And of the children of the priests: The children of Habaiah, the children of Hakkoz, the children of Barzillai, which took one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite to wife, and was counted among the same names:

The whole congregation as one man, was two and forty thousand, three hundred and threescore;

And the altar set they upon his sockets - for there was a fearfulness among them because of the nations and the lands - and offered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD, in the morning and at evening.

Upon the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt sacrifices unto the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid.

And they sang together, giving praise and thanks unto the LORD; because he is gracious, and because his mercy endureth forever upon Israel. And all the people shouted loud in praising the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.

Many also of the old priests and Levites and ancient fathers which had seen the first house - when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes - wept with a loud voice. And many shouted with joy,

so that the noise gave a great sound, insomuch that the people could not know the joyful sound for the noise of the weeping among the people: for the people shouted with a loud cry, so that the noise was heard afar off.

But when Ahasuerus was king, even in the beginning of his reign, they wrote unto him a complaint against the inhabiters of Judah and Jerusalem.

And in the time of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the others of their counsel wrote unto Artaxerxes the king of Persia. But the scripture of the letter was written in the Syrians speech, and was interpreted in the language of the Syrians.

That it may be sought in the Chronicles of thy progenitors, and so shalt thou find in the same Chronicles, and perceive, that this city is seditious and noisome unto kings and lands, and that they cause others also to rebel of the old, and for the same cause was this city destroyed.

There have been mighty kings also at Jerusalem which have reigned over all that is beyond the water, and toll, tribute and a yearly custom was given unto them.

Now when king Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe and their counsel, they went up in all the haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and forbade them with violence and power.

At the same time came to them Tattenai, which was the captain on this side the water, and Shetharbozenai, and their counselors, and said thus unto them, "Who hath commanded you to build this house, and to make up the walls thereof?"

But the eye of their God came upon the Elders of the Jews, that they were not inhibited, till the matter was brought before Darius, and till there came a writing thereof again.

But they answered us with these words, and said, 'We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was builded many years ago, which a great king of Israel builded and set up.

So at Ecbatana, in a castle that lieth in the land of the Medes, there was found a book, and in it was there an act written after this manner:

And the house was finished the third day of the month Adar, even in the sixth year of the reign of king Darius.

This Ezra was a perfect scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel did give. And the king gave him all that he required, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.

And this is the copy of the letter, that king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, which was a teacher in the words of the LORD and of his statutes over Israel:

and hath inclined his mercy unto me in the presence of the king, and his counselors, and before all the king's high estates. And I was comforted, according to the hand of the LORD my God over me, and so gathered I the heads of Israel together, that they might go up with me.

For I was ashamed to require of the king, soldiers and horsemen, to help us against the enemy in the way. For we had said unto the king, "The hand of our God is upon all them that seek him in goodness, and his violence and wrath is upon all them that forsake him."

So we brake up, from the water of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and delivered us from the hand of the enemies and of such as laid wait for us by the way.

But on the fourth day was the silver and gold and vessels weighed in the house of our God under the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him Eleazar the son of Phinehas, and with them Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, the Levites,

according to the number and weight of every one. And the weight was all written up at the same time.

Then all this was performed, the rulers came to me, and said, "The people of Israel, and the priests, and Levites are not separated from the nations in the lands as touching their abominations, namely of the Cananites, Hittites, Perezites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.