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:

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.

And, these, were the numbers of them, - basins of gold, thirty, basins of silver, a thousand, knives, twenty-nine;

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.

Now, these, are the sons of the province, who came up from among the captives of the exile, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon exiled to Babylon, - who came back unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his own city;

The sons of Arah, seven hundred and seventy-five;

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

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;

besides, their men-servants and their maid-servants who were these, seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven, - and there pertained to them, singing men and singing women, two hundred:

their horses, were seven hundred and thirty-six, - their mules, two hundred and forty-five;

But, when the seventh month was come, and the sons of Israel were in cities, then did the people gather themselves together as one man, unto Jerusalem.

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.

But, many of the priests and the Levites and the ancestral chiefs, who were old men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, were weeping with a loud voice, - many, however, shouting and rejoicing, with voice raised on high;

Now, when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard - that, the Sons of the Exile, were building the temple, unto Yahweh, God of Israel,

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.

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.

Then came it to pass, that, the people of the land, were weakening the hands of the people of Judah, - and troubling them in building;

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.

The king sent, a message, unto Rehum holder of judicial authority, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, who were dwelling in Samaria, and the rest Beyond the River, Peace and so forth.

Then ceased the work of the house of God, which was in Jerusalem, - yea it did cease, until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Then were moved to prophesy, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah son of Iddo, the prophets, unto the Jews who were in Judaea and in Jerusalem, - in the name of the God of Israel, unto them.

Then arose - Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God, which was in Jerusalem, - and, with them, were the prophets of God, strengthening them.

Then, after this manner, spake we unto them, - What are the names of these men, who, this building, do rear?

A copy of the letter which Tattenai pasha Beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai, and his associates, the Apharsachites, who were Beyond the Rivet, sent unto Darius the king:

Yea, their names also, asked we of them, to certify thee, - that we might write the name, of the men who are at their head.

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.

But, after that our fathers had provoked the God of the heavens to wrath, he delivered them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, - and, this house, he destroyed, and, the people, he exiled to Babylon.

Howbeit, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king, issued an edict, this house of God, to build.

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;

Now, therefore, Tattenai pasha Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates, the Apharsachites, who are Beyond the River, - be ye far from thence:

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, the God who hath caused his Name to dwell there, destroy any king or people, who shall put forth their hand to alter to destroy this house of God, which is in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued an edict, forthwith, let it be done.

And this house was finished, by the third day of the month Adar, - the which was the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

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 then there came up some of the sons of Israel, and some of the priests and the Levites and the singers and the doorkeepers and the Nethinim, unto Jerusalem, - in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.

And he entered Jerusalem, in the fifth month, - the same, was the seventh year of the king.

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, whatsoever, unto thee and unto thy brethren, shall seem good, with the rest of the silver and the gold, to do, according to the pleasure of your God, shall ye do.

And, the utensils which are freely given to thee for the service of the house of thy God, put thou back, before the God of 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:

And, you, we do certify, that, as touching any of the priests or the Levites, the singers, the doorkeepers, the Nethinim, or the servitors of this house of God, tribute, excise or toll, shall it not be competent to impose upon them.

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.

But, whosoever shall not do the law of thy God and the law of the king, speedily, let, penalty, be exacted from him, - whether to death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.

Blessed be Yahweh, God of our fathers, - who hath put the like of this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of Yahweh, which is in Jerusalem;

Now, these, are their ancestral heads, and their genealogical register, - even of those who came up with me, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king, out of Babylon: -

And I sent them forth unto Iddo the chief, at the place Casiphia, - and I put into their mouth words, to speak unto Iddo and his brethren the Nethinim, at the place Casiphia, to bring unto us attendants for the house of our God.

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;

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.

So we fasted and sought of our God, concerning this, - and he suffered himself to be entreated by us.

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:

Then said I unto them, Ye, are hallowed unto Yahweh, and, the utensils, are hallowed, - and, the silver and the gold, are a freewill offering, unto Yahweh, God of your fathers:

So the priests and the Levites accepted the weight of the silver and the gold, and the utensils, - to bring to Jerusalem, unto the house of our God.

Then brake we up from the river of Ahava, on the twelfth of the first month, to journey unto Jerusalem, - and, the hand of our God, was upon us, and he delivered us from the grasp of the enemy and of the lier in wait, by the way.

And, on the fourth day, was weighed - the silver and the gold and the utensils, in the house of our God, unto the hand of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest, and, with him, was Eleazar son of Phinehas, - and, with them, were Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui, Levites:

Now, when these things were ended, the rulers drew near unto me, saying, The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not kept themselves separate from the peoples of the lands, - in view of their abominations-even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites;

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.

and said, O my God, I turn pale and am ashamed, to lift up, O my God, my face unto thee, - for, our iniquities, have multiplied above the head, and our guilt hath magnified itself unto the heavens.

Since the days of our fathers, we, have been in great guilt, until this day, - and, for our iniquities, have we been given up - we, our kings, our priests, - into the hand of the kings of the lands, by sword and by captivity and by spoiling and by a turning pale of face, as at this day.

And, now, for a very little moment, hath come favour from Yahweh our God, in leaving to us a remnant to escape, and in giving to us a nail in his holy place, - that our God may enlighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.

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.

But, now, what can we say, O our God, after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,

which thou didst command by the hand of thy servants the prophets, saying, As for the land which, ye, are entering to possess, an impure land, it is, with the impurity of the peoples of the lands, - with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to the other, with their uncleanness.

Now, therefore, your daughters, do not ye give to their sons, and, their daughters, do not ye take for your sons, neither shall ye seek their prosperity nor their pleasure unto times age-abiding, - to the end ye may become strong, and may eat the good of the land, and may suffer your children to possess I, unto times age-abiding.

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,

O Yahweh, God of Israel, righteous thou art, for we have had left us a deliverance as at this day, - here we are, before thee, in our guilty deeds, for there is no standing before thee, because of this thing!

Then responded Shecaniah son of Jehiel of the sons of Elam, and said unto Ezra, We, have been faithful with our God, and have married foreign women from among the peoples of the land, - yet, now, there is hope for Israel concerning this thing.

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.

Arise, for, upon thee, resteth the thing, but, we, are with thee, - be strong, and act.

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.

Now, therefore, make confession unto Yahweh God of your fathers, and do his pleasure, - and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the foreign women.

Nevertheless, the people, are many, and, the season, is that of the heavy rains, and we are not able to stand outside, - and, the business, is not one for a single day, nor yet for two, for we have abundantly transgressed, in this thing.

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.

Now there were found, of the sons of the priests, who had married foreign women, - of the sons of Jeshua son of Jozadak, and his brethren, Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah;

And, of the singers, Eliashib. And, of the doorkeepers, Shallum and Telem and Uri.