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BSB EZRA

Ezra

The Proclamation of Cyrus

(2 Chronicles 36:22–23, Isaiah 45:1–25)

1In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as follows:

2“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for Him at Jerusalem in Judah.

3Whoever among you belongs to His people, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the LORD, the God of Israel; He [is] the God who is in Jerusalem. 4And let every survivor, wherever he lives, be assisted by the men of that region with silver, gold, goods, and livestock, along with a freewill offering for the house of God in Jerusalem.’ ”

5So the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites—everyone whose spirit God had stirred—prepared to go up and rebuild the house of the LORD in Jerusalem.

6And all their neighbors supported them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuables, in addition to all their freewill offerings.

Cyrus Restores the Holy Vessels

7King Cyrus also brought out the articles belonging to the house of the LORD that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the temple of his gods. 8Cyrus king of Persia had them brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.[fn]

11In all, there were5,400 gold and silver articles. Sheshbazzar brought all [these] along when the exiles went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

The List of Returning Exiles

(Nehemiah 7:4–69)

2Now these [are] the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar [its] king They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town,

2accompanied by Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.[fn] [This is] the count of the men of Israel:

59The following came up vvv from Tel-melah, vvv Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan,[fn] and Immer, but they could not prove that their families were descended from Israel

64The whole assembly [numbered] 42,360 {} 65in addition to their 7,337 menservants and maidservants, as well as their 200 male and female singers. 66They had 736 horses,245 mules, 67435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

Offerings by the Exiles

(Exodus 38:21–31, Nehemiah 7:70–73)

68When they arrived at the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, [some] of the heads of the families gave freewill offerings to rebuild the house of God on its original site. 69According to their ability, they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 {} darics of gold,[fn] 5,000 {} minas of silver,[fn] and 100 priestly garments.

70So the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants, along with some of the people, settled in their own towns; and the rest of the Israelites[fn] settled [in their towns].

Sacrifices Restored

3By the seventh month, the Israelites had settled in their towns, and the people assembled as one man in Jerusalem.

2Then Jeshua son of Jozadak[fn] and his fellow priests, along with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates, began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. 3They set up the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD—[both] the morning and evening burnt offerings—even though they feared the people of the land.

4They also celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles[fn] in accordance with what is written, and they offered burnt offerings daily based on the number prescribed for each day

5After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings and [those] for New Moons and for all the appointed sacred feasts of the LORD, as well as all the freewill offerings brought to the LORD.

6On the first day of the seventh month, [the Israelites] began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, {although the foundation} of the temple of the LORD vvv had not been laid. 7They gave money to the masons and carpenters, and food and drink and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to Joppa by sea, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia.

Temple Restoration Begins

8In the second month of the second year after they had arrived at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, and the rest of their associates including the priests, the Levites, and all who had returned to Jerusalem from the captivity, began [the work]. They appointed Levites twenty years of age or older to supervise the construction of the house of the LORD. 9So Jeshua and his sons and brothers, Kadmiel and his sons( descendants of Yehudah),[fn] [and] the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together to supervise those working on the house of God.

10When the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites( the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their positions to praise the LORD, as David king of Israel had prescribed.

11And they sang responsively with praise and thanksgiving to the LORD: “For He is good; for His loving devotion[fn] to Israel endures forever.” Then all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because {the foundation} of the house of the LORD had been laid.

12But many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads who had seen the first temple wept loudly when they saw the foundation of this temple. Still, many others shouted joyfully 13The people could not distinguish vvv the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people were making so much noise And the sound was heard from afar.

Adversaries Hinder the Work

4When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel, 2they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the families, saying “Let us build with you because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to Him since the time of King Esar-haddon of Assyria, who brought us here.”

3But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other heads of the families of Israel replied “You have no part with us in building a house for our God, since we alone must build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as Cyrus king of Persia has commanded us.”

