of heaven:

Amplified Bible
"Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, perfect peace (greetings). And now

New American Standard Bible
"Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, perfect peace. And now

World English Bible
Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect and so forth.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Artahshashte King of Kings to Ezra the Priest and perfite scribe of the Lawe of the God of heauen, and to Cheeneth.

Legacy Standard Bible
"Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace. And now—

Berean Standard Bible
Artaxerxes, king of kings. To Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven: Greetings.

Contemporary English Version
Greetings from the great King Artaxerxes to Ezra the priest and expert in the teachings of the God of heaven.

Complete Jewish Bible
"From: Artach'shashta, king of kings "To: ‘Ezra the cohen, scribe of the law of the God of heaven, etc.: "Herewith

Darby Translation
Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, an accomplished scribe of the law of the God of the heavens, and so forth.

Easy-to-Read Version
From King Artaxerxes, To Ezra the priest, a teacher of the law of the God of heaven: Greetings!

George Lamsa Translation
Artakhshisht, king of kings, to Ezra the priest and scribe, learned in the law of the God of heaven, peace.

Good News Translation
"From Emperor Artaxerxes to the priest Ezra, scholar in the Law of the God of Heaven.

Lexham English Bible
"Artaxerxes, the king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of the heavens. Peace. And now

Literal Translation
Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Law of the God of Heaven, perfect peace , and now:

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Vnto E?dras the prest and scrybe in the lawe of the God of heauen, peace and salutacion.

American Standard Version
Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect and so forth.

Bible in Basic English
Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, scribe of the law of the God of heaven, all peace;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Artaxerxes a king of kinges, vnto Esdras the priest and scribe of the law of the God of heauen, peace and salutation.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
'Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, and so forth. And now

King James Version (1611)
Artaxerxes king of kings, Unto Ezra the Priest, a Scribe of the Law of the God of heauen, Perfect peace, and at such a time.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Arthasastha, king of kings, to Esdras, the scribe of the law of the Lord God of heaven, Let the order and the answer be accomplished.

English Revised Version
Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect and so forth,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Artaxerses, kyng of kyngis, desirith helthe to Esdras, the preest, moost wijs writere of the lawe of God of heuene.

Update Bible Version
Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect and so forth.

Webster's Bible Translation
Artaxerxes, king of kings, To Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect [peace], and at such a time.

New King James Version
Artaxerxes, Ezra 7:12-26 is Aramaic.">[fn] king of kings, To Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Law of the God of heaven: Perfect peace, and so forth. [fn]

New Living Translation
"From Artaxerxes, the king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the teacher of the law of the God of heaven. Greetings.

New Life Bible
"Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the religious leader, the writer who knows the Law of the God of heaven: Peace. And now

New Revised Standard
"Artaxerxes, king of kings, to the priest Ezra, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven: Peace. And now

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Artaxerxes, king of kings, Unto Ezra the priest, scribe of the law of the God of the heavens - To despatch and so forth.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Artaxerxes king of kings to Esdras the priest, the most learned scribe of the law of the God of heaven, greeting.

Young's Literal Translation
`Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, a perfect scribe of the law of the God of heaven, and at such a time:

THE MESSAGE
Artaxerxes, King of Kings, to Ezra the priest, a scholar of the Teaching of the God-of-Heaven. Peace. I hereby decree that any of the people of Israel living in my kingdom who want to go to Jerusalem, including their priests and Levites, may go with you. You are being sent by the king and his seven advisors to carry out an investigation of Judah and Jerusalem in relation to the Teaching of your God that you are carrying with you. You are also authorized to take the silver and gold that the king and his advisors are giving for the God of Israel, whose residence is in Jerusalem, along with all the silver and gold that has been collected from the generously donated offerings all over Babylon, including that from the people and the priests, for The Temple of their God in Jerusalem. Use this money carefully to buy bulls, rams, lambs, and the ingredients for Grain-Offerings and Drink-Offerings and then offer them on the Altar of The Temple of your God in Jerusalem. You are free to use whatever is left over from the silver and gold for what you and your brothers decide is in keeping with the will of your God. Deliver to the God of Jerusalem the vessels given to you for the services of worship in The Temple of your God. Whatever else you need for The Temple of your God you may pay for out of the royal bank.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace. And now

