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.

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.

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:

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

and said to him - These utensils, take, go carry them into the temple that is in Jerusalem, - and let, the house of God, be built in its place.

Now, therefore, if, unto the king, it seem good, let search be made in the treasure-house of the king which is there, in Babylon, whether it be so, that, from Cyrus the king, issued an edict, to build this house of God, in Jerusalem, - and, the pleasure of the king concerning this, let him send unto us.

And, from me, is issued an edict, that, any man who shall alter this message, let timber be torn out of his house, and being lifted up let him be fastened thereunto, - and his house, a dunghill, be made for this;

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.

For, on the first of the first month, was a beginning made of coming up from Babylon, - and, on the first of the fifth month, entered he into Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.

From me, is issued an edict, that, every one in my kingdom, of the people of Israel, and of their priests and the Levites, who is minded of his own freewill to go to Jerusalem, with thee, let him go.

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.

Of the sons of Shecaniah, of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah, - and, with him - by genealogical registry of males, a hundred and fifty:

Of the sons of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai, son of Zerahiah, - and, with him, two hundred males;

Of the sons of Zattu, Shecaniah, the son of Jehaziel, - and, with him, three hundred males;

And, of the sons of Adin, Ebed, son of Jonathan, - and, with him, fifty males;

And, of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah, son of Athaliah, - and, with him, seventy males;

And, of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah, son of Michael, - and, with him, eighty males;

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

And, of the sons of Bani, Shelomith, son of Josiphiah, - and, with him, a hundred and sixty males;

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

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

And, of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zabbud, - and, with him, seventy males.

and Hashabiah, and, with him, Jeshaiah, of the sons of Merari, - his brethren and their sons, twenty;

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, 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 Ezra had prayed and when he had made confession, weeping and casting himself down, before the house of God, there gathered unto him out of Israel, an exceeding large convocation - men and women and children, for the people wept with a very bitter weeping.