Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, Ezra, the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, read more. the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the first priest.

Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra, the priest, perfect scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and to Cheenet. By me is given commandment, that any of the people of Israel and of his priests and Levites in my realm, who desire of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee. read more. For thou art sent on behalf of the king and of his seven counsellors, to inquire of Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thy hand, and to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors freely offer unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem, and all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people and of the priests, who offer willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem; Therefore, with diligence thou shalt buy with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their presents and their drink offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem. And whatever shall seem good to thee and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God. The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, thou shalt restore before the God of Jerusalem. And whatever else shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have need to bestow, bestow it out of the king's treasure house. And by me, Artaxerxes, the king, is given the commandment to all the treasurers who are on the other side of the river, that whatever Ezra, the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily, unto one hundred talents of silver and to one hundred measures of wheat and to one hundred baths of wine and to one hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much. Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be speedily done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons? Also unto you we cause it to be known, that regarding all of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, and ministers of the house of this God, no one shall be able to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them. And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thy hand, set as judges and governors, who govern all the people that are on the other side of the river, all such as know the laws of thy God, and teach those that do not know them. And whoever will not do the law of thy God and the law of the king, let them be judged speedily, whether it be unto death or to banishment or to confiscation of goods or to imprisonment.

These are now the heads of their fathers, and this is the genealogy of those that went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of Artaxerxes, the king: Of the sons of Phinehas; Gershon: of the sons of Ithamar; Daniel: of the sons of David; Hattush. read more. Of the sons of Shechaniah, of the sons of Pharosh; Zechariah: and with him were reckoned by genealogy of the males one hundred and fifty. Of the sons of Pahathmoab; Elihoenai, the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males. Of the sons of Shechaniah; the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males. Of the sons also of Adin; Ebed, the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males. And of the sons of Elam; Jeshaiah, the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males. And of the sons of Shephatiah; Zebadiah, the son of Michael, and with him eighty males. Of the sons of Joab; Obadiah, the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males. And of the sons of Shelomith; the son of Josiphiah, and with him one hundred and sixty males. And of the sons of Bebai; Zechariah, the son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight males. And of the sons of Azgad; Johanan, the son of Hakkatan, and with him one hundred and ten males. And of the last sons of Adonikam, whose names are these: Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them sixty males. Of the sons also of Bigvai; Uthai and Zabbud and with them seventy males.

for they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, and the holy seed is mingled with the peoples of the lands; and the hand of the princes and of the governors has been foremost in this trespass.

And on the next day the princes of the families of all the people, the priests, and the Levites were gathered together unto Ezra, the scribe, to understand the words of the law. And they found written in the law, which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the sons of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month read more. and that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount and bring olive branches and pine branches and myrtle branches and palm branches and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written. So the people went forth and brought them and made themselves booths, each one upon the roof of his house and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God and in the plaza of the water gate and in the plaza of the gate of Ephraim. And all the congregation of those that returned out of the captivity made booths and dwelt in the booths, for since the days of Jeshua, the son of Nun, unto that day, the sons of Israel had not done so. And there was very great joy. And Ezra read in the book of the law of God each day, from the first day unto the last day. And they kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.

Now these are the priests and the Levites that came up with Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;

and Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,