4Then the people of the land set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to build. 5They hired counselors against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Opposition under Xerxes and Artaxerxes

6At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes,[fn] an accusation was lodged against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

7And in the days of Artaxerxes [king] of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his associates wrote [a letter] to vvv Artaxerxes. [It] was written in Aramaic and then translated

8Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote [the] letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows:

9From Rehum the commander Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates—the judges and officials over Tripolis, Persia, Erech and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa 10and the rest of the peoples whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal[fn] deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and elsewhere west of the Euphrates

11( This is the text of the letter they sent to him.) To King Artaxerxes, From your servants, the men west of the Euphrates

12Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came from you to us have returned to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are restoring [its] walls and repairing its foundations.

13Let it now be known to the king that if that city is rebuilt and its walls are restored, they will not pay tribute, duty, or toll, and the royal treasury will suffer.

14Now because we are in the service of the palace[fn] vvv and it is not fitting for us to allow the king to be dishonored, we have sent to inform the king 15that a search should be made of the record books of your fathers. [In these] books you will discover and verify that the city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, inciting sedition from ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed.

16We advise the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are restored, you will have no dominion west of the Euphrates.

The Decree of Artaxerxes

17[Then] the king sent this reply: To Rehum the commander Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of your associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in the region west of the Euphrates: Greetings.

18The letter you sent us has been translated and read in my presence. 19vvv I issued a decree, and a search was conducted. It was discovered that this city has revolted against kings from ancient times, engaging in rebellion and sedition 20And mighty kings have ruled over Jerusalem and exercised authority over the whole region west of the Euphrates; and tribute, duty, and toll were paid to them.

21Now, therefore, issue an order for these men to stop, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order 22See that you do not neglect this matter. Why allow this threat to increase and the royal interests to suffer?

23When the text of the letter from King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and forcibly stopped them.

24Thus the construction of the house of God in Jerusalem ceased, and it remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Temple Rebuilding Resumes

(Haggai 1:1–11)

5Later, the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. 2Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak[fn] rose up and began to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, helping them.

3At that time Tattenai the governor [of the region] west of the Euphrates,[fn] vvv Shethar-bozenai, and their associates went to [the Jews] and asked “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?”

4They also asked “What are the names of the men who are constructing this building?”

5But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, so that they were not stopped until a report was sent to Darius and written instructions about this matter were returned.

Tattenai’s Letter to Darius

6This is the text of the letter that Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, vvv Shethar-bozenai, and their associates, the officials in the region, sent to King Darius.

7The report they sent him read as follows To King Darius: All peace.

8Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. [The people] are rebuilding it with large stones and placing timbers in the walls. This work is being carried out diligently and is prospering in their hands.

9So we questioned the elders and asked “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?”

10We also asked for their names, so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information.

11And this is the answer they returned “We are servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed. 12But since our fathers angered the God of heaven, He delivered them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean who destroyed this temple and carried away the people to Babylon.

13In the first year [of his reign], however, Cyrus king of Babylon issued a decree to rebuild this house of God. 14He also removed from the temple[fn] of Babylon the gold and silver articles belonging to the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken and carried [there] from the temple in Jerusalem. King Cyrus gave [these articles] to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he appointed governor 15and instructed ‘Take these articles, put them in the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its original site.’

16So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God in Jerusalem, and from that time until now it has been under construction, but it has not yet been completed.”

17Now, therefore, if it pleases the king, let a search be made of the royal archives in Babylon to see if King Cyrus did indeed issue a decree to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision in this [matter].

The Decree of Darius

6Thus King Darius ordered a search of the archives stored in the treasury of Babylon

2And a scroll was found in the fortress of Ecbatana, in the province of Media, with the following written on it: Memorandum:

3In the first year of King Cyrus, he issued a decree [concerning] the house of God in Jerusalem: Let the house be rebuilt as a place for offering sacrifices, and let its foundations be firmly laid. It is to be sixty cubits high [and] sixty cubits wide,[fn] 4with three layers of cut stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid from the royal treasury.

5Furthermore, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and carried to Babylon, must also be returned to the temple in Jerusalem and deposited in the house of God.

