1 In the first year that Koresh (Cyrus) was king of Persia (Heb. Paras), Yahweh stirred up *his spirit in order to fulfil what *he’d spoken through the prophet Yirmeyah (Jeremiah).[ref] ≈So @the king distributed a written proclamation throughout his kingdom, saying, 2 “Koresh, king of Persia, declares this: Yahweh, the god of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms in the world, and he’s appointed me to build a residence for him in Yerushalem in Yehudah.[ref] 3 Anyone among you who’s one of his followers is free to go to Yerushalem (in Yehudah) to help build a temple there for Yisrael’s God Yahweh—the god of Yerushalem. May God go with you. 4 Those who live near these people but who are not going themselves, should donate gold and silver, and goods and livestock, plus cash as a voluntary offering for God’s temple in Yerushalem.

5 Then some of the leaders of Benyamin and Yehudah, and some priests and Levites—all of whom had had their spirits stirred up by God—left to go and build Yahweh’s residence in Yerushalem. 6 Their neighbours had helped them by ≈donating gold and silver utensils, goods and livestock, and expensive gifts, as well as the voluntary offerings of cash.

7 Then King Koresh brought out the equipment from Yahweh’s temple that Nevukadnetstsar (Nebuchadnezzar) had brought all the way from Yerushalem and had put in the house of his gods. 8 *He ≈put the treasurer Mitedat in charge of bringing them out and Sheshbatstsar, the ruler of Yehudah, ≈in charge of accepting them and listing them. 9 There were: thirty gold basins, one thousand silver basins, twenty-nine knives, 10 thirty gold bowls, 410 silver bowls, and a thousand other utensils, 11 ≈coming to a total of 5,400 gold and silver utensils. Sheshbatstsar ≈took all of that with the group of exiles going from Babylon to Yerushalem.

2 Out of the captives that Babylonian King Nevukadnetstsar (Nebuchadnezzar) had brought as slaves to Babylon, these are their descendants who returned to Yerushalem in Yehudah—≈each person returning to their own ancestral town. 2 The ones who went with Zerubabel were: Yeshua, Nehemyah, Serayah, Re’elayah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Ba’anah.

Their numbers were:

3 2,172 descendants of Farosh, 4 372 descendants of Shefatyah, 5 775 descendants of Arah, 6 2,812 descendants of Fahat-Moab, from the families of Yeshua and Yoab, 7 1,254 descendants of Elam, 8 945 descendants of Zattu, 9 760 descendants of Zakkai, 10 642 descendants of Bani, 11 623 descendants of Bevai, 12 1,222 descendants of Azgad, 13 666 descendants of Adonikam, 14 2,056 descendants of Bigvai, 15 454 descendants of Adin, 16 98 descendants of Ater, who descended from Hezkiyyah, 17 323 descendants of Betsai, 18 112 descendants of Yorah, 19 223 descendants of Hashum, 20 95 descendants of Gibar.

21 And from these towns:

123 from Bethlehem,22 56 from Netofah, 23 128 from Anatot, 24 42 from Azmavet, 25 743 from Kiryat-Arim, Kefirah, and Be’erot, 26 621 from Ramah and Geva, 27 122 from Mikmas, 28 223 from Beyt-El and Ai, 29 52 from Nevo, 30 156 from Magbish, 31 1,254 from the otherElam, 32 320 from Harim, 33 725 from Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 34 345 from Yericho, 35 3,630 from Senaah.

36 The priests who returned:

973 descendants of Yedaiah (descendants of Yeshua),37 1,052 descendants of Immer, 38 1,247 descendants of Fashhur, 39 1,017 descendants of Harim.

40 The Levites who returned:

74 descendants of Yeshua and Kadmiel, who were from the family of Hodavyah,41 128 musicians who were descendants of Asaf, 42 139 gatekeepers who were descendants of the gatekeepers Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, andShobai,

43 The temple servants who returned:

The descendants of Ziha, Hasufa, and Tabaot,44 the descendants of Keros, Siaha, and Fadon, 45 the descendants of Levanah, Hagavah, and Akkuv, 46 the descendants of Hagav, Shalmai, and Hanan, 47 the descendants of Giddel, Gahar, and Reayah, 48 the descendants of Retsin, Nekoda, and Gazzam, 49 the descendants of Uzza, Faseah, and Besai, 50 the descendants of Asnah, Me’unim, and Nefusim, 51 the descendants of Bakbuk, Hakufa, and Harhur, 52 the descendants of Bazlut, Mehida, and Harsha, 53 the descendants of Barkos, Sisera, and Temah, 54 and the descendants of Netsiyah and Atifa.

