| English Standard Version | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Now after this, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, | 1After these events, during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, Ezra--Seraiah's son, Azariah's son, Hilkiah's son, |
| 2son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, | 2Shallum's son, Zadok's son, Ahitub's son, |
| 3son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, | 3Amariah's son, Azariah's son, Meraioth's son, |
| 4son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, | 4Zerahiah's son, Uzzi's son, Bukki's son, |
| 5son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest— | 5Abishua's son, Phinehas's son, Eleazar's son, the chief priest Aaron's son |
| 6this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the LORD, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him. | 6#NAME? |
| 7And there went up also to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king, some of the people of Israel, and some of the priests and Levites, the singers and gatekeepers, and the temple servants. | 7Some of the Israelites, priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants accompanied him to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes. |
| 8And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. | 8Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, during the seventh year of the king. |
| 9For on the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylonia, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, for the good hand of his God was on him. | 9He began the journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month and arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month since the gracious hand of his God was on him. |
| 10For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel. | 10Now Ezra had determined in his heart to study the law of the LORD, obey it, and teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel. |
| 11This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, a man learned in matters of the commandments of the LORD and his statutes for Israel: | 11This is the text of the letter King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest and scribe, an expert in matters of the LORD's commands and statutes for Israel: |
| 12“Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven. Peace. And now | 12Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, an expert in the law of the God of the heavens: Greetings. |
| 13I make a decree that anyone of the people of Israel or their priests or Levites in my kingdom, who freely offers to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. | 13I issue a decree that any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including their priests and Levites, who want to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. |
| 14For you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which is in your hand, | 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 possession. |
| 15and also to carry the silver and gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, | 15You are also to bring the silver and gold the king and his counselors have willingly given to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, |
| 16with all the silver and gold that you shall find in the whole province of Babylonia, and with the freewill offerings of the people and the priests, vowed willingly for the house of their God that is in Jerusalem. | 16and all the silver and gold you receive throughout the province of Babylon, together with the freewill offerings given by the people and the priests to the house of their God in Jerusalem. |
| 17With this money, then, you shall with all diligence buy bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and you shall offer them on the altar of the house of your God that is in Jerusalem. | 17Then you are to be diligent to buy with this money bulls, rams, and lambs, along with their grain and drink offerings, and offer them on the altar at the house of your God in Jerusalem. |
| 18Whatever seems good to you and your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do, according to the will of your God. | 18You may do whatever seems best to you and your brothers with the rest of the silver and gold, according to the will of your God. |
| 19The vessels that have been given you for the service of the house of your God, you shall deliver before the God of Jerusalem. | 19Deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles given to you for the service of the house of your God. |
| 20And whatever else is required for the house of your God, which it falls to you to provide, you may provide it out of the king’s treasury. | 20You may use the royal treasury to pay for anything else needed for the house of your God. |
| 21“And I, Artaxerxes the king, make a decree to all the treasurers in the province Beyond the River: Whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, requires of you, let it be done with all diligence, | 21I, King Artaxerxes, issue a decree to all the treasurers in the region west of the Euphrates River: Whatever Ezra the priest, an expert in the law of the God of the heavens, asks of you must be provided in full, |
| 22up to 100 talents of silver, 100 cors of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much. | 22up to 7,500 pounds of silver, 500 bushels of wheat, 550 gallons of wine, 550 gallons of oil, and salt without limit. |
| 23Whatever is decreed by the God of heaven, let it be done in full for the house of the God of heaven, lest his wrath be against the realm of the king and his sons. | 23Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven must be done diligently for the house of the God of the heavens, so that wrath will not fall on the realm of the king and his sons. |
| 24We also notify you that it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll on anyone of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the doorkeepers, the temple servants, or other servants of this house of God. | 24Be advised that you do not have authority to impose tribute, duty, and land tax on any priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple servants, or other servants of this house of God. |
| 25“And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God. And those who do not know them, you shall teach. | 25And you, Ezra, according to God's wisdom that you possess, appoint magistrates and judges to judge all the people in the region west of the Euphrates who know the laws of your God and to teach anyone who does not know them. |
| 26Whoever will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be strictly executed on him, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of his goods or for imprisonment.” | 26Anyone who does not keep the law of your God and the law of the king, let the appropriate judgment be executed against him, whether death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment. |
| 27Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the LORD that is in Jerusalem, | 27Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put it into the king's mind to glorify the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, |
| 28and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty officers. I took courage, for the hand of the LORD my God was on me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me. | 28and who has shown favor to me before the king, his counselors, and all his powerful officers. So I took courage because I was strengthened by the hand of the LORD my God, and I gathered Israelite leaders to return with me. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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