7 Many years later in the reign of Persian King Artahshasta (Artaxerxes), Ezra (son of Serayah, son of Azaryah, son of Hilkiyyah, 2 son of Shallum, son of Tsadok, son of Ahitub, 3 son of Amaryah, son of Azaryah, son of Merayot, 4 son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, 5 son of Avishua, the son of Pinhas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aharon the head priest) 6 was a skilled expert in the law that Israel’s God Yahweh had given through Mosheh (Moses). With the favour of his God Yahweh helping Ezra, the king had granted all his requests, and he travelled from Babylon to Yerushalem. 7 Some Israelis, including some priests and Levites, singers and gatekeepers, and some temple servants travelled to Yerushalem in the seventh year of Artahshasta’s reign.8-9 8-9They left Babylon on New Year’s Day (in early April) and with God’s favour on the journey, arrived in Yerushalem exactly four months later 10 because Ezra had made a firm resolution to study Yahweh’s written instructions, and to carefully follow them, and to teach them in Israel.