55 The descendants of Shelomoh’s (Solomon’s) servants who returned:

the descendants Sotai, Hassoferet, Peruda,56 the descendants of Yaalah, Darkon, and Giddel, 57 the descendants of Shefatyah, Hattil, Pokeret Hatstsebayim, and Ami.

58 Altogether there were 392 descendants of temple workers and Shelomoh’s servants who returned.

59 ≈Another group went from the towns of Tel-Melah, Tel-Harsha, Keruv, Addon, and Immer, ≈but they ≈didn’t know their ancestry from before they were taken as captives.

60 There were 652 people who were descendants of Delayah, Toviyyah, and Nekoda, 61 and from the sons of the priests: the descendants of Havayyah; the descendants of Hakkots; and the descendants of Barzillai, who took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, so he was called by their name. 62 *They had searched for their #records among the ≈genealogies, but ≈couldn’t find their families listed, ≈so they were ≈disqualified to serve as priests. 63 ≈Also the governor told them that they mustn’t eat any of the holiest food until a priest ≈could use the Urim and Thummim to determine their status.[ref]

64 ≈Altogether in this group, 42,360 people returned to Yehudah. 65 ≈not counting their 7,337 male and female servants, plus 200 male and female musicians. 66 They also took 736 horses and 245 mules, 67 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.

68 When some of the ≈heads of families got to Yahweh’s temple in Yerushalem, they freely donated ≈so that it could be rebuilt. 69 They each donated to the treasury according to ≈their individual resources—a total of sixty-one thousand gold coins, five thousand silver bars, and a hundred sets of clothing for the priests.

70 ≈So the priests and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers, and the gatekeepers and the temple servants returned to live in their ancestral cities, and so all the Israeli cities ≈had returnees living in them.[ref]

3 In the seventh month, the Israelis from their various cities, gathered together ≈in unity in Yerushalem. 2 Then Yotsadak’s son Yeshua and his brothers the priests, and Shealti’el’s son Zerubavel and his brothers, and they built the altar to offer up burnt offerings to Yisrael’s God on it as is written in the law of Mosheh, the man of God.[ref] 3 They set the altar up on its foundation because they were worried about trouble from some of the other people groups ≈in the region. Then they offered burnt offerings to Yahweh on it as well as the regular morning and evening burnt offerings.[ref] 4 Then they observed the Celebration in Shelters as ≈per the written instructions[ref] with a burnt offering each day as required. 5 After that was over, they kept up the regular burnt offerings, plus those for the new moons and other times that Yahweh required, as well as any free-will offerings to Yahweh.[ref] 6 ≈Even though the temple foundation rebuilding hadn’t started yet, the people started sacrificing burnt offerings to Yahweh ≈from the beginning of October.

7 They donated cash to the stone-workers and carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the workers from Tsidon (Sidon) and Tsor (Tyre) to ≈float cedar logs along the coast from Lebananon into Port Yafo (Joppa) with the permission of Persian King Koresh (Cyrus).

Foundation Laid for the Temple

8 In the second month of second year ≈since their return to Yerushalem, Shealtiel’s son Zerubavel and Yotsadak’s son Yeshua, and the rest of their brothers the priests and the Levites, and ≈everyone except who’d returned to Yerushalem from captivity, began work on God’s residence, and they appointed the Levites who were twenty and over to act as overseers for the work of rebuilding Yahweh’s ≈temple. 9 ≈And Yeshua with his brothers and their sons, Kadmiel and his sons, (all descendants of Yehudah) ≈cooperated to act as overseers for those doing the work at the ≈temple together with Henadad’s sons ≈and grandsons, and their brothers the Levites.

10 ≈When the builders had laid the foundation of Yahweh’s temple, they ≈got the priests ≈to stand there in their robes with their trumpets, and Asaf’s descendants (who were Levites) with their cymbals, to praise Yahweh ≈using the rhythms composed by David, the former Israeli king.[ref] 11 Then they sang in response—praising and thanking Yahweh: “≈Yes, he is good, because his loyal commitment to Yisrael ≈will continue forever.”

Then all the people shouted a great shout in praise to Yahweh because the foundation of Yahweh’s temple had been laid.[ref] 12 Many of the older priests and Levites, and ≈clan leaders who’d seen the first ≈temple, wept loudly ≈when they witnessed the founding of this *one, ≈but others were shouting happily with loud voices. 13 So the people couldn’t differentiate the happy sounds from the sound of the people weeping, because the people were shouting ≈very loudly and it could be heard from far away.

