The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Esdras 08
1 * After these things, when Artaxerxes
the king of the Persians reigned, Esdras
came, who was the son of Azaraias, the son
of Zechrias, the son of Helkias, the son of Salem,
2 the sonof Sadduk,the sonof Ahitob,the
son of Amarias, the son of Ozias,† the son
of Memeroth, the son of Zaraias, the son of
Savias,the son ofBoccas,the son of Abisne,
the son of Phinees, the son of Eleazar, the
son of Aaron, the chief priest.
3 This Esdras went up from Babylon as
a skilled scribe in the law of Moses, which
was given by the God of Israel.
4 The king honored him, for he found
favor in his sight in all his requests.
5 There went up with him also some of
the children of Israel, and of the priests,
Levites, holy singers, gatekeepers, and
temple servants to Jerusalem
6 in the seventh year of the reign of Artaxerxes,
in the fifth month (this was the king’s seventh year);
for they left Babylon on the new moon of the first month
and came to Jerusalem, by the prosperous
journey which the Lord gave them‡ for his sake.
7 For Esdras had very great skill, so that
he omitted nothing of the law and commandments
of the Lord, but taught all Israel the
ordinances and judgments.
8 Now the commission, which was written from
King Artaxerxes, came to Esdras
the priest and reader ofthe law oftheLord,
was as follows:
9 “King Artaxerxes to Esdras the priest
and reader of the law of the Lord, greetings.
10 Having determined to deal graciously,
I have given orders that those ofthe nation
of the Jews, and of the priests and Levites,
and of those within our realm who are
willing and freely choose to, should go
with you to Jerusalem.
11 As many therefore as are so disposed,
let them depart with you, as it has seemed
good both to me and my seven friends the
counselors,
12 that they may look to the affairs of
Judea and Jerusalem, in accordance with
what is in the Lord’s law,
13 and carry the gifts to the Lord of Israel
to Jerusalem, which I and my friends have
vowed, and that all the gold and silver that
can be found in the country of Babylonia
for the Lord in Jerusalem,
14 with that also which is given of the
people for the temple of the Lord their God
that is at Jerusalem, be collected: even the
gold and silver for bulls, rams, and lambs,
and what goes with them,
15 to the end that they may offer sacrifices
to the Lord upon the altar of the Lord
their God, which is in Jerusalem.
16 Whatever you and your kindred decide
to do with gold and silver, do that
according to the will of your God.
17 The holy vessels ofthe Lord, which are
given you for the use of the temple of your
God, which is in Jerusalem,
18 and whatever else you shall remember
for the use of the temple of your God,
you shall give it out of the king’s treasury.
19 I, King Artaxerxes, have also commanded
the keepers of the treasures in
Syria and Phoenicia, that whatever Esdras
the priest and reader ofthe law ofthe Most
High God shall send for, they should give it
to him with all diligence,
20 to the sum of one hundred talents of
silver, likewise also of wheat even to one
hundred cors§, and one hundred firkins†
of wine, and‡ salt in abundance.
21 Let all things be performed after God’s
law diligently to the most high God, that
wrath come not upon the kingdom of the
king and his sons.
22 I command you also that no tax, nor
any other imposition, be laid upon any of
the priests, or Levites, or holy singers, or
gatekeepers, or temple servants, or any
that have employment in this temple, and
that no man has authority to impose any
tax on them.
23 You, Esdras, according to the wisdom
of God, ordain judges and justices thatthey
may judge in all Syria and Phoenicia all
those who know the law of your God; and
those who don’t know it, you shall teach.
24 Whoever transgresses the law of your
God and of the king shall be punished diligently,
whether it be by death, or other
punishment, by penalty of money, or by
imprisonment.”
25 Then Esdras the scribe said, “Blessed
be the only Lord, the God of my fathers,
who has put these things into the heart
of the king, to glorify his house that is in
Jerusalem,
26 and has honored me in the sight of the
king, his counselors, andallhis friends and
nobles.
27 Therefore I was encouraged by the
help of the Lord my God, and gathered
together out ofIsraelmento goup withme.
