The Koine Bible

And after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of the Persians, Esdras, son of Saraias, son of Ezereus, son of Chelkias, son of Salem, came up

of Zadok, of Ahitub, of Amariah, of Aziah, of Bukki, of Abishua, of Phinehas, of Eleazar, of Aaron the chief priest

This Ezra went up from Babylon as a skilled scribe, being in the law of Moses, that had been given by the God of Israel

And the king gave him glory, for he found favor before him in respect to all his honors.

And there went up from the sons of Israel and of the priests and Levites and temple singers and gatekeepers and temple servants to Jerusalem in the seventh year of Artaxerxes’ reign, in the fifth month, this was the seventh year to the king

For after going out from Babylon on the new moon of the first month, on the new moon of the fifth month they arrived at Jerusalem, according to the prosperity given to them by the Lord over it.

For Esdras had much knowledge so as to omit nothing of the things from the law of the Lord and to teach all Israel all the ordinances and the judgments from the commandments.

And the written decree of King Artaxerxes having come to Ezra the priest and reader of the law of the Lord, of which the copy is set forth below

King Artaxerxes to Ezra the priest and reader of the law of the Lord, greeting.

And regarding the benevolent things, I, having judged, ordered that those who are willing from the nation of the Jews, both choosing from the priests and from the Levites and from those in our kingdom, should go with you to Jerusalem.

So many, then, as are minded, let them set out together, as has been decided by me and the seven friends as counselors.

to inquire into the affairs in Judea and Jerusalem according to what is in the law of the Lord

and to carry gifts to the Lord of Israel, which I and my friends vowed to Jerusalem, and all gold and silver that may be found in the land of Babylonia, to the Lord in Jerusalem, together with that which has been given by the nation for the temple of the Lord their God that is in Jerusalem

to be gathered together both the gold and the silver for bulls and rams and lambs and the things following these

so as to bring sacrifices upon the altar of their Lord, the one in Jerusalem

And whatever you may wish to do with your brothers, do with gold and silver according to the will of your God.

and the holy vessels of the Lord being given to you for the need of the temple of your God that is in Jerusalem

And the rest, as many things as may occur to you for the need of the temple of your God, you shall give from the royal treasury

And I, Artaxerxes the king, commanded the treasurers of Syria and Phoenicia that whatever Ezra the priest and reader of the law of the God Most High should send, they should give it to him carefully, up to one hundred talents of silver

likewise also up to one hundred kors of wheat and one hundred measures of wine and salt in abundance

Let all the things according to the law of God be carried out diligently for the Most High God’s sake, so that wrath may not come upon the kingdom of the king and his sons.

And to you also it is said that no tribute nor any other levy should come to all the priests and the Levites and the singers and the gatekeepers and the temple servants and the administrators of this temple, and that no one should have authority to impose anything on these men.

And you, Esdras, according to the wisdom of God, appoint judges and magistrates, so that they may judge in all Syria and Phoenicia, all those who know the law of your God, and those who do not know it you shall teach.

And all who ever transgress the law of your God and the king’s law shall be punished diligently, whether by death or by punishment or by a fine in silver or by banishment

Blessed is the Lord alone, who gave these things into the heart of the king to glorify his house that is in Jerusalem.

and he honored me before the king and the counselors and all his friends and magnates

And I became courageous according to the help of the Lord my God, and I gathered from Israel men so as to go up with me

And these are the men of rank according to their families and their divisions, those who went up with me from Babylon in the reign of Artaxerxes the king

Of the sons of Phinees, Garsomos; of the sons of Jetamaro, Gamelos; of the sons of David, Attous son of Secheniou.

From the sons of Phoros: Zechariah, and with him, according to the record, one hundred fifty men.

of the sons of Phaathmoab, Eliaonias son of Zaraeus, and with him two hundred men

of the sons of Zathoes, Sechenias the son of Jezelu, and with him three hundred men; of the sons of Adinu, Ben Jonathus, and with him two hundred fifty men

Of the sons of Elam, Jesias the son of Gotholios, and with him seventy men

Of the sons of Saphatias, Zaraeas, Michael, and with him seventy men

From the sons of Joab, Abdias son of Jezelu, and with him two hundred and twelve men.

of the sons of Bani, Asalimoth son of Josaphi, and with him one hundred sixty men

of the sons of Babi, Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight men

of the sons of Asgath: Ioannes, Akatan, and with him one hundred ten men

Of the sons of Adonikam, the last, and these are their names: Eliphalatos, Ieouel, and Samaias, and with them seventy men

Of the sons of Bago, Uthi, the son of Istalkour, and with him seventy men

And we gathered them to the river called Theran, and we encamped there three days, and I examined them

and from the sons of the priests and from the Levites, not finding them there

I sent to Eleazar and Idouel and Maasman and Elnatan and Samaan and Iorib, Nathan, Elnatan, Zacharias, and Mesolam, the leaders and the men of understanding

And I told them to come to Addaios, the leader who was in the place of the treasury.

having instructed them to speak to Addai and his brothers and to the treasurers in the place to send us the priests serving in the house of our Lord

And they brought to us, according to the mighty hand of our Lord, men of understanding, of the sons of Mooli son of Levi, son of Israel, Asebebian, and the sons and the brothers, eighteen.

and Asebia and Announon and Osaia, brother, from the sons of Chanounaios, and their sons, twenty men

And from the temple servants whom David and the leaders had given for the work of the Levites, temple servants, two hundred twenty; the register of all the names was recorded.