4 ≈Now the enemies of Yehudah and Benyamin heard that the ≈Israelis who’d come back from exile were building a temple for Yisrael’s God Yahweh. 2 ≈so they went to Zerubavel and to the other ≈clan leaders and they said to them, “Let us ≈help you with the building work, because like you, we ≈worship your God and we’ve been sacrificing to him since the days of the Assyrian king Esar-Haddon—the one who ≈sent us here.”[ref]

3 ≈But Zerubavel, and Yeshua, and the rest of the ≈Israelis clan leaders said to them, “It’s not for you and for us to build a house for our God, but we ourselves together will build for Yisrael’s God Yahweh, just as the Persian King Koresh (Cyrus) has commanded us.”

4 ≈Those local people had been discouraging the people of Yehudah and trying to stop them from building. 5 They’d also hired ≈influencers to work against them throughout the reigns of the Persian kings Koresh (Cyrus) and Dareyavesh (Darius).

6 Now at the beginning of the reign of Ahashverosh (Ahasuerus or Xerxes), they ≈forwarded an accusation against those who lived in Yerushalem and throughout Yehudah.

7 And in the days of Persian King Artahshasta (Artaxerxes), Bishlam, Mitredat, Taveel and the rest of #their companions wrote to the king. (The letter was written in Aramaic (Syrian) and ≈using that alphabet).

8 Rehum ≈the high commissioner and Shimshai the ≈provincial secretary wrote a letter to King Artahshasta against Yerushalem as follows:

9 From Rehum ≈the high commissioner and Shimshai the ≈provincial secretary, and the ≈our companions, the judges and the rulers, the officials, the Persians, the Erechites, the Babylonians, the Susaites (that is, the Elamites), 10 and the rest of the nations that the famous and powerful King Asenappar exiled from other nations and ≈forced them to live in the cities of Samaria, and the ≈province went of the Euphrates river.

And now 11 this is ≈what the letter said that they sent to him:

To Artahshasta (Artaxerxes) the king from your servants ≈on this side of the river.

And now 12 let it be known to the king that the Jews who ≈left your region have come to us at Yerushalem ≈to rebuild that rebellious and evil city—they’re currently finishing the walls and repairing the building foundations. 13 Now let it be known to the king that if that city is built and the walls are completed, @those people won’t ≈pay #taxes, or send #tributes, and ≈your royal treasury will lose out. 14 Now, because we’ve ≈had the favour of the palace, and ≈because we don’t want to see the king dishonoured, ≈that’s why we’ve sent this letter to update the king, 15 so that he can search in the ≈official records of the kingdom. You’ll discover and learn that that city of Yerushalem is a rebellious city and one that has caused harm to kings and provinces, and ≈has harboured rebellion there for decades past—≈that’s why that city was destroyed. 16 We are letting the king know that if that city is ≈rebuilt and its walls are completed, ≈then you’ll lose control of this province on this side of the Euphrates.”

17 The king sent this reply:

“To Rehum ≈the high commissioner and Shimshai ≈the provincial secretary, and the rest of their companions who live in Shomron (Samaria), and the rest of ≈the people in the province west of the Euphrates: Peace.

And now 18 the letter that you all sent to us has been carefully read aloud to me. 19 ≈I ordered my officials to search the records and discovered that it’s true that that city has been ≈rebellious and seditious since ancient times. 20 Powerful kings have ≈reigned from Yerushalem and ruled the entire region that side of the river, and had taxes and tributes paid to them. 21 ≈So command those Jews to stop rebuilding the city until ≈such time as I make a decree. 22 ≈Don’t be negligent in doing that or the damage to this kingdom might get worse.”

23 When King Artahshasta’s letter reached Rehum, Shimshai the ≈secretary, and their companions, and was read aloud to them all, they ≈immediately went to Yerushalem and ≈used force to stop the Jews from their rebuilding.

Work on the Temple Begins Again; The Rebuilding Resumes

24 ≈So there was a period when the rebuilding of the temple in Yerushalem stopped, and it ≈remained paused until the second year of King Dareyavesh’s reign in Persia.[ref]

5 Then the prophet Haggai and Iddo’s son Zekaryah prophesied to the Jews in Yerushalem and ≈across Yehudah in the name of Yisrael’s God ≈who they served.[ref] 2 Then Shealtiel’s son Zerubabel and Yotsadak’s son Yeshua ≈took action and began to ≈rebuild God’s ≈temple in Yerushalem, and the prophets ≈who served God were there with them, supporting them.[ref]

3 At that time, Tattenai, the governor of ≈the province west of the Euphrates, and Shetar-Bozenai, and their companions came to them and ≈demanded, “Who ≈gave you all permission to rebuild this temple?” 4 ≈They also asked the Jews to tell them the names of the men who were working on the building. 5 ≈However, God was watching over the Jewish leaders, and they weren’t actually stopped. ≈A report was sent to King Dareyavesh, ≈then they waited for a response.

