CHAPTER 8
1 And after this, while Artaxerxes, king of Persia, reigned, there went to Ezra, a man that was the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, son of Shallum,
2 son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, the first priest.
3 This Ezra went up from Babylon, when he was scribe, and witting in the law of Moses, the which was given of the Lord of Israel, to say it and do it[or to say and to do].
4 And the king gave to him glory, that he had found grace in all dignity, and in desire [or and desire], in the sight of him.
5 And there went up with him into Jerusalem of the sons of Israel, both priests, and deacons [or Levites], and holy singers of the temple, and ushers, and servants of the temple.
6 In the seventh year reigning Artaxerxes, in the fifth month, this is the seventh year of the realm [or the reign], going out forsooth from Babylon in the new moon of the fifth month, they came to Jerusalem, after the behests of him, when the prosperity of the way was granted [or given] to them of that Lord.
7 In these things forsooth Ezra wielded great discipline, lest he passed anything of those things that were of the law of the Lord, and of the behests, and in teaching all Israel all rightwiseness and doom.
8 They forsooth that write the writings of king Artaxerxes, coming nigh, took writing that, that came from king Artaxerxes to Ezra, the priest, and reader of the law of the Lord, the ensample of the which thing written is set next after [or is laid under].
9 King Artaxerxes to Ezra, the priest, and reader of the law of the Lord, sendeth greetings.
10 More benign I deeming also to benefits, commanded to them that desire of the folk of Jews their own things willfully, and of the priests, and of deacons [or Levites], that be in my realm, to fellowship with thee into Jerusalem.
11 Then if any covet to go with thee, come they together, and go they forth, as it pleaseth to me, and to my seven friends counsellors;
12 that they visit those things, that be done after Judea and Jerusalem, keeping the law, as thou hast in the law of the Lord;
13 and bear they gifts to the Lord of Israel, whom I knew, and the friends of Jerusalem, and all the gold and the silver [or all the gold and silver], that were found in the realm of Babylon, be it borne to the Lord in Jerusalem,
14 with that that is given of those folk in the temple of the Lord, of them that is in Jerusalem; that this gold be gathered and silver [or that be gathered this gold and silver], to bulls, and wethers, and to lambs, and kids, and that to these be covenable;
15 that they offer hosts to the Lord, upon the altar of the Lord of them, that is in Jerusalem.
16 And all things whatever thou wilt do with thy brethren, perform it with gold and silver, for thy will, after the behest of the Lord thy God.
17 And the sacred holy vessels, the which were given to thee, to the works of the Lord’s house, thy God, that is in Jerusalem,
18 and other things, whatever will help to the works of the temple of thy God, thou shalt give it of the king’s treasury, when thou wilt make the work with thy brethren, with gold and silver; and perform thou all things after the will of thy Lord.
19 And I, king Artaxerxes, have commanded to [the] keepers of the treasures of Syria and of Phoenicia, that whatever things Ezra, the priest, and reader of the law of the Lord, write for, busily be it given to him,
20 unto an hundred talents of silver, also and of gold [or like manner and of gold]; and unto an hundred bushels of wheat, and an hundred vessels of wine, and other things, whatever abound, without taxing.
21 All things be done unto the highest God, after the law of God, lest peradventure wrath arise up in the realm of the king, and of his son, and of the sons of him.
22 To you forsooth it was said, that to all the priests, and deacons [or Levites], and to holy singers, and servants of the temple, and to scribes of this temple, no tribute, nor any other forfending be borne to them, nor have there any man power to against-cast anything to them.
23 Thou forsooth, Ezra, after the wisdom of God ordain doomsmen and arbitrators, in all Syria and Phoenicia, and teach all that know the law of thy God;
24 that how many ever [over-] pass the law, they be busily punished, or by death, or by torment, or also by mulcting, or punishing, of money, or by departing [or severing] away.
25 And Ezra, the scribe, said, Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, that gave this will into the heart of the king, to clarify his house, that is in Jerusalem;
26 and hath worshipped me in sight of the king, and of his counsellors, and of his friends, and of his purpled men.
27 And I am made steadfast in inwit, after the helping of the Lord our God; and I gathered of Israel men, that they should go up together with me.
28 And these be the provosts, after their countries, and apportional prince-hoods of them, that with me went up from Babylon, in the realm of Artaxerxes.
