meta: {"file": "/data/tomer/Sefaria-Export/txt/Tanakh/Writings/Ezra/English/The Rashi Ketuvim by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein.txt"}
text: Ezra
  עזרא
  The Rashi Ketuvim by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein
  
  
  Ezra
  
  
  
  
  
  	And in the first year of Koresh, king of Paras, at the consummation of the word of the L-rd by the mouth of Jeremiah [viz. Jeremiah 29:10], the L-rd roused the spirit [i.e., the will] of Koresh, king of Paras, and he proclaimed throughout his kingdom, and [he issued the proclamation] in writing, too:
  	"Thus says Koresh, king of Paras: All the kingdoms of the earth have been given me by the L-rd, the G-d of the heavens. And He has commanded me [(by Isaiah, the prophet, viz. Isaiah 44:28 and 45:1)] to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
  	Whoever of you is [(one)] of all his people, may his G-d be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah. And let him build the house of the L-rd, the G-d of Israel. He is the G-d who is in Jerusalem.
  	And every [Jew] who remains [(in his place)] of all the places where he may live, [lacking the wherewithal to go up to Jerusalem)], the people of his place [(even the non-Jews)] shall bestow upon him silver, gold, goods, and beasts with [their] gift to the house of G-d which is in Jerusalem."
  	And there rose up the heads of the fathers' [houses] of [the tribes of] Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites, with all whose spirit G-d had roused to go up to build the house of the L-rd in Jerusalem.
  	And all [the peoples] around them strengthened them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with confections, aside from all their donations [(to the Temple itself)].
  	And King Koresh brought out all the vessels of the house of the L-rd which Nevuchadnezzar had taken out from Jerusalem and had placed in the house of his god.
  	And Koresh, king of Paras, had them brought out by Mithradath the treasurer, and he counted them out to Sheshbatzar [(Daniel)], the prince of Judah.
  	And this is their number: golden vessels, thirty; silver vessels, one thousand, knives, twenty-nine;
  	golden basins, thirty; silver basins (and) others, four hundred and ten; other vessels, one thousand.
  	All the vessels of gold and silver [(all told, counted separately or not)], five thousand and four hundred — all were brought up by Sheshbatzar with the going up of the exile from Bavel to Jerusalem.
  
  
  
