And therefore, if it seems good to the king, let there be search made in the king's treasure house there at Babylon, whether it is so that a decree was given from Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem. And let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter.

And Tatnai, governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-boznai, and your companions, the officials Beyond the River, keep away from there.

Also I make a decree as to what you shall do to the elders of these Jews for the building of this house of God, that at once expense be given to these men from the king's goods, from the tax Beyond the River, so that they may not have to stop.

Also I have made a decree that whoever shall alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his house and be set up, and let him be hanged on it. And let his house be made a dunghill for this.

And the sons of Israel ate, all who had come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves to them from the uncleanness of the nations of the land, in order to seek Jehovah, the God of Israel.

this Ezra went up from Babylon. And he was a ready scribe in the Law of Moses, which Jehovah, the God of Israel had given. And the king granted him all he asked, according to the hand of Jehovah his God on him.

For on the first of the first month he began to go up from Babylon, and on the first of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God on him.

From me was made a decree that everyone of the people of Israel, and their priests and Levites in my kingdom, who desire of their own free will to go up to Jerusalem, go with you;

These are now the chief of their fathers, and the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king.

From the sons of Phinehas; Gershom. From the sons of Ithamar, Daniel. From the sons of David, Hattush.

From the sons of Shechaniah, from the sons of Parosh, Zechariah. And with him were counted by genealogy of the males a hundred and fifty.

From the sons of Pahath-moab, Eli-hoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males.

From the sons of Shechaniah, the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males.

From the sons also of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males.

And from the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males.

And from the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him eighty males.

From the sons of Joab; Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males.

And from the sons of Shelomith, the son of Josiphiah, and with him a hundred and sixty males.

And from the sons of Bebai; Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty eight males.

And from the sons of Azgad; Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him a hundred and ten males.

And from the last sons of Adonikam, these: Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them sixty males.

From the sons also of Bigvai; Uthai, and Zabbud, and with them seventy males.

And by the good hand of our God on us they brought us a man of understanding, from the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brothers, eighteen;

and Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah from the sons of Merari, his brothers and their sons, twenty;

Then I called a fast there at the river Ahava, so that we might humble ourselves before our God, in order to seek from Him a right way for us and for our little ones, and for all our goods.

And we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. And the hand of our God was on us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and from ambushers by the way.

And at the end of these things, the rulers came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands. But they are doing according to their abominations, those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.

And at the evening sacrifice I rose up from my affliction. And tearing my garment and my mantle, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to Jehovah my God.

And now for a little time grace has been shown from Jehovah our God, to leave us a remnant to escape and to give us a nail in His holy place, so that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a little life in our bondage.

which You commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, The land into which you go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations which have filled it from one end to the other with their uncleanness.

And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra, We have sinned against our God and have taken strange women from the people of the land. Yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.

Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God and went into the room of Johanan the son of Eliashib. And he went there, and he ate no bread nor drank water. For he mourned because of the sin of those who had been exiled.

and that who ever would not come within three days, according to the advice of the rulers and the elders, all he owned would be lost, and he himself separated from the congregation of the exiles.

And now confess to Jehovah, the God of your fathers, and do His pleasure. And separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange women.

And let our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all those who have taken strange women in our cities, come at a set time, and with them the elders of every city and its judges, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter has turned from us.

And among the sons of the priests, these were found who had taken strange women: From the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers were Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah.

And from the sons of Immer were Hanani and Zebadiah.

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

And from the sons of Pashur were Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad, and Elasah.

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

And from the singers: Eliashib; and from the gatekeepers, Shallum and Telem and Uri.

And from Israel: From the sons of Parosh, Ramiah, and Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Miamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah and Benaiah.

And from the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Eliah.

And from the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza.

And from the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, Athlai.

And from the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth.

And from the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel, and Binnui, and Manasseh.

And from the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,

From the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattathah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, Shimei.

From the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, and Uel,

From the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jadau, and Joel, Benaiah.

but if you turn to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though you were cast out to the outermost part of the heavens, yet I will gather you from there and will bring you to the place that I have chosen to set My name there.

Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph repaired, even across from his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabniah repaired.

And the Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallum the son of Colhozeh, the ruler of part of Mizpah. He built it and covered it, and set up its doors, its locks, and its bars, and the wall of the Pool of Shelah by the King's Garden, and to the stairs that go down from the City of David.

After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of the half part of Beth-zur, repaired across from the tombs of David, and to the pool that was made, and to the house of the mighty men.

And next to him, Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, repaired another piece across from the ascent to the armory at the corner.