29 Of the sons of Phinehas was Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Gamael; of the sons of David, Lettus, the son of Sechenias;
30 of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him be turned again an hundred men and fifty;
31 of the sons of Pahath-moab, Eliaonias, the son of Zaraeas, and with him two hundred men and fifty;
32 of the sons of Zathoe, Sechenias the son of Jezelus, and with him two hundred men and fifty; of the sons of Adin, Obeth the son of Jonathan, and with him two hundred men and fifty;
33 of the sons of Elam, Jessias the son of Gotholias, and with him seventy men;
34 of the sons of Sophotias, Zerahiah the son of Michael, and with him fourscore men;
35 of the sons of Joab, Abadias the son of Jezelus, and with him two hundred men and twelve;
36 of the sons of Bani, Assalimoth the son of Josiphiah, and with him an hundred men and sixty;
37 of the sons of Babi, Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him two hundred men and eight or twenty -eight men;
38 of the sons of Astath, Johanan the son of Hacatan, and with him an hundred men and ten;
39 of the sons of Adonikam, that be the last, and these be the names of them, Eliphalatus, Jeuel, and Samaeas, and with them seventy men;
40 (This verse is omitted in the original text.)
41 And I gathered them to the flood, that is said Theras and Methati; there we were three days, and I knew them.
42 And of the sons of priests and of Levites I found not there.
43 And I sent to Eleazar, and to Iduel, and Maasmas,
44 and Elnathan, and Samaeas, and Joribus, Nathan, Ennatas, Zechariah, [and] Mosollamus, the which were leaders and wise men.
45 And I said to them that they should come to Doldaeus, that was at the place of the treasury.
46 And I sent to them, that they should say to Doldaeus, and his brethren, and to them that were in the treasury, that they should send to us them that should use priesthood in the house of the Lord our God.
47 And they brought to us, after the strong hand of the Lord our God, wise men of the sons of Mahli, son of Levi, son of Israel, Asebebias, and sons, and brethren, that were eighteen;
48 Asebias, and Annunus, and Hosaeas, his brother, of the sons of Chanunaeus; and the sons of them, were twenty men.
49 And of them that served in the temple, the which David and they princes gave [or the which David gave, and they princes], to the working to the Levites, to the temple, of men serving, two hundred and twenty. The names of all be signified in scriptures.
50 And I vowed there fasting to young men, in the sight of the Lord, that I should seek of him a good way to us, and to them that were with us, of sons, and beasts, for espies.
51 Forsooth I shamed to ask of the king footmen and horsemen, in fellow-ship of grace, of keeping against our adversaries.
52 Forsooth we said to the king, For the virtue of the Lord shall be with them, that inwardly seek him in all effect.
53 And again we prayed the Lord our God, after these things, whom also we had benignly; and we be made whole to our God.
54 And I set apart of the provosts of the folk, and of the priests of the temple, twelve men, and Sarabias, and Asamias, and ten men with them of their brethren.
55 And I weighed to them silver and gold, and priests’ vessels, of the house of the Lord our God, the which the king had given, and his counsellors, and princes, and all Israel.
56 And when I had peised it, I took an hundred talents of silver and fifty, and silvern vessels of an hundred talents, and of gold an hundred talents,
57 and of golden vessels sevenscore, and twelve brazen vessels of good shining metal, yielding the likeness of gold.
58 And I said to them, Both ye be holy to the Lord, and the vessels be holy, and the gold and the silver is of the avow to the Lord God of our fathers.
59 Wake ye, and keep it, till the time that ye take it of the provosts of the people, and of the priests, and of the deacons [or Levites], and of princes of the cities of Israel, and Jerusalem [or in Jerusalem], in the privy chamber of the house of our God.
60 And these priests and deacons [or Levites], that took gold and silver, and vessels, that were in Jerusalem, they brought those into the temple of the Lord.
61 And we moved forth from the flood of Theras, the twelfth day of the first month, till that we went into Jerusalem.
62 And when the third day was done, the fourth day forsooth the peised gold and silver was betaken into the house of the Lord our God, to Meremoth, the son of Uriah, the priest;
63 and with him was Eleazar, the son of Phinehas; and there were with them Jozabdus, the son of Jeshua, and Moeth, and Sabannus, the son of a deacon [or Levite]; all things at number and weight.