6Therefore [Darius decreed]: To Tattenai governor of the region west of the Euphrates,[fn] vvv Shethar-bozenai, and your associates and officials in the region You must stay away from that place! 7{Leave} this work on the house of God alone. Let the governor and elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its original site.

8I hereby vvv decree what you must do for these elders of the Jews who are rebuilding this house of God: The cost is to be paid in full to these men from the royal treasury out of the taxes of [the provinces] west of the Euphrates, so that the work will not be hindered. 9Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, as well as wheat, salt, wine, and oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem—must be given to them daily vvv without fail. 10Then they will be able to offer sacrifices of a sweet aroma to the God of heaven and to pray for the lives of the king and his sons.

11I also decree that if any man interferes with this directive, a beam is to be torn from his house and raised up, and he is to be impaled on it. And his own house shall be made a pile of rubble for this [offense].[fn]

12May God, who has caused His Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to alter [this decree] or to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued the decree. Let it be carried out with diligence.

The Temple Completed

13In response, Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, vvv Shethar-bozenai, and their associates diligently carried out what King Darius had decreed.

14So the Jewish elders built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia. 15And this temple was completed on the third day of the month of Adar,[fn] in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

Dedication of the Temple

16Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the exiles celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy.

17For the dedication of the house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and a sin offering for all Israel of twelve male goats one for each tribe of Israel.

18They also appointed the priests by their divisions and the Levites by their groups to the service of God in Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.

The Returned Exiles Keep the Passover

19On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles kept the Passover.

20All the priests and Levites had purified themselves and were ceremonially clean. And [the Levites] slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles for their priestly brothers, and for themselves. 21The Israelites who had returned from exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the peoples[fn] of the land vvv to seek the LORD, the God of Israel.

22For seven days they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread[fn] with joy, because the LORD had made them joyful and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to strengthen their hands in the work on the house of the God of Israel.

Ezra Arrives in Jerusalem

7Many years later during the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, 2the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, 3the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, 4the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, 5the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest—

6this Ezra came up from Babylon. He [was] a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted [Ezra] all his requests, for the hand of the LORD his God was upon him. 7So in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes, he went up to Jerusalem with some of the Israelites including priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants.[fn]

8Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king. 9He had begun the journey from Babylon on the first [day] of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was upon him. 10For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, to practice it, and to teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.

Artaxerxes’ Letter for Ezra

11This is the text of the letter King Artaxerxes had given to Ezra the priest [and] scribe, an expert vvv in the commandments and statutes of the LORD to Israel:[fn]

12Artaxerxes, king of kings. To Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven: Greetings

13I hereby decree that any volunteers among the Israelites in my kingdom, including the priests and Levites, may go up with you to Jerusalem. 14You are sent by the king and his seven counselors to evaluate Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which is in your hand.

15Moreover, you are to take with you the silver and gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, 16together with all the silver and gold you may find in all the province of Babylon, as well as the freewill offerings of the people and priests to the house of their God in Jerusalem. 17With this money, therefore, you are to buy as many bulls, rams, and lambs as needed, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and offer them on the altar at the house of your God in Jerusalem. 18You and your brothers may do whatever seems best with the rest of the silver and gold, according to the will of your God

19You must deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles given to you for the service of the house of your God. 20And if anything else is needed for the house of your God that you may have occasion to supply, you may pay [for it] from the royal vvv treasury.

21I, King Artaxerxes, vvv decree to all the treasurers west of the Euphrates:[fn] Whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, may require of you, it must be provided promptly, 22up to a hundred talents of silver,[fn] a hundred cors of wheat,[fn] a hundred baths of wine,[fn] a hundred baths of olive oil,[fn] and salt without limit. 23Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven must be done diligently for [His] house For why should wrath fall on the realm of the king and his sons? 24And be advised that you have no authority to impose tribute, duty, or toll on any of the priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.

25And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God, which you possess are to appoint magistrates and judges to judge all the people west of the Euphrates—all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach [these laws] to anyone who does not know them. 26If anyone does not keep the law of your God and the law of the king, let a strict judgment be executed against him, whether death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.