Tattenai’s Letter to King Darius

6 Tattenai, the governor of ≈the province west of the river, and Shetar-Bozenai and his companions, the ≈provincial officials, sent the letter to King Dareyavesh (Darius)—7 this is what was written in their report:

“To King Dareyavesh. All peace. 8 Let it be known to the king that we went to the province of Yehudah, to the ≈temple of the great God, and it is being built with large stones, and timber is being placed in the walls. This work is being done ≈to a high standard and ≈they’re making good progress.

9 “Then we asked those elders, ‘Who ≈gave you all permission to rebuild this temple?’ 10 We also asked them their names, so that we could write down the names of ≈their leaders to inform you.

11 “This is the answer they ≈gave us, ‘We are servants of the God of the heavens and earth, and we are ≈rebuilding the temple that was constructed and finished many years ≈ago by a famous Israeli king. 12 However, because our ancestors made the God of the heavens angry, he let Babylonian King Nevukadnetstsar (Nebuchadnezzar, the Chaldean) ≈defeat them, and he destroyed ≈that temple and caused the people to be exiled to Babylon.[ref] 13 But in the first year of the reign of Babylonian King Koresh (Cyrus), *he made a decree to rebuild this house of God.[ref] 14 ≈What’s more, the gold and silver ≈containers that Nevukadnetstsar had taken out from that temple that was in Yerushalem and had brought to the temple in Babylon, King Koresh took them out from the temple in Babylon and they were ≈handed over to the man named Sheshbatstsar who he’d appointed as governor over Yehudah. 15 @Koresh had told him to take those containers and put them back in the temple in Yerushalem, and ≈to ensure that the temple got rebuilt in the same place where it had been before. 16 ≈So Sheshbatstsar came here and laid the foundation of God’s house in Yerushalem, and since then, it’s been being rebuilt but isn’t finished yet.’

17 ≈So now, if it ≈pleases the king, let a search be made in the records in the king’s treasure house there in Babylon, if it’s correct that a decree was set by King Koresh to rebuild this house of God in Yerushalem. Then let the king send his decision on this matter back to us.”

6 ≈So King Dareyavesh (Darius) ≈ordered that a search be conducted in all the ≈archives where treasures had been deposited there in Babylon, 2 and one scroll was found in the fortress at Ecbatana in the province of Media, and this ≈record had been made:

3 “In year one of Koresh the king, *he made a decree about the house of God in Yerushalem:

‘Let the house be built in the same place where sacrifices were ≈made. ≈Establish its foundations and ≈build it 27m high and 27m wide 4 with three layers of large #stones and a layer of new timber. ≈That should all be paid for from the royal treasury. 5 Also, the gold and silver containers from the house of God that Nevukadnetstsar had taken out from the Yerushalem temple and had brought to Babylon, must be returned to their places in the temple in Yerushalem. ≈So you must put them in the house of God.’ ”

6 Therefore King Dareyavesh wrote: “Now to Governor Tattenai ≈in the province west of the Euphrates, Shetar-Bozenai, and their companions, the officials who in that province:

≈Keep away from that place. 7 Leave alone the work on that house of God. Let the Jewish governor and elders build that ≈temple in its place. 8 ≈So here’s my decree about what should be done for those Jewish elders to build that house of God: Using the king’s treasures that come from the tribute of that west-Euphrates province, let ≈those workers costs be regularly reimbursed so that @the work doesn’t stop. 9 Whatever is needed (≈including young bulls, or rams, or lambs for burnt offerings to the God of the heavens, wheat, salt, wine, or oil, according to the command of the priests in Yerushalem), let it be given to them day by day (that is, without delay), 10 so that they can be offering sweet-smelling sacrifices to the God of the heavens and praying for the life of the king and his sons. 11 ≈Also I decree that any man who changes this edict should have a beam pulled from his house, and after it’s sharpened and ≈set into the ground, then he should be impaled on it. Then his entire house should be made into a rubbish heap ≈because of what he did. 12 May the God who has established his name there overthrow any king or person who ≈makes any attempt to change this decree or to destroy that house of God in Yerushalem. I, Dareyavesh, have ≈made a decree. Let it be done diligently.”