64 And the weight of them is written in the same hour.
65 Those forsooth, that came from the captivity, offered sacrifice of the Lord of Israel, twelve bulls for all Israel, fourscore wethers and six,
66 two and seventy lambs, twelve goats for sin, and twelve kine for health; all into the sacrifice of the Lord.
67 And again they read the behests of the king to the king’s dispensers, and to the little under-kings of Coelesyria, and of Phoenicia; and they worshipped the folk and the temple of the Lord.
68 And after these things were ended, they came to me, saying,
69 The kindred of Israel, and the princes, and the priests, and Levites, and alien folks, and nations of the land, have not parted away [or severed] their uncleannesses from the Canaanites, and Hittites, and from Perizzites, and Jebusites, and from the Moabites, and Egyptians, and Idumeans;
70 forsooth they were joined to the daughters of them, both they and their sons; and the holy seed was [or is] mingled together with the heathen folk of the land; and the provosts and master judges were partners of this wickedness, from the beginning of that realm.
71 And anon as I heard these things, I cut my clothes, and the hallowed [or the sacred] coat, and I tore the hairs of mine head, and the beard, and I sat sorrowing, and dreary.
72 And there came to me then as many as ever were moved in the word of the Lord God of Israel, wailing me [or me wailing] upon this wickedness; and I sat sorrowful unto the eventide sacrifice.
73 And then I rising from fasting, having my clothes cut, kneeled much [or much kneeling], and stretching out mine hands to the Lord,
74 I said, Lord, I am confounded, and I am adread before thy face.
75 Forsooth our sins be multiplied upon our heads, and our wickednesses be enhanced unto heaven;
76 for from the time of our fathers we have been in great sin unto this day.
77 And for our own sins, and for the sins of our fathers we be taken, with our brethren, and with our priests, and with kings of the land, into sword, and captivity, and into prey, with confusion, unto the day that is now.
78 And now how much is it, that the mercy of thee, Lord God, falleth to us; leave thou to us a root and a name, into the place of thine hallowing,
79 to discover our giver of light in the house of the Lord our God, to give to us meat in the time of our servage.
80 And when we served, we were not forsaken of the Lord our God; but he set us in grace, putting to food,
81 and to clarify the temple of the Lord our God, and to build the deserts of Zion, and to give to us stableness in Judea and in Jerusalem.
82 And now, Lord, what say we, having these things? We have over-passed thy behests, the which thou give [or thou gave] into the hands of thy children, prophets, that said,
83 Forsooth the land, in which ye have entered, to wield the heritage of it, is a defouled land with the filths of [the] heathen men of the land, and the uncleannesses of them have full-filled all it [or it all] in his uncleanness.
84 And now therefore ye shall not join your daughters to their sons, and their daughters ye shall not take to yours sons;
85 and ye shall not seek to have peace with them all time, that coming above ye eat the best things of the land, and that ye deal the heritage to your sons, forever.
86 And those things that fall to us, be they all done for our shrewd works, and our great sins.
87 And thou hast given to us such a root, and again we be turned again to over-pass thy lawful things, that the uncleannesses of the heathen folk of this land were mingled.
88 Whether thou shalt not wrath to us, to lose us, for till the root be forsaken, and our seed?
89 Lord God of Israel, thou art soothfast; forsooth the root is forsaken, unto the day that is now.
90 Lo! now we be in thy sight in our wickednesses; forsooth it is not yet to stand before thee in these things.
91 And when Ezra honouring ac-knowledged, weeping, he fell down to the earth before the temple, there be gathered before him a full great multitude, [or company, or crowd] of Jerusalem, men, and women, and young men, and young women; forsooth the weeping was great in that multitude.
92 And when Jechonias, the son of Jeelus, of the sons of Israel, had cried, Ezra said, We have sinned against the Lord, for that we have set with us into matrimony heathen women, of the Gentiles of the land.
93 And now whosoever is over all Israel in these things, be there to us an oath of the Lord, to put away all our wives, that be, with their sons, of the heathen folk;
94 as it is deemed to thee of the greater men, after the law of the Lord.
95 Arise now up, and show [out]thy will; forsooth to thee abideth this need, and we be with thee; do manly.
96 And Ezra arising up, made the princes of priests, and the deacons [or Levites], and all Israel, to swear to do after all these things; and they swore.