  	And these are the men of the land [(Eretz Yisrael)] who went up from the captivity of the exile, which Nevuchadnezzar king of Bavel had exiled to Bavel, and who [now] returned to Jerusalem. And (those of) Judah returned, each to his city,
  	[the men] who had come [in the beginning] with Zerubavel, Yeshua, Nechemiah, Serayah, Re'elayah, Mordechai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rechum (and) Ba'anah, the number of [those who followed] the [prominent] men of the people of Israel:
  	The men of Parosh, two thousand and one hundred and seventy-two.
  	The men of Shefatyah, three hundred and seventy-two.
  	The men of Arach, seven hundred and seventy-five.
  	The men of the governor of Moav — of the men of Yeshua (and) Yoav — two thousand and eight hundred and twelve.
  	The men of Eilam, one thousand and two hundred and fifty-four.
  	The men of Zatu, nine hundred and forty-five.
  	The men of Zakkai, seven hundred and sixty.
  	The men of Bani, six hundred and forty-two.
  	The men of Beivai, six hundred and twenty-three.
  	The men of Azgad, one thousand and two hundred and twenty-two.
  	The men of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-six.
  	The men of Bigvai, two thousand and fifty-six.
  	The men of Adin, four hundred and fifty-four.
  	The men of Ater, of Yechizkiyah, ninety-eight.
  	The men of Beitzai, three hundred and twenty-three.
  	The men of Yorah, one hundred and twelve.
  	The men of Chusham, two hundred and twenty-three.
  	The men of Gibbar, ninety-five.
  	The men of Beth-lachem, one hundred and twenty-three.
  	The men of Netofa, fifty-six.
  	The men of Anathoth, one hundred and twenty-eight.
  	The men of Azmaveth, forty-two.
  	The men of Kiryath-ye'arim, Kefirah, and Be'eiroth, seven hundred and forty-three.
  	The men of Haramah and Gava, six hundred and twenty-one.
  	The men of Michmas, one hundred and twenty-two.
  	The men of Beth-el and Ai, two hundred and twenty-three.
  	The men of Nevo, fifty-two.
  	The men of Magbish, one hundred and fifty-six.
  	The men of Eilam-acher, one thousand and two hundred and fifty-four.
  	The men of Charim, three hundred and twenty.
  	The men of Lod, Chadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-five.
  	The men of Yerecho, three hundred and forty-five.
  	The men of Sena'ah, three thousand and six hundred and thirty.
  	The priests: the men of Yedayah of the house of Yeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three.
  	The men of Immer, one thousand and fifty-two.
  	The men of Pashchur, one thousand and two hundred and forty-seven.
  	The men of Charim, one thousand and seventeen.
  	The Levites: the men of Yeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodavyah, seventy-four.
  	The singers, the men of Asaf, one hundred and twenty-eight.
  	The sons of the gatekeepers: the sons of Shalum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akuv, the sons of Chatita, the sons of Shovai — all told, one hundred and thirty-nine.
  	The Nethinim [(hewers of wood and drawers of water)]: the sons of Tzicha, the sons of Chashufa, the sons of Tabaoth.
  The sons of Keros, the sons of Siaha, the sons of Padon.
  	The sons of Levanah, the sons of Chagavah, the sons of Akuv.
  	The sons of Chaguv, the sons of Shalmai, the sons of Chanan.
  	The sons of Gidel, the sons of Gachar, the sons of Re'ayah.
  	The sons of Retzin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of Gazam.
  	The sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseyach, the sons of Bessai.
  	The sons of Asnah, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nefissim.
  	The sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Chakufa, the sons of Charchur.
  	The sons of Batzluth, the sons of Mechida, the sons of Charsha.
  	The sons of Barkus, the sons of Sisra, the sons of Tamach.
  	The sons of Netziach, the sons of Chatifa.
  	The sons [i.e., the descendants] of the servants of Solomon: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Hasofereth, the sons of Fruda.
  	The sons of Yalah, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Gidel.
  	The sons of Shefatyah, the sons of Chatil, the sons of Pochereth-hatzvayim, the sons of Ami.
  	All of the Nethinim and the sons of the servants of Solomon, three hundred and ninety-two.
  	And those who went up from Tel-melach, Tel-charshah, Keruv, Addan (and) Immer could not tell the [origin of] the house of their fathers or their seed, [(having lost their genealogical records and not knowing)] whether they were Israelites.
  	[(The above included)] the sons of Delayah, the sons of Toviyah (and) the sons of Nekodah — six hundred and fifty-two.
  	And of the sons of the priests, the sons of Chavayah, the sons of Hakotz, the sons of Barzilai, [each of whose sons] took of the daughters of Barzilai the Gileadite as a wife, and whose [(Barzilai's)] name was called upon them —
  	these [priests], who would trace themselves [to the priesthood] sought their [genealogical] records, and they could not be found, and they were rejected from the priesthood.
  	And Hatirshatha [(Nechemiah the son of Chachalyah)] told them that they should not [(as other priests)] eat of the holy of holies [(sin-offerings and guilt-offerings)] until a priest should arise for the urim vetumim [(to all intents and purposes, "until the days of the Messiah")].
  	All the congregation together [(including the priests, the Levites, the Nethinim and the other tribes, — those counted above being only those of Judah and Benjamin —)] were forty-two thousand and three hundred and sixty.
  	Aside from their men-servants and their maid-servants, who numbered seven thousand and three hundred and thirty-seven. And with them were men-singers and women-singers, two hundred [(to bring them back to Eretz Yisrael with joy)].
  	Their horses, seven hundred and thirty-six. Their mules, two hundred and forty-five.
  	Their camels, four hundred and thirty-five. Asses, six thousand and seven hundred and twenty.
  	And some of the heads of the fathers' [houses], when they came to the [site] of the house of the L-rd in Jerusalem, pledged to [the building of] the house of G-d, to erect it on its foundation.
  	According to their means they gave to the building fund: golden darkemonim, sixty-one thousand; and five thousand manim of silver, and one hundred priestly tunics [(in which to minister)].
  	The priests and the Levites and some of the people [of Judah and Benjamin] and the singers and the gate-keepers and the Nethinim dwelt in their cities, and all of Israel [of the other tribes, dwelt] in their cities.
  