28 These are the chief according to their
families and their several divisions, who
went up with me from Babylon in the reign
of King Artaxerxes:
29 of the sons of Phinees, Gerson; of the
sons of Ithamar, Gamael; of the sons of
David,§ Attus† the son of Sechenias;
30 of the sons of Phoros, Zacharais; and
with him were counted one hundred fifty
men;
31 of the sons of Phaath Moab, Eliaonias
the son of‡ Zaraias, and with him two hundred men;
32 §of the sons of Zathoes, Sechenias the
sonofJezelus, and withhimthreehundred
men; of the sons of Adin, Obeth the son of
Jonathan, and with him two hundred fifty men;
33 of the sons ofElam,Jesias sonof Gotholias,
and with him seventy men;
34 of the sons of Saphatias, Zaraias son of
Michael, and with him seventy men;
35 of the sons of Joab, Abadias son of
Jehiel. Jezelus, and with him two hundred
twelve men;
36 † of the sons of Banias, Salimoth son of
Josaphias, and with him one hundred sixty
men;
37 of the sons of Babi, Zacharias son of
Bebai, and with him twenty-eight men;
38 of the sons of Azgad: Astath, Joannes
son of Hakkatan Akatan, and with him one
hundred ten men;
39 of the sons of Adonikam, the last, and
these are the names of them, Eliphalat,
Jeuel, and Samaias, and with them seventy
men;
40 of the sons of Bago, Uthi the son of
Istalcurus, and with him seventy men.
41 I gathered them together to the river
called Theras. There we pitched our tents
three days, and I inspected them.
42 When I had found there none of the
priests and Levites,
43 then sent I to Eleazar, Iduel, Maasmas,
44 Elnathan, Samaias, Joribus, Nathan,
Ennatan, Zacharias, and Mosollamus,
principal men and men of understanding.
45 I asked them to go to Loddeus the
captain, who was in the place of the treasury,
46 and commanded them that they
should speak to Loddeus, to his kindred,
and to the treasurers in that place, to send
us such men as might execute the priests’
office in our Lord’s house.
47 By the mighty hand of our Lord, they
brought to us men of understanding of the
sons of‡ Mooli the son of Levi, the son of
Israel,§ Asebebias, and his sons, and his
kindred, who were eighteen,
48 and† Asebias, Annuus, and Osaias his
brother, of the sons of Chanuneus, and
their sons were twenty men;
49 and of the temple servants whom
David and the principal men had appointed
for the servants of the Levites, two
hundred twenty temple servants. The list
of all their names was reported.
50 There I vowed a fast for the young
men before our Lord, to seek from him a
prosperous journey both for us and for our
children and livestock that were with us;
51 for I was ashamed to ask of the king
infantry, cavalry, and an escort for
protection against our adversaries.
52 For we had said to the king that the
power of our Lord would be with those
who seek him, to support them in all ways.
53 Again we prayed to our lord about
these things, and found him to be merciful.
54 Then I set apart twelve men of the
chiefs of the priests,‡ Eserebias, Assamias,
and ten men of their kindred with them.
55 I weighed out to them the silver, the
gold, and the holy vessels of the house of
our Lord, which the king, his counselors,
the nobles, and all Israel had given.
56 When I had weighed it, I delivered to
them six hundred fifty talents of silver,
silver vessels weighing one hundred talents,
one hundred talents of gold,
57 twenty golden vessels, and twelve vessels
of brass, even of fine brass, glittering
like gold.
58 I said to them, “You are holy to the
Lord, the vessels are holy, and the gold and
the silver are a vow to the Lord, the Lord of
our fathers.
59 Watch and keep them until you deliver them to
the chiefs of the priests and Levites, and to
the principal men of the families of Israel
in Jerusalem, in the chambers of our Lord’s house.
60 So the priests and the Levites who
received the silver, the gold, and the vessels
which were in Jerusalem, brought them
into the temple of the Lord.
61 We left the river Theras on the twelfth
day of the first month. We came to
Jerusalem by the mighty hand of our Lord
which was upon us. The Lord delivered us
from from every enemy on the way, and so
we came to Jerusalem.
62 When we had been there three days,
the silver and gold was weighed and
delivered in our Lord’s house on the fourth day
to§ Marmoth the priest the son of† Urias.
Esdras 8:63 1168 1 Esdras 8:89
63 With him was Eleazar the son of Phinees,
and with them were Josabdus the son
of Jesus and‡ Moeth the son of Sabannus,
the Levites. All was delivered to them by
number and weight.
