In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, to fulfil the word of Yahweh from the mouth of Jeremiah, Yahweh aroused the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, and he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, moreover also in writing, saying:

Thus, saith Cyrus, king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth, hath Yahweh God of the heavens, given to me, - and, he himself, hath laid charge upon me, to build for him a house, in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

Who is there among you of all his people? His God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, - and build the house of Yahweh God of Israel, (he, is God!) which is in Jerusalem;

And, whosoever is left, of all the places where he doth sojourn, let the men of his place uphold him, with silver and with gold, and with goods and with beasts, - along with a voluntary offering for the house of God, which is in Jerusalem.

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.

All the utensils, in gold and silver, were five thousand and four hundred, - the whole, did Sheshbazzar bring up with the upbringing of the exile, out of Babylon unto Jerusalem.

The sons of the door-keepers, The sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, - in all, a hundred and thirty-nine.

All the Nethinim, and the Sons of the Servants of Solomon, were three hundred and ninety-two.

All the gathered host together, was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty;

So the priests and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers and the doorkeepers and the Nethinim, took up their abode, in their cities, - and, all Israel, in their cities.

and, afterwards, the continual ascending-sacrifice, and, on the new moons, and on all the appointed seasons of Yahweh, the hallowed things, - also for every one that volunteered a voluntary offering unto Yahweh.

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.

Now, in the second year of their coming in unto the house of God, to Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak and the rest of their brethren - the priests and the Levites, and all that were come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, and stationed the Levites, of twenty years old and upwards, to preside over the work of the house of Yahweh.

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.

But Zerubbabel and Joshua and the rest of the ancestral chiefs of Israel, said unto them, It pertaineth not to you and to us in common , to build a house unto our God, - but, we ourselves together, will build unto Yahweh, God of Israel, even as King Cyrus, king of Persia, hath commanded us.

and hiring against them counselors, to overturn their purpose, - all the days of Cyrus, king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius, king of Persia.

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.

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?

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

Then asked we of these elders, thus, we said to them, - Who hath issued to you an edict, this house, to build, and, this wall, to complete?

And, whatever may be the need - whether young bullocks or rams or lambs for ascending-sacrifices unto the God of the heavens, wheat, salt, wine or oil, according to the command of the priests who are in Jerusalem, - that it he given to them day by day, without fail;

and offered, for the dedication of this house of God, bullocks, one hundred, rams, two hundred, lambs, four hundred, - and, he-goats, as a sin-offering for all Israel, twelve, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

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.

Therefore the sons of Israel who had returned from the Exile and all who had separated themselves from the impurity of the nations of the land unto them, did eat, - to seek Yahweh, God of Israel;

this Ezra, came up out of Babylon, he, being a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which Yahweh God of Israel had given, - and the king gave him, according to the hand of Yahweh his God upon him, all his request.

and all the silver and the gold, which thou shalt find, in all the province of Babylon, - with the freewill offering of the people and of the priests offered willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem,

therefore, with all diligence, shalt thou buy - with this silver - bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meal-offerings, and their drink-offerings, - and shalt offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem;

And, from me myself, Artaxerxes the king, issueth an edict, to all the treasurers who are Beyond the River, - that, whatsoever Ezra the priest the scribe of the law of the God of the heavens shall ask of you, with diligence, shall it be done:

unto a hundred talents of silver, and unto a hundred measures of wheat, and unto a hundred baths of wine, and unto a hundred baths of oil, - and salt without limit.

And, thou, Ezra, according to the wisdom of thy God that is in thy hand, appoint thou judges and magistrates, who shall administer justice to all the people that are Beyond the River, to all who know the law of thy God, - and, whoso knoweth not, ye shall teach.

and, unto me, hath extended lovingkindness, before the king and his counselors, yea all the valiant captains of the king, - I, therefore have emboldened myself, according to the hand of Yahweh my God upon me, and gathered out of Israel, chief men, to go up with me.

and, of the Nethinim whom David and the rulers had given for the service of the Levites, Nethinim, two hundred and twenty, - all of them, expressed by name.

Then proclaimed I there a fast, by the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, - to seek of him a smooth way, for us and for our little ones, and for all our substance.

For I was ashamed to ask of the king, a band of soldiers and horsemen, to help us against the enemy in the way, because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God, is upon all who seek him, for good, But, his power and his anger, are against all who forsake him.

and weighed unto them, the silver and the gold, and the utensils, - the heave-offering for the house of our God, which the king and his counselors and his rulers and all Israel who were present, had offered:

by the number and by the weight of the whole, - and all the weight, was written down, at that time.

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, unto me, were gathered, all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, concerning the unfaithfulness of them who had been exiled, - but, I, sat stunned, until the evening gift.

For, bondmen, we are, but, in our bondage, hath our God not forsaken us, - but extended unto us lovingkindness before the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up on high the house of our God, to raise up the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.

And, after all that hath come upon us, for our wicked doings, and for our great guilt - For, thou, O our God, hast spared us, punishing us less than our iniquities deserved, and hast given us a deliverance such as this,

Now, therefore, let us solemnize a covenant unto our God - to put away all the women and such as have been born of them, in the counsel of my lord, and them who tremble at the commandment of our God, - and, according to the law, let it be done.

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;

and, whosoever should not come within three days, according to the counsel of the rulers and the elders, all his goods should be devoted, - and, himself, be separated from the convocation of them of the Exile.

Then were gathered together all the men of Judah and Benjamin unto Jerusalem, within three days, the same, was the ninth month, on the twentieth of the month, - and all the people remained in the broadway of the house of God, trembling concerning the thing, and because of the heavy rains.

Then responded all the convocation and said, with a loud voice, - Thus, according to thy word concerning us, must it be done.

Let, we beseech thee, our rulers take up their station for all the convocation, and, all who, throughout our cities, have married foreign women, let them come in at times appointed, and, with them, the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the glow of the anger of our God be turned from us, concerning this matter.

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.

Of the sons of Bani, Maadai, Amram, and Uel;

All these, had taken foreign women, - and had begotten of them children.