  
  
  	And the seventh month [(Tishrei)] arrived, with the children of Israel in [their] cities, and the people gathered as one man to Jerusalem.
  	And Yeshua and his brother priests arose, and Zerubavel the son of She'altiel and his brothers, and they built the altar of the G-d of Israel to sacrifice burnt-offerings thereon, as prescribed in the Torah of Moses, the man of G-d.
  	And they set the altar on its foundations [(to show that they had royal sanction)], for they were in fear of the peoples of the lands [(lest they libel them as rebels)]. And they sacrificed upon it burnt-offerings to the L-rd [(the continual burnt-offerings)] in the morning and in the evening.
  	And they observed the festival of Succoth as prescribed, and (they offered) the sacrifice of the day in its day, in (its) number, as prescribed, the thing [i.e., the sacrifice] of the day in its day.
  	And after that, (they offered) continual sacrifices [every day, morning and evening], and the offerings of the New Moon, and the sacrifices of all the (other) festivals, and (the sacrifices of) all those who would donate an offering to the L-rd.
  	From the first day of the seventh month they began to sacrifice burnt-offerings to the L-rd, though the foundation of the sanctuary had not yet been laid.
  	And they gave money to the hewers and to the craftsmen and food and drink and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians to bring cedar wood from the Levanon to the sea of Yaffo by the permit granted them by Koresh king of Paras.
  	And in the second year of their coming to the house of G-d, to Jerusalem, in the second month [(Iyyar)], they began [(the building of the Temple)] — Zerubavel the son of She'altiel and Yeshua the son of Tzaddok and the rest of their brothers, the priests and the Levites and all who had come from the captivity to Jerusalem. And they set up the Levites, from twenty years and older, to officiate [(in song)] at the building of the house of the L-rd.
  	And Yeshua, his sons and his brothers, Kadmiel and his sons, (of) the sons of Judah, stood as one to officiate [(in song)] around the doers of the work in the house of G-d, (together with) the sons of Chenadad, (and) their sons and their brothers, the Levites.
  	And [(while they officiated in song)], the builders laid the foundation of the sanctuary of the L-rd. And they set up the priests, attired [in vestments of honor], with trumpets [(to blow, in their hands)], and the Levites, the sons of Asaf, with cymbals, to praise the L-rd through [the psalms of] David, king of Israel.
  	And they responded [in song] with praise and thanksgiving to the L-rd: "For it is good [to give thanks to the L-rd], for His lovingkindness endures forever" over Israel. And all the [rest of] the people shouted a great shout in praise to the L-rd over the [laying of the] foundation of the house of the L-rd.
  	And many of the priests and the Levites and the heads of the fathers' [houses], the elders, who had seen the first Temple [in its glory] — when this Temple was founded before their eyes, wept with a great outcry. And many, [(who had not seen the first Temple,)] shouted for joy, to raise a cry [of joy at their deliverance from exile].
  	And the people [(at a distance)] could not recognize the sound of the shout of joy [(as being one of joy)] in the face of the sound of the weeping of the people. For the people [who rejoiced] shouted a [sudden] great shout; but the sound [of the people who wept] was heard [(ever rising)] for a [great] distance.
  