64 All the weight ofthem was recorded at
the same hour.
65 Moreover those who had come out
of captivity offered sacrifices to the Lord,
the God of Israel, even twelve bulls for all
Israel, ninety-six rams,
66 seventy-two lambs, and twelve goats
for a peace offering—all of them a sacrifice
to the Lord.
67 They delivered the king’s commandments to
the king’s stewards and to the
governors of Coelesyria and Phoenicia;
and they honored the people and the
temple of the Lord.
68 Now when these things were done, the
principal men came to me and said,
69 “The nation of Israel, the princes,
the priests, and the Levites haven’t put
away from themselves the foreign people of
the land nor the uncleannesses
of the Gentiles—the Canaanites, Hittites,
Pherezites, Jebusites, Moabites, Egyptians,
and Edomites.
70 For both they and their sons have
married with their daughters, and the holy
seed is mixed with the foreign people of
the land. From the beginning of this
matter the rulers and the nobles have been
partakers of this iniquity.”
71 And as soon as I had heard these
things, I tore my clothes and my holy garment,
and plucked the hair from off my
head and beard, and sat down sad and full
of heaviness.
72 So all those who were moved at the
word of the Lord, the God of Israel,
assembled to me while I mourned for the
iniquity, butI sat stillfull of heaviness until
the evening sacrifice.
73 Then rising up from the fast with my
clothes and my holy garment torn, and
bowing my knees and stretching out my
hands to the Lord,
74 I said, “O Lord, I am ashamed and
confounded before your face,
75 for our sins are multiplied above our
heads, and our errors have reached up to
heaven
76 ever since the time of our fathers. We
are in great sin, even to this day.
77 For our sins and our fathers’ we with
our kindred, our kings, and our priests
were given up to the kings of the earth, to
the sword, and to captivity, and for a prey
with shame, to this day.
78 Now in some measure mercy has been
shown to us from you, O Lord, that there
should be left us a root and a name in the
place of your sanctuary,
79 and to uncover a light in the house of
the Lord our God, and to give us food in the
time of our servitude.
80 Yes, when we were in bondage, we
were notforsaken by our Lord, but he gave
us favor before the kings of Persia, so that
they gave us food,
81 glorified the temple of our Lord, and
raised up the desolate Zion, to give us a
sure dwelling in Judea and Jerusalem.
82 “Now, O Lord, what shall we say, having
these things? For we have transgressed
your commandments which you gave by
the hand of your servants the prophets, saying,
83 ‘The land, which you enter into to possess
as an inheritance, is a land polluted
with the pollutions of the foreigners of
the land, and they have filled it with their
uncleanness.
84 Therefore now you shall not join your
daughters to their sons, neither shall you
take their daughters for your sons.
85 You shall never seek to have peace
with them, that you may be strong, and
eat the good things of the land, and that
you may leave it for an inheritance to your
children for evermore.’
86 All that has happened is done to us for
our wicked works and great sins, for you,
O Lord, made our sins light,
87and gave to us such a root; but we have
turned back again to transgress your law
in mingling ourselves with the uncleanness
of the heathen of the land.
88 You weren’t angry with us to destroy
us until you had left us neither root, seed,
nor name.
89 O Lord of Israel, you are true, for we
are left a root this day 90 Behold, now
we are before you in our
iniquities, for we can’t stand any longer
before you because of these things.”
91 *As Esdras in his prayer made his
confession, weeping, and lying flat on the
ground before the temple, a very great
throng of men, women, and children gathered
to him from Jerusalem; for there was
great weeping among the multitude.
92 Then Jechonias the son of Jeelus, one
of the sons of Israel, called out, and said,
“O Esdras, we have sinned againstthe Lord
God, we have married foreign women of
the heathen of the land, but there is still
hope for Israel.
93 Let’s make an oath to the Lord about
this, that we will put away all our foreign
wives with their children,
94 as seems good to you, and to as many
as obey the Lord’s Law.
95 Arise, and take action, for this is
your task, and we will be with you to do
valiantly.”
96 So Esdras arose, and took an oath from
the chief of the priests and Levites of all
Israel to do these things; and they swore to
it.