The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Esdras 04
1 Thenthe second, whohadspokenofthe
strength of the king, began to say,
2 “O sirs, don’t men excel in strength who
rule over the sea and land, and allthings in
them?
3 But yet the king is stronger. He is
their lord and has dominion over them. In
whatever he commands them, they obey
him.
4 If he tells them to make war the one
against the other, they do it. If he sends
them out against the enemies, they go, and
conquer mountains, walls, and towers.
5 They kill and are killed, and don’t disobey
the king’s commandment. Ifthey win
the victory, they bring everything to the
king—all the plunder and everything else.
6 Likewise for those who arenot soldiers,
and don’t have anything to do with wars,
but farm, when they have reaped again
that which they had sown,they bring some
to the king and compel one another to pay
tribute to the king.
7 He is just one man! If he commands
people to kill, they kill. If he commands
them to spare, they spare.
8 If he commands them to strike, they
strike. If he commands them to make
desolate, they make desolate. If he commands
to build, they build.
9 If he commands them to cut down, they
cut down. If he commands them to plant,
they plant.
10 So all his people and his armies obey
him. Furthermore, he lies down, he eats
and drinks, and takes his rest;
11 and these keep watch around him.
None of them may depart and do his own
business. They don’t disobey him in anything.
12 O sirs, how could the king not be the
strongest, seeing that he is obeyed like
this?” Then he stopped talking.
13 Then the third, who had spoken of
women, and of truth, (this was Zorobabel)
began to speak:
14 “O sirs, isn’t the king great, and men
are many, and isn’t wine strong? Who is
it then who rules them, or has the lordship
over them? Aren’t they women?
15 Women have given birth to the king
and all the people who rule over sea and
land.
16 They came from women. Women
nourished up those who planted the
vineyards, from where the wine comes.
17 Women also make garments for men.
Thesebring glory tomen. Without women,
men can’t exist.
18 Yes, and ifmenhave gathered together
gold and silver and any other beautiful
thing, and see a woman who is lovely in
appearance and beauty,
19 they let all those things go and gape
at her, and with open mouth stare at her.
They all have more desire for her than for
gold, or silver, or any other beautiful thing.
20 A man leaves his own father who
brought him up, leaves his own country,
and joins with his wife.
21 With his wife he ends his days, with no
thought for his father, mother, or country.
22 By this also you must know that
women have dominion over you. Don’t
you labor and toil, and bring it all to give
to women?
23 Yes, a man takes his sword and goes
out to travel, to rob, to steal, and to sail on
the sea and on rivers.
24 He sees a lion and walks in the darkness.
When he has stolen, plundered, and
robbed, he brings itto the woman he loves.
25 Therefore a man loves his wife better
than father or mother.
26 Yes, there are many who have lost
theirminds for women, and become slaves
for their sakes.
27 Many also have perished, have stumbled,
and sinned, for women.
28 Now don’t you believe me? Isn’t the
king great in his power? Don’t all regions
fear to touch him?
29 Yet I saw him and Apame the king’s
concubine, the daughter of the illustrious
Barticus, sitting at the right hand of the
king,
30 and taking the crown from the king’s
head, and setting it upon her own head.
Yes, she struck the king with her left hand.
31 At this, the king gaped and gazed at
her with open mouth. If she smiles at him,
he laughs. But if she takes any displeasure
at him, he flatters her, that she might be
reconciled to him again.
32 O sirs, how can it not be that women
are strong, seeing they do this?”
33 Then the king and the nobles looked
at one another. So he began to speak concerning truth.
34 “O sirs, aren’t women strong? The
earth is great. The sky is high. The sun is
swift in its course, for it circles around the
sky, and returns on its course again in one day.
35 Isn’t he who makes these things great?
Therefore the truth is great, and stronger
than all things.
36 All the earth calls upon truth, and the
sky blesses truth. All works shake and
tremble, but with truth there is no
unrighteous thing.
37 Wine is unrighteous. The king is unrighteous.
Women are unrighteous. All
the children of men are unrighteous, and
all their works are unrighteous. There is
no truth in them. They shall also perish in
their unrighteousness.
38 But truth remains, and is strong forever.
Truth lives and conquers forevermore.
39 With truth there is no partiality toward
persons or rewards, but truth does
the things that are just, instead of any
unrighteous or wicked things. All men
approve truth’s works.
40 In truth’s judgment is not any unrighteousness.
Truth is the strength, the kingdom, the
power, and the majesty of all ages.
Blessed be the God of truth!”
41 With that, he stopped speaking. Then
all the people shouted and said, “Great is
truth, and strong above all things!”
42 Then the king said to him, “Ask what
you wish, even more than is appointed in
writing, and we will give it to you, because
you are found wisest. You shall sit next me,
and shall be called my cousin.”
43 Then he said to the king, “Remember
your vow, which you vowed to build
Jerusalem, in the day when you came to
your kingdom,
44 and to send back all the vessels that
were taken out of Jerusalem, which Cyrus
set apart when he vowed to destroy Babylon,
and vowed to send them back there.
45 You also vowed to build the temple
which the Edomites burned when Judea
was made desolate by the Chaldeans.
46 Now, O lord the king, this is what I
request, and what I desire of you, and this is
the princely generosity that may proceed
from you: I ask therefore that you make
good the vow, the performance of which
youhave vowedto the King ofHeaven with
your own mouth.”
47 Then King Darius stoodup, kissedhim,
and wrote letters for him to all the
treasurers and governors and captains and local
governors, that they should safely bring
on their way both him, and all those who
would go up with him to build Jerusalem.
48 He wrote letters also to all the governors
who were in Coelesyria and Phoenicia,
and to them in Libanus, that they
should bring cedar wood from Libanus to
Jerusalem, and that they should help him
build the city.
49 Moreover he wrote for all the Jews
who would go out of his realm up into
Judea concerning their freedom, that no
officer, no governor, no local governor,
nor treasurer, should forcibly enter into
their doors,
50 and that all the country which they
occupied should be free to them without
tribute, and that the Edomites should give
up the villages of the Jews which they held
at that time,
51 and that there should be given twenty
talents yearly toward the building of the
temple, until the time that it was built,
52 and another ten talents yearly for
burnt offerings to be presented upon the
altar every day, as they had a commandment
to make seventeen offerings,
53 and that all those who would come
from Babylonia to build the city should
have their freedom—they and their
descendants, and all the
priests that came.
54 He wrote also to give them their support
and the priests’ vestments in which
they minister.
55 For the Levites he wrote that their
support should be given them untilthe day
that the house was finished and Jerusalem
built up.
56 He commanded that land and wages
should be given to all who guarded the city.
57 He also sent away all the vessels from
Babylon that Cyrus had set apart, and all
that Cyrus had given in commandment, he
commanded also to be done and to be sent
to Jerusalem.
58 Now when this young man had gone
out, he lifted up his face to heaven toward
Jerusalem, and praised the King of heaven,
59 and said, “From you comes victory.
From you comes wisdom. Yours is the
glory, and I am your servant.
60 Blessed are you, who have given me
wisdom. I give thanks to you, O Lord of our
fathers.
61 So he took the letters, went out, came
to Babylon, and told it all his kindred.
62 They praised the God of their ancestors,
because he had given them freedom
and liberty
63 to go up and to build Jerusalem and
the temple which is called by his name.
They feasted with instruments of music
and gladness seven days.