  
  
  	And the oppressors of Judah and Benjamin [(stationed by Sancherev in Eretz Yisrael [viz. II Kings 17:24] heard that the men of the exile were building a sanctuary for the L-rd, the G-d of Israel.
  	And they drew near to Zerubavel and to the heads of the fathers' [houses], and they said to them: Let us build together with you, for just as you, shall we solicit your G-d. And it is to Him that we sacrifice from the days of Essar-chaddon, king of Ashur, who brought us up here [(their intent being to sabotage the building of the Temple)].
  	And Zerubavel and Yeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers' [houses] of Israel said to them: It is not for you and us [together] to build the house of our G-d, but we [alone] shall build together to the L-rd, the G-d of Israel, as the king commanded us, Koresh, king of Paras.
  	And the people of the land [(the oppressors of Judah and Benjamin)] weakened the hand [of the laborers] of Judah, and deterred them from building.
  	And they hired counselors against them to defeat their counsels all the days of Koresh king of Paras [(and of Achashverosh, who followed him)] until the [(twelfth year of)] the reign of Darius, king of Paras.
  	And during the reign of Achashverosh, [(who followed Darius the Mede, and who took Esther to wife)], in the beginning of his reign, they wrote a libel against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem [(to stop them from building the Temple)].
  	And in the days of Artachshasta [(Koresh, king of Paras)] an epistle of peace was written by Mitredath-tav'el [(one of the oppressors of Judah and Benjamin and the rest of his confederates to Artachshast, king of Paras in Aramaic script, and it was interpreted in Aramaic.
  	Rechum, the secretary, and Shimshai [(one of the sons of Haman)], the scribe, wrote a letter [(by word of Mitredath-tav'el)] concerning Jerusalem to Artachshasta the king, as will follow.
  	Then [i.e., in that intrigue] were Rechum, the secretary, Shimshai, the scribe, and the rest of their confederates [(whom Sancherev had planted in the cities of Shomron)]: the Dinites, the Afarsatchites, the Tarpelites, the Afarsites, the Arkavites, the Bavlites, the Shushanchites, the Dehaites, and the Elmaites,
  	and the rest of the peoples that the great and esteemed Asnapar [(Sancherev)] had exiled and settled in the cities surrounding Shomron, and the rest of the nations across the [Euphrates] river [from Bavel], and [the people of] Ke'eneth.
  	This is the text of the letter that they sent to him, to Artachshast the king: "Your servants are the men across the river and [the men of] Ke'eneth.
  	Let it be known to the king that the Jews who have gone up from you to us have come to Jerusalem. They are building a rebellious and sinful city; and they are founding the walls and linking the foundations.
  	Let it now be known to the king that if this city is built, and the walls be founded, the mindah, the b'lo and the halach [(kinds of tributes)] will not be given, and the kings' tribute will be undermined.
  	Therefore, because we would destroy [i.e., stop the work of] the sanctuary, it not befitting us to look on at the king's disgrace, we have, therefore, sent and apprised the king.
  	So that he may search in the book of chronicles of your forefathers, so that you find in the book of chronicles and know that this city is a rebellious city, which undermines kings and provinces, where rebellion flourished [(Israel rebelling against the kings of the nations)] from the days of yore, wherefore this city was destroyed.
  	We [therefore] apprise the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls founded, as a result, you will have no portion on the other side of the river, [(Israel taking all)]."
  	This was sent by the king to Rechum, the secretary and to Shimshai the scribe and to their confederates who dwelt in Shomron, and to the rest of [the territories] across the river, [and to the cities of] Shelam and Ke'th [(Ke'eneth)]:
  	"The text that you sent to us was explained and read before me.
  	And I ordered and they examined [(the chronicles)] and they found that this city, from days of yore, had risen against kings and incited to rebellion.
  	And there were powerful kings in Jerusalem [e.g., Solomon], who ruled over all [the territories of] the other side of the river, and midah, belo, and halach [viz. 13] were given to them.
  	Now proclaim [throughout the land] to have these men desist [from building]l and this city shall not be built until I authorize it.
  	And be careful not to err in doing this. Why should spoil increase to the detriment of kings?"
  	Then, when the text of the letter of Artachshast was read before Rechum and Shimshai the scribe and their confederates, they hurried to the Jews in Jerusalem and stopped them [from building] by force.
  	At that time, the work of the house of G-d in Jerusalem was halted; and it remained at a halt [(for eighteen years)] until the second year of the reign of Darius, king of Paras [(the son of Esther and Achashverosh)].
  