Contextual Overview

¹¹ This is a copy of the letter which King Ar-ta-xerx'es gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, learned in matters of the commandments of the LORD and his statutes for Israel: ¹² "Ar-ta-xerx'es, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven. And now ¹³ I make a decree that any one of the people of Israel or their priests or Levites in my kingdom, who freely offers to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. ¹⁴ For you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God, which is in your hand, ¹⁵ and also to convey the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, ¹⁶ with all the silver and gold which you shall find in the whole province of Babylonia, and with the freewill offerings of the people and the priests, vowed willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem. ¹⁷ With this money, then, you shall with all diligence buy bulls, rams, and lambs, with their cereal offerings and their drink offerings, and you shall offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem. ¹⁸ Whatever seems good to you and your brethren to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do, according to the will of your God. ¹⁹ The vessels that have been given you for the service of the house of your God, you shall deliver before the God of Jerusalem. ²⁰ And whatever else is required for the house of your God, which you have occasion to provide, you may provide it out of the king's treasury.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Artaxerxes: The title of the king would, in Persian, run thus: Ardsheer shahinshah, or padshah, "Ardsheer, king of kings," i.e., great or supreme king or emperor. 1 Kings 4:24, 1 Kings 20:1, Isaiah 10:8, Ezekiel 26:7, Daniel 2:37, Daniel 2:47, 1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14, Revelation 19:16

unto Ezra: etc. or, to Ezra the priest, a perfect scribe of the law of the God of heaven, peace, etc. and at such a time. Ezra 4:10, Ezra 4:11, Ezra 4:17

Reciprocal: 2 Kings 18:28 - the king of Assyria Ezra 7:1 - Artaxerxes Ezra 7:6 - a ready Ezra 7:7 - Artaxerxes Ezra 7:21 - Artaxerxes Isaiah 13:3 - them that Isaiah 60:10 - their kings Daniel 6:26 - make Jonah 1:9 - the God Matthew 2:4 - scribes Acts 18:24 - mighty Revelation 16:11 - the God

Cross-References

Genesis 7:4
For in seven days I will send rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground."

Genesis 7:17
The flood continued forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth.

Exodus 24:18
And Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Deuteronomy 9:9
When I went up the mountain to receive the tables of stone, the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, I remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water.

Deuteronomy 9:18
Then I lay prostrate before the LORD as before, forty days and forty nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all the sin which you had committed, in doing what was evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

Deuteronomy 10:10
"I stayed on the mountain, as at the first time, forty days and forty nights, and the LORD hearkened to me that time also; the LORD was unwilling to destroy you.

1 Kings 19:8
And he arose, and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.

Matthew 4:2
And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Artaxerxes, king of kings,.... Having many kings and kingdoms subject and tributary to him; for this was not merely a proud haughty title which the eastern kings p assumed, particularly the Persians; for after Cyrus they were so in fact, who took this title also, and had it put on his sepulchral monument,

"Here I lie, Cyrus, king of kings q;''

this title was given to Grecian kings, particularly Agamemnon is called king of kings r, he being general at the siege of Troy, under whom the rest of the kings fought; if this was Darius Hystaspis, of him Cyrus dreamed that he had wings on his shoulders, with one he covered Asia, and with the other Europe s:

unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven; of which titles see Ezra 7:11:

perfect [peace], and at such a time; the word "perfect" belongs to Ezra's title as a scribe, signifying that he was a most learned and complete scribe or teacher of the law of God; "peace" is not in the text, and the phrase "at such a time" respects the date of the letter, though not expressed, or is only an "et cetera", Ezra 7:11- :.

p See the Universal History, vol. 5. p. 16, 137. & vol. 11. p. 7, 8. margin, & p. 66. q Strabo, Geograph. l. 15. p. 502. r Vell. Patercul. Hist. Roman. l. 1. in initio. s Herodot. Clio, sive, l. 1. c. 209.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The title, “king of kings,” is assumed by almost all the persian monarchs in their inscriptions.

Perfect peace - “Peace” is not in the original, and the word translated “perfect” occurs only in this place. Some prefer to take it as an adjective descriptive of Ezra (see margin); others (Septuagint) as the opening word of the first paragraph of the letter, and give it the meaning, “it is completed.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 12. Artaxerxes, king of kings — This letter, from the beginning of this verse to the end of Ezra 7:12-26, is in the Aramitic or Chaldee language.

This title of the king would, in Persian, run thus: [Persian] Ardsheer shahinshah, or [Persian] padshah, "Ardsheer, king of kings;" "great or supreme king, or emperor."