Study Desk

Now therefore, if it please the king, let search be made in the scrolls which are in the kings treasure house, which is there in Babylon, to see whether it be so that a decree was made by Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter.

That they may offer sacrifices to the God of heaven, and pray for the king and his sons.

Also I have made a decree that whosoever shall alter this ordinance, let a beam be pulled down from his house, and they shall make it a cross for him and they shall crucify him upon it; and let his house be made a dunghill for this.

And the God whose name we have found to be there, there shall he dwell, and any king or people who shall stretch out his hand to alter this decree or to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem, I Darius have made a decree that he shall speedily perish.

This Ezra was a leader who went up from Babylon; and he was a scribe learned in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all his request, that he might walk as he pleased according to the law of the LORD.

For Ezra had set his heart to seek the law of the LORD and to do it and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.

Now this is the copy of the letter which King Artakhshisht gave to Ezra the priest, the learned scribe of the words and the commandments of the LORD and of his statutes to all Israel:

And everything which is in the decree shall be given, and you shall give it according to the law of the God of heaven; let it be taken and done, that there may not be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons.

And I commanded them to go to Adai their chief who was at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say to Adai and to his brethren who were encamped at the place Casiphia, that they should bring to us ministers for the house of our God.

And by the good favor of our God upon us, they brought us a man of understanding, of the descendants of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; and Sheriah, with his brothers and his sons, twelve;

And Hashabiah, and with him Isaiah of the sons of Merari, his brothers and their sons, twenty;

For I was ashamed to ask of the king a band of soldiers, an army and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the way, because we had spoken to the king, saying, The hand of our God is with all of those who seek him for good; but his power and his wrath are against all who forsake him.

And counted to them the silver and the gold and the vessels, even the offering for the house of our God which the king and his noblemen and his princes and all Israel there present had offered;

And now for a little while grace has been shown from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a place in his holy land, that our God may lighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our bondage.

Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the alien wives and those who are born of them, according to the counsel of the LORD and of those who tremble at the law of our God and his commandment; do it now and be strong.

And that whosoever would not come within three days, it should be done to him according to the counsel of the elders and the chiefs, all his wealth could be forfeited and he himself separated from the people of Israel.

Now therefore make confession to the LORD God of your fathers, and do his will; separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the alien wives.

And among the descendants of the priests there were found some who had taken foreign wives, namely, of the sons of Joshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers, Maasiah and Eleazer and Jonadab and Gedaliah.

And of the sons of Shultan-moab, Gedaliah, Celal, Benaniah, Maasiah, Mattaniah, Bezaliel, and his sons, descendants of Manasseh.

And I said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the mighty, the great and revered God, who keeps truth and grace for those who love him and keep his commandments;