and, all they who were round about them, strengthened their hands, with utensils of silver, with gold with goods and with beasts, and with precious things, - besides any thing he had volunteered.

And, these, were they who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, Immer; but they could not tell their ancestral house, nor their seed, whether, of Israel, they were:

These, sought their writing wherein they were registered, but they were not found, - so they were desecrated out of the priesthood;

and the governor told them, that they must not eat of the most holy things, - until there should stand up a priest, with Lights and Perfections.

And, a portion of the ancestral chiefs, when they came to the house of Yahweh which was in Jerusalem, offered voluntarily for the house of God, to set it up on its basis.

According to their ability, gave they unto the treasury of the work, of gold, sixty-one thousand drams, and, of silver, five thousand manehs, - and, tunics for priests, one hundred.

So they settled the altar upon its stands, for, dread, was upon them, because of the peoples of the countries, - therefore caused they to go up thereon, ascending-sacrifices unto Yahweh, ascending-sacrifices for the morning and for the evening.

And they kept the festival of booths, as it was written, - and the ascending-offering of each day upon its own day, by number, according to regulation, the matter of a day upon its day;

From the first day of the seventh month, began they to offer up ascending-sacrifices unto Yahweh, - but, the temple of Yahweh, had not had its foundation laid.

And they gave silver, unto the masons and carpenters, - and food and drink and oil, unto them of Zidon and unto them of Tyre, to bring in cedar-trees out of the Lebanon, unto the sea of Joppa, according to the grant of Cyrus king of Persia unto them.

So they took their station - even Jeshua, his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, sons of Judah, as one man to preside over the doer of the work in the house of God, the sons of Henadad, their sons and their brethren, the Levites.

And, when they made responses in offering praise and in giving thanks unto Yahweh - For he is good, for, age-abiding, is his lovingkindness, upon Israel, then, all the people, shouted with a great shout, in offering praise unto Yahweh, over the laying of the foundation of the house of Yahweh.

then drew they near unto Zerubbabel, and unto the ancestral chiefs, and said unto them, Let us build with you, for, like you, we seek your God, and, unto him, have, we, been sacrificing since the days of Esar-haddon, king of Assyria, who brought us up hither.

And, in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they an accusation, against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

This, is a copy of the letter which they sent unto him - unto Artaxerxes the king, - Thy servants, the men Beyond the River and so forth:

Be it known unto the king, - that, the Jews who came up from thee unto us, are come to Jerusalem, - the rebellious and wicked city, are they building, and, the walls, have they finished, and, the foundations, will they repair.

Now be it known to the king, that, if this city, be built, and, the walls thereof, be finished, neither, tribute, excise, nor toll, will they render, and so, the revenue of the kings, shalt thou damage.

so that search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers, so shalt thou find out in the book of records - and shalt ascertain, that, this city, is a rebellious city, and one that causeth damage unto kings and provinces, and that, rebellion, have they been wont to cause in the midst thereof since the days of age-past time, - for this cause, was this city laid waste.

And, from me, went forth an edict, and they have made search and found, that, this city, since the days of age-past time, against kings, hath lifted herself up, - and, sedition and rebellion, have been made therein;

Then, when, the copy of the letter of Artaxerxes the king, had been read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their associates, they journeyed in haste to Jerusalem, unto the Jews, and forbade them, with arm and force.

At that time, came unto them Tattenai pasha Beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai, and their associates, - and, thus, spake they unto them, Who hath issued unto you an edict, this house, to build, and, this wall, to complete?

Nevertheless, the eye of their God, was upon the elders of Judah, and they did not forbid them, until the matter, unto Darius, should come, - and, then, answer be returned by letter, concerning this.

a message, sent they unto him, - and, thus, was it written therein, Unto Darius the king, all prosperity!

And, thus, returned they, answer, to us saying, - We, are servants of the God of the heavens and the earth, and are building the house which was built these many years ago, which, a great king of Israel, built and completed.

Moreover also, the utensils of the house of God, of gold and silver, which, Nebuchadnezzar, had brought forth out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, and had brought into the temple of Babylon, Cyrus the king, brought them forth, out of the temple of Babylon, - and they were delivered to one Sheshbazzar by name, whom he made, pasha;

Then, Darius the king, issued an edict, - and they made search in the house of the books, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon.

In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king, issued an edict, as to the house of God in Jerusalem, Let the house be built, the place where they used to offer sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be reared, - the height thereof, sixty cubits, the breadth thereof, sixty cubits;

And, from me, is issued an edict, as to that which ye shall do, with these elders of Judah, for the building of this house of God, - That, of the resources of the king, even the tribute Beyond the River, forthwith, the expenses be given unto these men, for they must not be hindered.

that they may be offering sweet-smelling sacrifices unto the God of the heavens, - and be praying for the life of the king, and his sons.

Then, Tattenai the pasha Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates, - according as Darius the king had sent, so, forthwith, they did.

And, the elders of the Jews, went on building and prospering, through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah son of Iddo, - they both built and finished, owing to the edict of the God of Israel, and owing to the edict of Cyrus and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

And they set up the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, over the service of God, which was in Jerusalem, - as it is written, in the Book of Moses.

for the priests and the Levites, had purified themselves, as one man, all of them, were pure, - so they slaughtered the passover for all the Sons of the Exile, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.

So they brought unto us, according to the good hand of our God upon us, a man of discretion, of the sons of Mahli, son of Levi, son of Israel, - and Sherebiah, and his sons and his brethren, eighteen;

They who came in out of the captivity, Sons of the Exile, offered as ascending-sacrifices unto the God of Israel - bullocks twelve for all Israel, rams ninety-six, young sheep seventy-seven, he-goats for bearing sin, twelve, - the whole, as an ascending-sacrifice unto Yahweh.

Then delivered they the decrees of the king, unto the satraps of the king, and the pashas Beyond the River, - and they upheld the people and the house of God.

for they have taken of their daughters, for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy seed have intermingled themselves among the peoples of the lands, - and, the hand of the rulers and the deputies, hath, in this unfaithfulness, been, foremost.

Then arose Ezra and made the rulers of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel, swear to do according to this word - and they sware.

Then made they a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem, unto all the Sons of the Exile, to gather themselves together unto Jerusalem;

But the Sons of the Exile, did thus, and Ezra the priest separated to himself certain men - ancestral heads by their ancestral houses, and all of them by name, - and they took their seats on the first day of the tenth month to search into the matter;

and they made an end with all the men who had married foreign women, - by the first day of the first month.

and they gave their hand, that they would put away their wives, - and, being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their guilt.