Thus said Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth Jehovah gave to me, the God of the heavens; and he charged upon me to build for him a house in Jerusalem which is in Judah.

Who among you from all his people? His God shall be with him, and he shall go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and he shall build the house of Jehovah God of Israel, (he is the God) Which is in Jerusalem.

And every one being left in all the places where he sojourned there, the men of his place shall lift him up with silver and with gold, and with substance, and with cattle, with a voluntary gift to the house of God which is in Jerusalem.

And there will rise up the heads to the fathers to Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites to all God roused up his spirit, to go up to build the house of Jehovah which is in Jerusalem.

The sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai,

All the convocation as one, four myriads two thousand three hundred and sixty,

And from the heads of the fathers in their coming to the house of Jehovah which is in Jerusalem, gave willingly to the house of God to cause it to stand upon its foundation:

And the seventh month will draw near, and the sons of Israel in the cities, and the people will gather together as one man to Jerusalem.

And Joshua the son of Josedek, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and they will build the altar of the God of Israel, to bring up upon it burnt-offerings as written in the law of Moses the man of God.

And they will do the festival of tents as written, and the burnt-offerings of a day in a day, in number according to judgment, the word of a day in its day.

And Joshua will stand, his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, as one, to superintend over the doing of the work in the house of God: the sons of Henadad their sons, and their brethren the Levites.

And they will answer in praising and in confessing to Jehovah, for he is good, for his mercy forever upon Israel. And all the people shouted a great shout in praising to Jehovah, for the foundation of the house of Jehovah.

And they will come near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of the fathers, and they will say to them, We will build with you: for like you we will seek for your God: for we sacrifice not from the days of Esa-Haddon king of Assur bringing us up hither.

And to them Zerubbabel will say, and Joshua, and the rest of the heads of the fathers to Israel, Not to you and to us to build a house to our God; for we together will build to Jehovah God of Israel, as the king Cyrus king of Persia commanded us.

To be known to the king that the Jews who went up from with thee to us, came to Jerusalem, building the perverse and bad city, and they completed its wall, and they will repair its foundations.

Now for the cause that we were salted with the salt of the temple, and not being fit to us to see the king's nakedness, for this we sent and made known to the king;

And the king sent word to Rehum, lord of judgment, and to Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues who dwelt in Shomeron, and the rest beyond the river, Peace and as now.

The epistle that ye sent to us being read distinctly before me.

At that time ceased the work of the house of God which is in Jerusalem. And it was ceasing even till two years to the kingdom of Darius king of Persia.

At that time rose up Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Joshua son of Josedek, and began to build the house of God that is in Jerusalem: and with them the prophets of God upholding to them.

And thus they returned us word, saying, We are the servants of the God of the heavens and the earth, and build the house that was built of old these many years, and a great king to Israel built and completed.

And also the vessels of the house of God of gold and of silver, that Nebuchadnezzar brought forth from the temple that is in Jerusalem, and brought them to the temple of Babel, Cyrus the king brought them forth from the temple of Babel, and they were given to Sheshbazzar his name that he set up prefect;

And he said to him, Lift up these vessels, go bring them into the temple that is in Jerusalem, and the house of God shall be built upon its place.

Then this Sheshbazzar came, he set the foundations of the house of God that is in Jerusalem: and from that time even till now, being built and not finished.

And now if good to the king he shall seek in the house of the king's treasure there that is in Babel, if it be that from Cyrus the king a decree was set up to build this house of God in Jerusalem, and the king will send the will to us concerning this.

And also the vessels of the house of God of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar brought forth from the temple that is in Jerusalem, and brought to Babel, shall be restored, and shall go to the temple that is in Jerusalem, to its place, and be taken into the house of God.

And God who shall cause his name to dwell there shall cast down every king and people that shall send forth his hand to change, to destroy this house of God that is in Jerusalem. I Darius set up a decree; it shall be done speedily.