13 Then Tattenai, the governor of ≈the region west of the Euphrates, Shetar-Bozenai, and their companions ≈worked hard to follow the instructions sent by King Dareyavesh (Darius). 14 ≈So the Jewish elders ≈continued building, and ≈they were encouraged by the prophesying of the prophet Haggai and Iddo’s son Zekaryah. ≈As a result of the decrees of the Persian kings Koresh, and Dareyavesh and Artahshasta, they ≈were able to fulfil God’s decree to rebuild the temple.[ref] 15 The rebuilt ≈temple was finished in ≈mid-March in the sixth year of King Dareyavesh’s reign.

16 Then the ≈Israeli people, the priests, and the Levites, and the ≈ones that had returned from exile, performed the dedication of this house of God with ≈celebrations. 17 During the dedication, they offered a hundred bulls, two-hundred rams, and four-hundred lambs, as well as twelve male goats for a sin offering for all Yisrael (matching the number of the tribes). 18 Then they ≈organised the priests to stand in their divisions and the Levites in their sections ≈to serve the God who ≈resides in Yerushalem, according to the ≈instructions written by Mosheh (Moses).

19 ≈So the people who’d returned from exile celebrated the ‘pass-over’ in late April.[ref] 20 The priests and Levites ≈all had to be individually purified, and they slaughtered the ≈lambs for all the ≈exiles and for their brothers the priests, and for themselves. 21 ≈Then all the Israelis ate the meal—those who’d returned from the exile and every one who’d separated themselves from the uncleanness of the nations of the land in order to search for Israeli’s God Yahweh. 22 Then they happily enjoyed the Flat Bread Celebration for seven days, because Yahweh had ≈made them happy, and had caused the Assyrian king ≈to show favour to them, to ≈assist their work rebuilding the house of God, the God of Yisrael.

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 Yisrael’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 They 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 Yisrael.

11 King Artahshasta (Artaxerxes) had given a letter for Ezra the priest and scribe and ≈expert in Yahweh’s commands and instructions to take with him, ≈saying:

12 Artahshasta, the king of kings, to the priest Ezra, the scribe of the law of the God of heavens: Peace.

Now, 13 ≈I hereby decree that anyone in my kingdom from Yisrael (including priests and Levites) who freely offers to go to Yerushalem with you, may go. 14 ≈You are sent by the king and his seven counsellors to ≈determine whether the people of Yehudah and Yerushalem ≈are following the law of your God which ≈you have a copy of. 15 ≡You are also to take the gold and silver that the king and his counsellors have freely offered to the God of Yisrael ≈who lives in Jerusalem, 16 along with all the gold and silver that you ≈collect all ≈across Babylon, along with the freewill #offerings of the people and the priests who freely give towards the house of God in Yerushalem.

17 ≈So then you should diligently ≈use those funds to buy bulls, rams, lambs, and supplies for their grain offerings and drink offerings, and you should offer them on the altar at the your God’s house in Yerushalem. 18 With ≈the remaining funds, you can ≈use them for whatever seems good to you and your brothers, according to the will of your God. 19 ≈Also, make sure that you deliver all those gold and silver containers that were ≈handed over to you for use in your God’s house in Yerushalem. 20 ≈Anything else that’s needed for the house of your God that ≈you need to supply can be provided from the king’s treasuries.

21 And I, King Artahshasta ≈make a decree for all the treasurers ≈in the province west of the river: that you all diligently help with everything that the priest Ezra (the scribe of the law of the God of the heavens) asks from you all—22 up to three tonnes of silver, five hundred bushels of wheat, two thousand litres of wine and ≈the same amount of olive oil, and ≈as much salt as he needs. 23 Everything that the God of the heavens decreed to be done should be done exactly ≈as he specified because there’s no good reason to make him angry at the kingdom of the king and his sons? 24 ≈Also, it should be made clear that there is no authority to ≈extract #taxes or tribute from any priests or Levites, singers or the gatekeepers, the temple servants or the servants of that house of God.

25 As for you, Ezra, ≈use the wisdom that your God has given to you to appoint magistrates and judges who can judge all the people who are in that province beyond the river—everyone who know the laws of your God (plus you should teach those who don’t know >them). 26 Anyone who ≈refuses to obey your God’s laws and the king’s laws, ≈should receive swift judgement—whether it’s confiscation of goods, or banishment, imprisonment, or ≈the death sentence.”

27 Blessed be Yahweh, the God of our fathers who put it into the king’s heart to honour Yahweh’s house in Yerushalem, 28 and showed me his loyal commitment in ≈dealing with the king and his counsellors, and all the powerful officials of the king. And as for me, Yahweh my God ≈blessed me with initiative and ≈the strength to carry it out as I gathered some Israeli ≈leaders to go ≈to Yerushalem with me.

