Study Desk

Thus, saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth, hath Yahweh God of the heavens, given unto me, and, he himself, hath laid charge upon me, to build to him a house, in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people with whom is Yahweh his God? Then let him go up.

Thus, saith Cyrus, king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth, hath Yahweh God of the heavens, given to me, - and, he himself, hath laid charge upon me, to build for him a house, in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

And, thus, returned they, answer, to us saying, - We, are servants of the God of the heavens and the earth, and are building the house which was built these many years ago, which, a great king of Israel, built and completed.

But, after that our fathers had provoked the God of the heavens to wrath, he delivered them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, - and, this house, he destroyed, and, the people, he exiled to Babylon.

And, whatever may be the need - whether young bullocks or rams or lambs for ascending-sacrifices unto the God of the heavens, wheat, salt, wine or oil, according to the command of the priests who are in Jerusalem, - that it he given to them day by day, without fail;

that they may be offering sweet-smelling sacrifices unto the God of the heavens, - and be praying for the life of the king, and his sons.

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

And, from me myself, Artaxerxes the king, issueth an edict, to all the treasurers who are Beyond the River, - that, whatsoever Ezra the priest the scribe of the law of the God of the heavens shall ask of you, with diligence, shall it be done:

Whatsoever is due to an edict of the God of the heavens, let it be done diligently, for the house of the God of the heavens, - for wherefore should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?

and said, O my God, I turn pale and am ashamed, to lift up, O my God, my face unto thee, - for, our iniquities, have multiplied above the head, and our guilt hath magnified itself unto the heavens.

And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and I mourned certain days, - and continued fasting and praying, before the God of the heavens;

and said, I beseech thee, O Yahweh God of the heavens, the great and fearful GOD, - keeping the covenant and lovingkindness for them who love him and keep his commandments:

When ye return unto me and keep my commandments and do them, though it should be that ye have been driven out unto the uttermost part of the heavens, from thence, will I gather them, and bring them into the place that I have chosen to make a habitation for my Name there.

Then the king said to me, Concerning what, is it, thou, wouldst make request? So I prayed unto the God of the heavens,

Then answered I them, and said to them - The God of the heavens - he, will prosper us, therefore, we his servants, will arise and build, - But, to you, pertaineth no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.

Thou, art Yahweh, thou alone, Thou, didst make the heavens, the heavens of heavens, and all their host, the earth and all that is thereon, the seas and all that is therein, and, thou, holdest them all in life, - and, the host of the heavens, unto thee, are bowing down.

And, upon Mount Sinai, camest thou down, and spakest with them out of the heavens, - and gavest them just regulations, and faithful laws, good statutes and commandments.

And, bread out of the heavens, didst thou give them, for their hunger, and, waters out of the cliff, didst thou bring them, for their thirst, - and badest them go in to take possession of the land, which thou hadst lifted thy hand to give them.

Their children also, didst thou multiply, like the stars of the heavens, - and didst bring them into the land which thou hadst promised their fathers they should enter to possess;

Therefore didst thou deliver them into the hand of their adversaries, who distressed them, - and, in the time of their distress, they made outcry unto thee, and, thou, out of the heavens, didst hear, and, according to thine abounding compassions, gavest them saviors, that they might save them out of the hand of their adversaries.