  
  
  	And [(in the second year of Darius)] Chaggai the prophet and Zecharyah the son of Iddo the prophet prophesied to the Jews in Judaea and in Jerusalem in the name of the G-d of Israel concerning them [(to build the Temple even without the authorization of Darius)].
  	Then arose Zerubavel the son of She'altiel and Yeshua the son of Yotzadak, and they began to build the house of G-d in Jerusalem; and with them, the prophets of G-d assisted them.
  	At that time there came to them Tatnai, the governor of this side of the river and Shethar-boznai and their confederates, and thus did they say to them: "Who authorized you to build this house and to found these walls?"
  	Then, thus did they [(Tatnai, etc.)] say to them: "What are the names of the men building this house?"
  	And the eye of their G-d was upon the elders of the Jews, and they [granted their request and] did not stop them [from building] until the matter could be referred to Darius, when they [(the Jews)] would reply to it [(to Darius's)] answer.
  	The text of the letter to King Darius which was sent by Tatnai, the governor of this side of the river and Shethar-boznai and his confederates, the Afarsachites on this side of the river:
  	[This is] what was sent to him, and thus was it written therein: "To Darius the king, all peace [unto him].
  	Let it be known to the king that we have gone to [the land of] Judah, to the province of the Temple of the great G-d, and it is being built of marble stone with wood placed in the walls [(to reinforce the building)], and this work is proceeding hastily and is prospering in their hands.
  	Then [(when we saw the building)], we asked these elders as follows: Who authorized you to build this house and to found these walls?
  	And we also asked them for their names to apprise you [of them] by writing the names of the men who are at their head.
  	And they answered us as follows: "We are the servants of the G-d of heaven and earth, and we are [re] building the house which had been built many years before this, which a great king in Israel [(Solomon)] had built and completed.
  	But now, because our fathers had angered the G-d of heaven, He delivered them into the hand of Nevuchadnezzar, king of Bavel, the Kasdian, and he destroyed that house and exiled the people to Bavel.
  	But in the first year of Koresh, king of Bavel, King Koresh ordered this house of G-d to be rebuilt.
  	And also the vessels of the house of G-d, of gold and of silver, which Nevuchadnezzar had taken from the sanctuary in Jerusalem and brought to his sanctuary in Bavel, King Koresh took out of the sanctuary of [the king of] Bavel, and gave to him called Sheshbatzar [(Daniel)], whom he had appointed governor.
  	And he [(Koresh)] said to him: Take these vessels and go and take them down to the sanctuary in Jerusalem, and let the house of G-d be built on its site.
  	Then, this Sheshbatzar came and laid the foundation of the house of G-d in Jerusalem. And from then until now, it has been [in the process of being] built, and has not [yet] been completed.
  	And now, if it is good in [the eyes of] the king, let [the thing] be searched out in the treasure house of the king there in Bavel, whether [or not] it was ordained by King Koresh to build this house of G-d in Jerusalem, and let the king send us his will on this matter."
  