Ezra Blesses God

27Blessed [be] the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put into the heart of the king to so honor the house of the LORD in Jerusalem,

28and who has shown me favor before the king, his counselors, and all his powerful officials. And because the hand of the LORD my God [was] upon me, I took courage and gathered the leaders of Israel to return with me.

The Exiles Who Returned with Ezra

8These are the family heads and genealogical records of those who returned with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:

Ezra Sends for the Levites

15Now I assembled [these exiles] at the canal that flows to Ahava, and we camped there three days. And when I searched among the people and priests, I found no Levites there.

16Then I summoned the leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan,[fn] Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, as well as the teachers Joiarib and Elnathan. 17And I sent them to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, with a message for him and his kinsmen, the temple servants[fn] at Casiphia, that they should bring to us ministers for the house of our God.

18And since the gracious hand of our God was upon us, they brought us Sherebiah—a man of insight from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel—along with his sons and brothers,18 men; 19also Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah, from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and their sons, 20 men. 20[They also brought] 220 of the temple servants, all designated by name. David and the officials had appointed [them] to assist the Levites.

Fasting for Protection

21And there by the Ahava Canal I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. 22For I was ashamed to ask the king for an [escort of] soldiers and horsemen to protect us from our enemies on the road, since we had told him “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek Him, but His great anger is against all who forsake Him.”

23So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He granted our request

Priests to Guard the Offerings

24Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, together with Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers, 25and I weighed out to them the contribution of silver and gold and the articles that the king, his counselors, his leaders, and all the Israelites there had offered for the house of our God.

26I weighed out into their hands650 talents of silver,[fn] articles of silver [weighing] 100 talents,[fn]100 talents of gold,[fn] 2720 gold bowls [valued at] 1,000 darics,[fn] and two articles of fine polished bronze, as precious as gold.

28Then I told them, “You are holy to the LORD, and these articles [are] holy. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the LORD, the God of your fathers. 29Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the house of the LORD in Jerusalem before the leading priests, Levites, and heads of the Israelite families.”

30So the priests and Levites took charge of the silver and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem.

31On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem, and the hand of our God was upon us to protect us from the hands of the enemies and bandits along the way.

Arrival in Jerusalem

32So we arrived at Jerusalem and rested there for three days.

33On the fourth day, in the house of our God, we weighed out the silver and gold and sacred articles into the hand of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him, along with the Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui. 34Everything was verified by number and weight, and the total weight was recorded at that time.

35Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel:12 bulls for all Israel,96 rams,77 lambs, and a sin offering of 12 male goats. All [this was] a burnt offering to the LORD.

36They also delivered the king’s edicts to the royal satraps[fn] and governors of the region west of the Euphrates,[fn] who proceeded to assist the people and the house of God.

Intermarriage with Neighboring Peoples

(Nehemiah 13:23–31)

9After these things had been accomplished, the leaders approached me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the surrounding peoples whose abominations are like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites. 2Indeed, the Israelites have taken some of their daughters [as wives] for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed has been mixed with the people of the land. And the leaders and officials have taken the lead in this unfaithfulness!”

3When I heard this report, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled out some hair from my head and beard, and sat down in horror.

4Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of the unfaithfulness of the exiles, while I sat there in horror until the evening offering.

Ezra’s Prayer of Confession

5At the evening offering, I got up from my humiliation with my tunic and cloak torn, and I fell on my knees, spread out my hands to the LORD my God,

6and said: “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, because our iniquities are higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached the heavens. 7From the days of our fathers to this day, our guilt has been great. Because of our iniquities, we and our kings [and] priests have been delivered into the hands of the kings of the earth [and subjected] to the sword and to captivity, to pillage and humiliation as we are this day.

8But now, for a brief moment, grace has come from the LORD our God to preserve for us a remnant and to give us a stake[fn] in His holy place. Even in our bondage, our God has given us new life and light to our eyes. 9Though we are slaves, our God has not forsaken us in our bondage, but He has extended to us grace in the sight of the kings of Persia, giving us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and giving us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.