8 Now these are the ≈family heads and their ≈descendants by number who who went with me from Babylon ≈to Yerushalem in the reign of King Artahshasta (Artaxerxes):

Ezra Finds Levites for the Temple (was before v3)

2 from the descendants of Pinhas: Gershom,from the descendants of Itamar: Daniyyel,from the descendants of David: Hattush,3 from the descendants of Shekanyah ≈and Far’osh: Zekaryah and a hundred and fiftyother men, 4 from the descendants of Pahat-Moab: Zerahyah’s son Eliehoenaiandtwohundredother men, 5 from the descendants of Shekanyah: Yahatsiel’s son andthreehundredother men, 6 from the descendants of Adin: Yonatan’s son Eved and fiftyother men, 7 from the descendants of Eylam: Atalyah’s son Yeshayah and seventyother men, 8 from the descendants of Shefatyah: Mikael’s son Zevadyah and eightyother men; 9 from the descendants of Yoav: Yehiel’s son Ovadyah and 218 other men, 10 from the descendants of Shelomit: Yosifiah’s son and one hundred and sixtyother men, 11 from the descendants of Bevai: his son Zekaryah and twenty-eight other men, 12 from the descendants of Azgad: Hakkatan’s son Yohanan and one hundred and tenother men, 13 from the later descendants of Adonikam: Elifelet, Yeiel, and Shemayah, and sixtyother men, 14 and from the descendants of Bigvai: Utai and Zakkur and seventyother men.

15 Firstly, I gathered them ≈near the river that goes to Ahava, and we camped there for three days. I ≈interviewed the people and the priests and ≈discovered that we didn’t have any Levites included in the group. 16 ≈So I summoned the following leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemayah, Elnatan, Yarib, a second Elnatan, Natan, Zekaryah, and Meshullam, as well as the wise men: Yoyariv and a third Elnatan. 17 I commanded them to go to Iddo, the leader at Kasifya, and I ≈told them to tell Iddo and his relatives (temple servants in Kasifya) to send us @some Levites who would go to Yerushalem to serve in our God’s ≈temple. 18 ≈Then since we had God’s favour, they sent us a ≈talented man (from the sons of Mahli, son of Levi, son of Yisrael) and eighteen of his sons and ≈other relatives. 19 They also sent Hashavyah and Yeshayah (from Merari’s sons), and their relatives and sons—some twenty men—20 plus two hundred and twenty descendants of Levite temple servants that King David and his officials had appointed for service—all designated by name.

21 Then right there by the river Ahava, I proclaimed a fast to humble ourselves ≈in front of our God to ≈request that he’d smooth the way ahead for us, and for our children, and for all our property, 22 because I was ashamed to request an army and horsemen from the king to help us from ≈possible enemies on the way. ≈Also, you see, we had previously told the king, “Our God ≈does good to all those who ≈honour him, but his might and his ≈anger are against all those who abandon him.” 23 ≈So we fasted and sought wisdom from our God concerning this, and he ≈listened to our requests.

24 Then I chose twelve of the leaders of the priests along with Sherevyah and Hashavyah and ten of the other Levites, 25 and as they watched, I weighed out the gold and silver, and the valuable utensils—the offering for the house of our God that the king, and his counsellors and officials, and all the ≈exiled Israelis who could be contacted, had offered. 26 ≈It came to three tonnes of gold, twenty-one tonnes of silver, and another three tonnes of silver containers, 27 as well as twenty gold bowls that weighed another eight kilograms, and two polished bronze containers that were as valuable as gold.

28 “You are sacred to Yahweh,” I told them all, “and the ≈containers and utensils are sacred, and the gold and silver are a freewill offering to Yahweh, the God of your ancestors. 29 ≈Look after them all carefully until you weigh them out ≈in front of the leaders of the priests and Levites and the leaders of the Israeli elders in the chambers of Yahweh’s house in Yerushalem.” 30 So the priests and the Levites ≈accepted the ≈receipt of the gold and silver, and the containers, to take them to Yerushalem—to the house of our God.

31 Then in mid-April, we set out from the river Ahava to go to Yerushalem, and ≈we had God’s favour as he kept us safe from any enemies or ambushes on the way. 32 ≈So we arrived at Yerushalem, and ≈rested there for three days. 33 On the fourth day, the gold and silver and the ≈containers and utensils were weighed out in the ≈temple—≈being handed over to Uriyyah’s son Meremot, the priest, and with him was Pinhas’s son Eleazar (and with them were Yeshua’s son Yozavad, and Binnuy’s son Noadyah, the Levites). 34 ≈They recorded all the items with their weights.