And I proclaimed there a fast for the young men before our Lord

to seek from him a prosperous journey for us and for the children with us and for our cattle

For I was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry and escort for the sake of security against those opposing us

For we said to the king that the strength of our Lord will be with those who seek him for every restoration.

And again we pleaded with our Lord according to these things, and we obtained a gracious hearing.

And I separated twelve men from the leaders of the priests, and Serebian and Asabian, and with them from their brothers ten men

and I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and the sacred vessels of the house of our Lord, which the king himself and his counselors and his great men and all Israel had freely given

And after setting them in order I gave to them six hundred fifty talents of silver, and vessels of silver of one hundred talents, and one hundred talents of gold, and twenty pieces of gold work, and vessels of bronze from fine bronze, shining, golden-colored vessels, twelve.

And I said to them: You also are holy to the Lord, and the vessels are holy, and the silver and the gold are a vow to the Lord, the Lord of our fathers.

Keep watch and guard until you hand them over to the chiefs of the priests and of the Levites and to the rulers of the families of Israel in Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of our Lord.

And the priests and the Levites who received the silver and the gold and the vessels in Jerusalem brought them into the temple of the Lord

And setting out from the river Thera on the twelfth of the first month, we entered into Jerusalem according to the mighty hand of our Lord that was upon us, and he delivered us at the entrance from every enemy, and we came to Jerusalem

And when the third day had come there, the silver and the gold were weighed and delivered in the house of our Lord to Marmothi the priest, Uria.

and with him Eleazar, the son of Phinees, and with them Jozabdos of Jesus and Moeeth Sabannou, the Levites, by number and weight, all together, and all their weight was written at that very time

And those who had come from the captivity offered sacrifices to the God of Israel, to the Lord: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-two lambs, twelve goats for a sin offering, all as a sacrifice to the Lord.

And they gave over the decrees of the king to the royal stewards and to the governors of Coele-Syria and Phoenicia, and they glorified the nation and the holy place of the Lord.

And when these things had been completed, the leaders came near to me, saying:

The nation of Israel and the rulers and the priests and the Levites did not separate the foreign nations of the land and their uncleannesses: of the Canaanites and Hittites and Perizzites and Jebusites and Moabites and Egyptians and Idumeans.

For they had dwelt with their daughters, both they themselves and their sons, and the holy seed was mixed into the foreign nations of the land, and the leaders and the magnates of this lawlessness shared in it from the beginning of the matter

And at the same time as I heard these things I tore my garments and the holy robe, and I plucked out the hair of my head and of my beard, and I sat down troubled in mind and very sorrowful

And there were gathered to me as many as were ever stirred by the word of the Lord God of Israel, while I was mourning over the lawlessness, and I sat down sorrowful until the evening sacrifice

And having risen from the fast, having his garments and the sacred robe torn, and bending the knees and stretching out the hands toward the Lord, I said

Lord, I have been ashamed, I have been humiliated before your face.

For our sins have multiplied above our heads, and our ignorances have risen up to heaven.

From the times of our fathers, and we have been in great sin until this day.

And because of our sins and the sins of our fathers we were handed over, with our brothers and with our kings and with our priests, to the kings of the land, to the sword and captivity and plundering, with shame, until this present day.

And now, by how much mercy has been shown to us from you, O Lord, to leave us a root and a name in the place of your sanctuary

and to uncover our lamp in the house of our Lord, to give us food in the time of our slavery

And in our being in slavery we were not abandoned by our Lord, but he made us in favor before the kings of the Persians.

to give us food and to glorify the temple of our Lord and to raise up desolate Zion, to give us a support in Judea and Jerusalem

And now what shall we say, Lord, having these things? For we have transgressed your commandments which you gave by the hand of your servants the prophets, saying that

The land into which you are entering to inherit is a land defiled with the defilement of the peoples of the land and with their uncleanness they have filled it.

And now do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons, and do not take their daughters for your sons.

And you shall not seek to make peace with them for all the time, so that, having become strong, you may eat the good things of the land and inherit to your sons for ever.

And all the things that happen to us come because of our evil works and our great sins.

For you, Lord, have lightened our sins, and have given us such a root; again we have turned back to transgress your law, to mix with the uncleanness of the nations of the land.

Did you not become angry with us to destroy us, so as not to leave us a root and seed and our name?

Lord of Israel, you are true, for we have been left a root in this present day

Behold now, we are before you in our lawless deeds, for there is no longer to stand before you because of these things.

And when Esdras was praying, he was confessing with tears, lying face down before the sanctuary, a very great crowd was gathered to him from Jerusalem, men and women and young men, for there was great weeping in the multitude

And Jechonias, calling out from the sons of Israel, Jeiehl, said: Ezra, we have sinned against the Lord and have taken foreign women from the nations of the land, and now there is hope for Israel

By this let there be to us an oath to the Lord to put away all our wives, those from the foreigners, with their children, as it was judged to you, and as many as obey the law of the Lord

Rise up and carry out the matter, for it is ours with you to do mightily.

And Ezra arose and adjured the chiefs of the priests and Levites of all Israel to do according to these things, and they swore.