And they set up the priests in their division, and the Levites in their classes, for the work of God which is in Jerusalem; according to the writing of the book of Moses.

For the priests and Levites were purified as one, all of them being purified; and they will slaughter the pass-over for all the sons of the exile, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.

Son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki,

For the cause that being sent from before the king and the seven counselors to seek concerning Judah and for Jerusalem, by the law of thy God that is in thy hand;

And all the silver and gold that thou shalt find in all the province of Babel, with the voluntary gifts of the people and the priests giving willingly to the house of their God that is in Jerusalem:

For this cause speedily shalt thou buy with this silver, oxen, rams, lambs, with their gifts and their libations, and thou shalt bring them near upon the altar of the house of your God that is in Jerusalem.

And thou Ezra, according to the wisdom of thy God that is in thy hand, appoint judges and tribunals to be judging for all the people that are beyond the river, to all knowing the laws of thy God; and those not knowing ye shall cause to know.

Praised be Jehovah the God of our fathers who gave according to this in the king's heart, to adorn the house of Jehovah which is in Jerusalem:

And I shall bring them forth to Iddo the head, with the silver of the place, and I shall set words in their mouth to speak to Iddo, his brethren the Nethinims, with the silver of the place, to bring to us those serving to the house of our God.

And they will bring to us according to the good hand of our God upon us a man of understanding from the sons of Mahli, son of Levi, son of Israel; and Sherebiah, and his sons and his brethren, eighteen.

And I shall call a fast there, upon the river Ahava, to humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a straight way for us and for our little ones, and for all our substance.

For I was ashamed to ask from the king strength and horsemen to help us from the enemy in the way: for we said to the king, saying, The hand of our God upon all seeking him for good; and his strength and his anger against all forsaking him.

And we will fast and seek of our God concerning this; and he will be entreated for us.

And twenty goblets of gold to a thousand darics: and different vessels of good shining brass, desirable as gold.

And we removed from the river Ahava in the twelfth to the first month, to go to Jerusalem: and the band of our God was upon us and he will deliver us from the hand of the enemy, and of him lying in wait upon the way.

From the days of our fathers we are in a great trespass even to this day; and in our iniquities we were given, we, our kings, our priests, into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity and to plunder, and to shame of face as this day.

And now for a little moment grace was from Jehovah our God to leave to us an escaping, and to give to us a nail in his holy place, for our God to enlighten our eyes and to give us a little preservation of our life in our servitude.

For we are servants; and in our servitude God forsook us not, and he extended to us mercy before the kings of Persia, to give to us the preservation of life to set up the house of our God, and to cause its desolations to stand, and to give to us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.

And after all coming upon us for our evil deeds, and in our great guilt, for thou our God didst withhold below our iniquities, and didst give to us an escaping according to this.

Shall we turn back to break thy commands and to contract marriage with the people of these abonminations? Wilt thou not be angry with us even to finishing, for not a remaining and escaping.

O Jehovah God of Israel, thou art just: for we remained an escaping as this day: behold us before thee in our guilts; for not to stand before thee for

And as Ezra prayed, and as he confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there were gathered to him from Israel a very great convocation of men and women and children: for the people wept a great weeping.

And Shecaniah son of Jehiel, from the sons of Elam, will answer and say to Ezra, We transgressed against our God, and we were dwelling with strange wives from the people of the land: and now there is hope to Israel concerning this.

And all the convocation will answer and say, with a great voice, So to do according to thy words to us.

And our chiefs to all the convocation shall stand now, and all who in our cities dwelt with strange wives, shall come at the appointed times, and with them the old men of city and city, and its judges, until the turning back the burning of the anger of our God from us even for this word.

And from the sons of Harim: Maaseiah and Elijah and Shemaiah and Jehiel, and Uzziah.

And from the Levites: Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah (this is Kelita) Pethahiah, Judah and Eleazar.

All these took strange wives: and there is from them wives, and sons will be produced.