  
  
  	Then [(when the letter reached Darius)], King Darius gave the order and they searched out the library in which the treasures are reposited in Bavel.
  	And a scroll was found in a pouch in the palace of the province of Madai, in which the following was recorded:
  	"In the first year of King Koresh, King Koresh ordered [concerning] the house of G-d in Jerusalem: A house shall be built, a place where offerings are sacrificed. And its walls shall be founded; its height, sixty cubits, and its breadth, sixty cubits.
  	Three walls of marble and one wall of new wood [(on the inside, as in Solomon's Temple)], the expenses to be covered by the house of the king.
  	And also the vessels of the house of G-d, of gold and silver, that Nevuchadnezzar took from the sanctuary in Jerusalem and brought to Bavel shall be returned to the sanctuary of Jerusalem to its place and put in the house of G-d.
  	And now, Tatnai, the governor across the river, Shethar-boznai, and their confederates, the Afarsachites across the river — distance yourselves from there [(the Temple works)].
  	Forbear from the work of the house of G-d. The governors of the Jews shall do this. And to the elders of the Jews [I command] that they build this house of G-d on its site.
  	And a decree is issued by me concerning what you do with these Jewish elders to build this house of G-d. From the king's income, from the trans-river taxes, shall expenses be quickly provided for these people, that they not halt [the work].
  	And whatever they need, — bullocks and rams and sheep for burnt-offerings to the G-d of heaven; wheat [for flour], salt [for the offerings], wine [for the libations], and oil [for the meal-offerings], as specified by the priests in Jerusalem — let it be given them day by day without delay.
  	So that they offer up pleasing [offerings] to the G-d of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his children.
  	And decree in my name that any man who deviates from this thing — a beam shall be dislodged from his house, and a gallows suspended over him [(on which he will be hanged)], and his house will become a dung heap for this.
  	And may G-d, who has caused His name to dwell there, cut down any king or people that sends forth his hand to change [(aught that I have said)], to destroy this house of G-d in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have made this decree for the speedy building [of the Temple]."
  	Then, Tatnai, the governor of this side of the river, and Shethar-boznai and their confederates acted quickly on the foregoing missive of King Darius.
  	And the Jewish elders built and prospered, according to the prophecy of Chaggai the prophet and Zecharyah the son of Iddo and his son, and they founded [the building] by the charge of the G-d of Israel and by the authority of Koresh and Darius and Artachshast, king of Paras.
  	And the house was completed by the first day of the month of Adar, the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king [(the work having taken four years)].
  	And the children of Israel — the priests and the Levites and the rest of the sons of the exile — observed the inauguration of this house of G-d with joy.
  	And they sacrificed for the inauguration of this house of G-d: one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, and four hundred sheep, and young goats as sin-offerings for all of Israel, twelve, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.
  	And they set up the priests in their groups [(for the sacrificial service)] and the Levites in their divisions [(of their watches)] for the service of G-d in Jerusalem, as prescribed in the book of Moses.
  	And the sons of the exile made the Pesach on the fourteenth day of the first month [(Nissan [after the Adar by which the work of the Temple had been completed])].
  	For the priests and the Levites had cleansed themselves [of their impurity] as one — they were all cleansed. And they slaughtered the Pesach for all the children of the exile, and for their brother priests and for themselves.
  	And the children of Israel who returned from the exile, and all [(the proselytes)], who had separated themselves from the uncleanliness of the nations of the land [to join] them [(Israel)], to worship the L-rd, the G-d of Israel, ate [the Pesach].
  	And they celebrated the festival of matzoth with joy for seven days, for the L-rd caused them to rejoice. And He turned the heart of the king of Ashur to them [(the Jews living in his kingdom in the land of Ashur)] to strengthen their hand in [assisting in] the work of the house of G-d, the G-d of Israel.
  
  
  