After him Baruch the son of Zabbai earnestly repaired the other piece, from the corner to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest.

After him Meremoth the son of Urijah the son of Koz repaired another piece, from the door of the house of Eliashib even to the end of the house of Eliashib.

After him Benjamin and Hashub repaired across from their house. After him Azariah the son of Maaseiah the son of Ananiah repaired by his house.

After him Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another piece, from the house of Azariah to the corner even to the tower.

Palal the son of Uzai repaired across from the corner, and the tower which lies out from the king's high house, by the court of the prison. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh repaired.

And the temple-slaves who lived in Ophel repaired across from the Water Gate toward the east, and the tower that sticks out.

The priests repaired from above the Horse Gate, every one across from his house.

After them Zadok the son of Immer repaired across from his house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, repaired.

After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph repaired another piece. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah repaired across from his room.

After him Malchiah the goldsmith's son repaired to the place of the temple-slaves, and of the merchants, across from the Miphkad Gate, and to the going up of the corner.

And do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You. For they have provoked You to anger before the builders.

And it happened when the Jews who lived near them came in, they said to us ten times, From all places where you shall turn to us, they will be against us.

And it was from that time forth that half of my servants worked in the work, and the other half of them held the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the scale-armor. And the rulers were behind all the house of Judah,

And I said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, far from one another.

And we labored in the work. And half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared.

And my heart within myself ruled, and I rebuked the nobles and the rulers, and said to them, You exact interest, each one from his brother. And I held a great gathering against them.

And also I, my brothers and my servants, might take from them silver and grain. Please let us leave this lending at interest.

Please even today give back to them their lands, their vineyards, their olive-yards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money and of the grain, the wine, and the oil, that you take from them.

And they said, We will restore, and will ask nothing from them. So we will do as you say. Then I called the priests and took an oath from them that they should do according to this promise.

Also I shook my lap and said, So let God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, who does not keep this promise, even may he be shaken out this way and emptied. And all the congregation said, amen, and praised Jehovah. And the people did according to this promise.

And from the time that I was chosen to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, I and my brothers have not eaten the bread of the governor.

But the former governors that had been before me were too heavy upon the people, and had taken bread and wine from them, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people. But I did not do this, because of the fear of God.

And at my table were a hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, besides those who came to us from among the nations around us.

For they all were alarmers of us, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work so that it may not be done. And now, O God, make my hands strong.

And I said to them, Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while they stand by, let them shut and bar the doors. And set guards from the people of Jerusalem, each one in his watch, and each one to be across from his house.

And these were they who went up from Tel-melah, Tel-haresha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer. But they could not show their father's house, nor their seed, whether they were of Israel:

These sought their register among those who were reckoned by genealogy, but it was not found. Therefore they were put out, as defiled from the priesthood.

And he read in it before the street in front of the Water Gate from the morning until noon, in front of the men and the women, and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people listened to the Book of the Law.

Also day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read in the Book of the Law of God. And they kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth was an assembly, according to the Law.

And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins and the sins of their fathers.

And You came down on Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from Heaven, and gave them right judgments and true laws, good statutes and commandments.

And You gave them bread from the heavens for their hunger, and brought forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst. And You promised them that they should go in to possess the land which You had sworn to give them.

yet You in Your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day to lead them in the way, nor the pillar of fire by night, to show them light and the way in which they should go.

You also gave Your good Spirit to teach them, and did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst.

And You delivered them into the hand of their enemies, who troubled them. And in the time of their trouble, they cried to You, and You heard from Heaven. And according to Your manifold mercies, You gave them deliverers, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.

But after they had rest, they did evil again before You, and You left them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the rule over them. But they returned and cried to You, and You heard from Heaven. And many times You delivered them according to Your mercies,

For they have not served You in their kingdom, and in Your great goodness which You gave them, and in the large and rich land which You gave before them, and they did not turn from their wicked works.

And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple-slaves, and all those who had separated from the people of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters (everyone who had knowledge, and who had understanding),

And if the people of the land should bring goods or any food on the Sabbath day to sell it, that we would not buy it from them on the Sabbath or on the holy day, and that we would leave the seventh year, and the interest of every debt.

And at Jerusalem lived certain of the sons of Judah, and of the sons of Benjamin. From the sons of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalaleel, of the sons of Perez,

From the priests were Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin,

And from the Levites were Shemaiah the son of Hashub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni.

Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, at Lachish, and the fields of it, at Azekah, and in its villages. And they lived from Beer-sheba to the valley of Hinnom.

And the sons of Benjamin from Geba lived at Michmash, and Aija, and Bethel, and their villages,