35 The ≈descendants of the former captives who had returned from exile offered burnt offerings to Yisrael’s God: twelve bulls for all Yisrael, 96 rams, 77 lambs, then twelve male goats for a sin offering. The whole was presented as a burnt offering to Yahweh. 36 They ≈relayed the king’s orders to the governors and officials of the province beyond the river, and so they honoured the people and God’s house.

9 Now as soon as those things were finished, the leaders came to me, saying, “The people of Yisrael, and the priests and Levites haven’t kept themselves separate from ≈the idolatry of the peoples of the lands: the #Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, the Yebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and the Amorites. 2 ≈Instead, they’ve ≈taken women from those peoples as wives for themselves and their sons, so they’ve ≈diluted their sacred heritage with the anti-God customs of those peoples. ≈But the worst is that it’s &our leaders and officials that have been at the forefront in this unfaithfulness.” 3 As soon as I heard that, I tore my ≈clothes and pulled some of the hair out of my head and beard, and I sat down appalled. 4 ≈Any others who respectfully followed Yisrael’s God’s instructions and who were concerned ≈about the unfaithfulness of the exiles, joined with me and I sat there appalled until the time of the evening sacrifice.

5 ≈So I got up from my position of humilation with my torn ≈clothes during the evening sacrifice, then I ≈went down on my knees and spread out my palms to my God Yahweh 6 and ≈prayed, “My God, I’m ashamed and humiliated to raise my face to you, my God, because our sins have multiplied and risen above ≈our heads, and our guilt has ≈mounted up as ≈high as the sky. 7 From back in the time of our ancestors until today, ≈we’ve been very guilty, and in our ≈disobedience, we ourselves, including our kings and our priests, have been ≈killed by the kings of the surrounding countries, or taken captive, or been plundered, or simply put to shame, which is the case right now. 8 ≈But now for a brief moment, favour has come from our God Yahweh and given us remaining survivors a stake in his holy place—yes, our God ≈has cheered us up and given us a little relief from our slavery. 9 Because we are slaves, yet our God hasn’t abandoned us in our slavery, but he’s ≈used his loyal commitment to us ≈to influence the Persian king to give to us ≈breathing space to ≈rebuild the house of our God ≈from its ruins, and to give to us a ‘wall of protection’ in Yerushalem and ≈across Yehudah.

10 “≈So now, our God, what can we say after that? We’ve abandoned your instructions 11 which you ≈gave us via your servants, the prophets, saying, ‘The land that you’re all entering to occupy is a land of impurity, due to the impurity of the ≈current inhabitants with their ≈evil practices that have filled it from ≈one end to the other with their ≈filth. 12 ≈So now, don’t give your daughters to their sons to marry, or ≈vice versa. And don’t ≈try to make long-term peace treaties or contracts with them. ≈Then you all will ≈stay in power, and eat the good things of the land, and ≈be able to pass it on to your children for all their future generations.’[ref]

13 “Yet after everything that’s ≈happened to us as a result our evil actions and our great guilt (even though you, our God, ≈didn’t punish us as harshly as you could have, and you’ve ≈allowed us to survive as we’re here now), 14 should we return to ≈disobeying your instructions and to intermarrying with those people groups ≈with their evil practices? You’d rightfully be angry enough with us as ≈to wipe us out completely without leaving any remnant or survivors? 15 Yahweh, the God of Yisrael, you ≈always do what is right, because here we are as survivors even to this day. ≈So, yes, here we are standing in front of you in our guilt, because none ≈of us are innocent enough to stand in front of you because of what we’ve done.”

10 When Ezra prayed and confessed like that, weeping and ≈bowing down low in front of the ≈temple, an extremely ≈large number of Israeli men and women and children gathered around him ≈to join in and weep aloud. 2 Then Yehiel’s son Shekanyah (from the sons of Eylam) answered and ≈admitted to Ezra, “We ourselves have behaved unfaithfully towards our God and have married foreign women from the other people groups in ≈this region. ≈But there’s still hope for Yisrael concerning this. 3 ≈So now, let’s ≈make an agreement with our God to ≈send all those women back, along with their children, ≈following the advice of my master and the ones who ≈strive to obey God’s instructions, and as per the law. 4 ≈So take action because this is now in your hands, but we’re with you. ≈Lead strongly and make a clear decision.”

5 ≈So Ezra ≈took action and made the leaders of the priests and Levites, and all Yisrael, to ≈promise to implement this decision, and they did so.