10And now, our God, what can we say after this? For we have forsaken the commandments 11that You gave through Your servants the prophets, saying: ‘The land that you are entering to possess is a land polluted by the impurity of its peoples and the abominations with which they have filled it from end to end 12Now, therefore, do not give your daughters {in marriage} to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Never seek their peace or prosperity, so that you may be strong and may eat the good things of the land, leaving it as an inheritance to your sons forever

13After all that has come upon us because of our evil deeds and our great guilt( though You, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities [deserve] and have given us [such] a remnant as this), 14shall we again break Your commandments and intermarry with the peoples who commit these abominations? Would You not become so angry with us as to wipe us out, leaving no remnant or survivor?

15O LORD, God of Israel, You are righteous! For we remain this day as a remnant. Here we [are] before You in our guilt, though because of it no one can stand before You.”

Shecaniah’s Encouragement

10While Ezra prayed and made this confession, weeping and falling facedown before the house of God, a very large assembly of Israelites—men, women, and children—gathered around him, and the people wept bitterly as well.

2Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, an Elamite said to Ezra: “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the people of the land, yet in spite of this, there is hope for Israel. 3So now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all the foreign wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the command of our God. Let it be done according to the Law. 4Get up, for [this] matter [is] your [responsibility], and we will support you. Be strong and take action!”

5So Ezra got up and made the leading priests, Levites, and all Israel take an oath to do what had been said And they took the oath.

The People’s Confession of Sin

6Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and walked to the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. And while he stayed[fn] there, he ate no food and drank no water, because he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.

7And a proclamation was issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem that all the exiles should gather at Jerusalem. 8Whoever failed to appear within three days would forfeit all his property, according to the counsel of the leaders and elders, and would himself be expelled from the assembly of the exiles.

9So within the three days, all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled in Jerusalem, and on the twentieth day of the ninth month, all the people sat in the square at the house of God, trembling regarding this matter and because of the heavy rain.

10Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful by marrying foreign women, adding to the guilt of Israel. 11Now, therefore, make a confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers, and do His will. Separate yourselves from the people of the land and from your foreign wives.”

12And the whole assembly responded in a loud voice: “Truly we must do as you say 13But there are many people here, and it is the rainy season. We are not able to stay out in the open. Nor [is this] the work of one or two days, for we have transgressed greatly in this matter. 14Let our leaders represent the whole assembly. Then let everyone in our towns who has married a foreign woman come at an appointed time, together with the elders and judges of each town until the fierce anger of our God in this matter is turned away from us.”

15( Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, supported by Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite, opposed this [plan].)

16So the exiles did as proposed. Ezra the priest selected men who were family heads, each of them identified by name, to represent their families On the first day of the tenth month they launched the investigation, 17and by the first day of the first month they had dealt with all the men who had married foreign women.

Those Guilty of Intermarriage

44All these [men] had married foreign women, and [some] of them had children by these wives.[fn]


1:8 That is, the leader of the exiles returning to Judah

1:9 Or basins; twice in this verse

2:2 Parallel text at Nehemiah 7:7 accompanied by Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah

2:10 Bani is a variant of Binnui; see Nehemiah 7:15.

2:18 Jorah is a variant of Hariph; see Nehemiah 7:24.

2:20 Gibbar is a variant of Gibeon; see Nehemiah 7:25.

2:21 Literally the sons; here and in verses 25, 26, 33, and 34

2:24 Azmaveth is a variant of Beth-azmaveth; see Nehemiah 7:28.

2:25 LXX (see also Nehemiah 7:29); Hebrew Kiriath-arim

2:31 Or of West Elam

2:40 Hodaviah is a variant of Hodevah; see Nehemiah 7:43.

2:43 Hebrew The Nethinim; also in verses 58 and 70

2:44 Siaha is a variant of Sia; see Nehemiah 7:47.

2:46 Alternate MT reading (see also Nehemiah 7:48); the other alternate reads Shamlai

2:50 Nephusim is a variant of Nephushesim; see Nehemiah 7:52.

2:52 Bazluth is a variant of Bazlith; see Nehemiah 7:54.

2:55 Peruda is a variant of Perida; see Nehemiah 7:57.

2:57 Ami is a variant of Amon; see Nehemiah 7:59.

2:59 Addan is a variant of Addon; see Nehemiah 7:61.

2:63 Literally Lights and Perfections

2:69 Or 61,000 gold drachmas; that is, approximately 1,129.7 pounds or 512.4 kilograms of gold coins

2:69 5,000 minas is approximately 3.14 tons or 2.85 metric tons of silver.

2:70 Or all Israel

3:2 Jozadak is a variant of Jehozadak; also in verse 8; see 1 Chronicles 6:14.

3:4 That is, Sukkot, the autumn feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; also translated as the Feast of Booths or the Feast of Shelters and originally called the Feast of Ingathering (see Exodus 23:16 and Exodus 34:22).

3:9 Hebrew sons of Judah; that is, most likely, sons of Yehudah, another name for Hodevah or Hodaviah; see Ezra 2:40 and Nehemiah 7:43.

3:11 Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion; the range of meaning includes love, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and mercy, as well as loyalty to a covenant.

4:6 Hebrew Ahasuerus

4:10 Aramaic Osnappar, another name for Ashurbanipal

4:14 Literally because the salt of the palace is our salt

5:2 Jozadak is a variant of Jehozadak; see 1 Chronicles 6:14.

5:3 Aramaic the governor beyond the River; also in verse 6

5:14 Or palace

6:3 The house was to be approximately 90 feet or 27.4 meters in height and width; Syriac (see also 1 Kings 6:2) It is to be sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high.

6:6 Aramaic governor beyond the River; similarly in verses 8 and 13

6:11 Literally shall be made a dunghill because of this

6:15 Adar is the twelfth month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of February and March.

6:21 Or nations

6:22 That is, the seven-day period after the Passover during which no leaven may be eaten; see Exodus 12:14–20.

7:7 Hebrew Nethinim; also in verse 24

7:11 The original text of Ezra 7:12–26 is in Aramaic.

7:21 Aramaic beyond the River; also in verse 25

7:22 100 talents is approximately 3.77 tons or 3.42 metric tons of silver.

7:22 100 cors is approximately 624 bushels or 22,000 liters (probably about 19.2 tons or 17.4 metric tons of wheat).

7:22 100 baths is approximately 580 gallons or 2,200 liters of wine.

7:22 Or 100 baths of oil; that is, approximately 580 gallons or 2,200 liters

8:5 Some LXX manuscripts (see also 1 Esdras 8:32); Hebrew from the descendants of Shecaniah, the son of Jahaziel

8:10 Some LXX manuscripts (see also 1 Esdras 8:36); Hebrew from the descendants of Shelomith, the son of Josiphiah

8:13 Or the last

8:14 LXX, Syriac, and an alternate MT reading; the other alternate reads Zabbud.

8:16 Elnathan appears three times in verse, either as a repetition for emphasis or as a record of multiple men with this name.

8:17 Hebrew the Nethinim; also in verse 20

8:26 650 talents is approximately 24.5 tons or 22.2 metric tons of silver.

8:26 100 talents is approximately 3.77 tons or 3.42 metric tons of silver articles.

8:26 100 talents is approximately 3.77 tons or 3.42 metric tons of gold.

8:27 Or worth 1,000 drachmas; that is, approximately 18.5 pounds or 8.4 kilograms of gold

8:36 A satrap was a Persian official.

8:36 Hebrew governors beyond the River

9:8 Or nail or foothold

10:6 Or went

10:18 Jozadak is a variant of Jehozadak; see 1 Chronicles 6:14.

10:25 Hebrew; LXX Hashabiah

10:38 See LXX; Hebrew And Bani, and Binnui, (and) Shimei,

10:44 Or and they sent them away with their children