Foreign Wives and Their Children Rejected

6 Then Ezra ≈left that place there in front of the temple, and he went to Yehohanan’s room (Elyashiv’s son) and went in. He didn’t eat or drink, but ≈continued mourning because of the unfaithfulness of the exiles.

7 Then @the leaders ≈sent a proclamation throughout Yerushalem and all Yehudah to ≈all those Jews who’d returned from captivity, that @their men should assemble in Yerushalem. 8 They were told that it was the decision of the leaders and elders that anyone who didn’t arrive within three days would then forfeit all their property and would ≈no longer be considered as an Israeli. 9 So on the third day (in mid-December), all the men of Yehudah and Benyamin gathered in Yerushalem, and all the people sat in the ≈courtyard in front of the temple. They were shivering because of the rain, and ≈because of the seriousness of the matter.

10 Then the priest Ezra stood up and ≈announced, “You yourselves have acted unfaithfully and have married foreign women, thus adding to Yisrael’s guilt in God’s eyes. 11 Now ≈however, praise Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, and do ≈what he’s commanded us and separate yourselves from the other religions of the peoples in this ≈region, including ≈not marrying their women.”

12 Then all the ≈gathered Israelis answered, “≈Yes, we do need to do what you’ve said. 13 However, ≈it’s the rainy season now, and there’s so many people who can’t stand outside for several days while we try to work all this out, because we’ve done so much wrong. 14 ≈So let’s delegate our leaders to make the decisions for all of us. Then we can arrange to meet together by city with our elders and judges to apply the decisions about our foreign wives, until God’s anger towards us about these matters cools down. 15 The only ones who were against this plan were Asahel’s on Yonatan and Tikvah’s son Yahzeyah, with the support of Meshullam and the Levite Shabetai.

16 So the ≈exiled Israelis agreed to follow that plan, and the names ≈of the men were written down by each clan leader who then stayed behind with the priest Ezra, and ≈a few days later, they sat down to ≈start working through the lists. 17 ≈Some two months later, they had finished ≈considering all the men who had married foreign women.

18 Some of the priests’ descendants had married foreign women, i.e., the descendants of Yotsadak’s son Yeshua and his brothers, Maaseyah, Eliezer, Yarib, and Gedalyah, 19 and they ≈promised to expell their wives, and ≈because of their guilt, each of them sacrificed a ram from their flock. 20 Then, also:

From Immer’sdescendants: Hanani and Zevadyah,21 From Harim’sdescendants: Maaseyah, Eliyyah, Shemayah, Yehiel, and Uzziyah, 22 From Pashhur’sdescendants: Elyoeynai, Maaseyah, Yishmael, Netan’el, Yozavad, andElasah, 23 Among the otherLevites: Yozabad, and Shimei, and Kelayah (that is, Kelita), Petahyah, Yehudah, and Eliezer. 24 Among the singers: Elyashiv.

Temple guards

Among the temple guards: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.

25 From the other Israelis:

From Far’osh’s descendants: Ramyah, Yizziyyah, Malkiyyah, Miyyamin, Eleazar, Malkiyyah, and Benayah.26 From Helam’s descendants: Mattanyah, Zekaryah, Yehiel, Avdi, Yeremot, and Eliyyah. 27 From Zattu’sdescendants: Elyoeynai, Elyashiv, Mattanyah, Yeremot, Zavad, and Aziza. 28 From Bevai’s descendants: Yehohanan, Hananyah, Zabai, andAtlai. 29 From Bani’sdescendants: Meshullam, Malluk, Adayah, Yashuv, and Sheal-Yeremot. 30 From Pahat-Moav’s descendants: Adna, Kelal, Benayah, Maaseyah, Mattanyah, Betsalel, Binnui, and Menashsheh. 31 From Harim’s descendants: Eliezer, Yishshiyyah, Malkiyyah, Shemayah, Shim’on, 32 Benyamin, Malluk, and Shemaryah. 33 From Hashum’s descendants: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zavad, Elifelet, Yeremai, Menashsheh, and Shim’i. 34 From Bani’s descendants: Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benayah, Bedeyah, Keluhi, 36 Vanyah, Meremot, Elyashiv, 37 Mattanyah, Mattenai, andYaasu. 38 From Binnui’s descendants: Shim’i, 39 Shelemyah, Natan, Adayah, 40 Maknadbai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, Shelemyah, Shemaryah, 42 Shallum, Amaryah, and Yosef. 43 From Nevo’s descendants: Yeiel, Mattityah, Zavad, Zevina, Yaddai, Yoel, andBenayah.

44 All of those had married foreign women and had children from them.