  	And after these things [(the building of the Temple)], (there was) in the reign of Artachshast, king of Paras, Ezra, the son of Seraya, the son of Azaryah, the son of Chilkiyah,
  	the son of Shalum, the son of Tzaddok, the son of Achituv,
  	the son of Amaryah, the son of Azaryah, the son of Merayoth,
  	the son of Zecharyah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,
  	the son of Avishua, the son of Pinchas, the son of Elazar, the son of Aaron, the first of the priests.
  	This Ezra [(Malachi)] went up [(to Eretz Yisrael)] from Bavel. And he was a swift scribe in the Torah of Moses given by the L-rd G-d of Israel. And the king [(Darius)] granted whatever he requested as he was charged by the L-rd his G-d.
  	And some of the children of Israel went up, and some of the priests and the Levites, and the singers and the gatekeepers, and the Nethinim, to Jerusalem, in the seventh year [(one year after the completion of the Temple)] of Artachshast [(Darius)] the king.
  	And he [Ezra] came to Jerusalem in the fifth month [(Av)], the seventh year of the king.
  	For on the first day of the first month [(Nissan)] was the beginning of the ascent from Bavel, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, in the goodness of his G-d to him.
  	For Ezra had readied his heart to expound the Torah of the L-rd and to do [i.e., to observe it], and to teach Israel statute and judgment.
  	And this is the text of the letter given by King Artachshast to Ezra the priest, the scribe, the scribe of the words of the mitzvoth of the L-rd and His statutes to Israel.
  	"Artachshast, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, confirmed scribe of the Torah of the L-rd of heaven:
  	I hereby grant authorization that all in my kingdom, of [the people of] Israel, and its priests and Levites, who desire to go with you to Jerusalem, may do so.
  	You are hereby deputed by the king and his seven counselors to ascertain whether the Jews of Jerusalem (are occupied) with the Torah of your G-d (that is) in your hand
  	and to bring (there) the silver and gold that the king and his counselors have donated to the G-d of Israel for [the maintenance of] His abode in Jerusalem.
  	And all the silver and the gold that you find [to have been donated] in the entire province of Bavel, together with the donations of the people and the priests for the house of their G-d in Jerusalem [(shall you bring there)].
  	Accordingly, you shall quickly purchase [(for the Temple service)], with this silver, bulls, rams, and sheep, and their meal-offerings and libations, and sacrifice them upon the altar of the house of your G-d in Jerusalem.
  	And whatever you and your brothers desire to do with the surplus of the silver and gold, according to the will of your G-d, shall you do.
  	And the vessels that were given you for the service of the house of your G-d, reposit before G-d in Jerusalem.
  	And the rest of the requirements of the house of your G-d that you may be called upon to supply, give [i.e., fund them] from the king's treasury.
  	And it is decreed by me, Artachshast the king, to all the [king's] treasurers across the river that all that is asked of you by Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Torah of the G-d of Heaven, shall be quickly done.
  	Up to one hundred talents of silver [(for the sacrifices)], and up to one hundred kors of wheat [(for the meal-offerings)], and up to one hundred baths of wine [(for the libations)], and up to one hundred baths of oil [(to mix with the meal-offerings, and salt [(for the offerings)], [the amount] not specified, [as required].
  	All that is mandated by the G-d of heaven shall be [executed quickly] by the seal of the king, for the house of the G-d of heaven. For why should (the) wrath [of G-d] descend upon the kingdom of the king and his sons?
  	And we hereby apprise you that all priests, Levites, singers, gate-keepers, Nethinim, and workers in this house of G-d — mindah, belo, and halach [viz. 4:13], no [man] shall presume to impose upon them.
  	And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of G-d that you possess, appoint judges and dayanim to judge all of the people across the river, [(appoint)] all who know the laws of your G-d; and [instruct] him who does not know.
  	And anyone who does not observe the law of your G-d and the law of the king, let justice be quickly executed upon him, whether to die or to be rooted out [(of the world together with his seed)], or to be punished in his property or to suffer afflictions."
  	Blessed is the L-rd, the G-d of our fathers, who placed it thus in the heart of the king to glorify the house of the L-rd in Jerusalem.
  	Upon me did He incline lovingkindness before the king and his counselors, and before all the mighty chiefs of the king. And I have strengthened myself according to the hand of the L-rd my G-d upon me, and I gathered from Israel [(of those left in Bavel)] heads [of fathers' houses] to go up with me [(to Jerusalem)].
  
  
  
  	And these are the heads of the fathers' [houses] and the genealogies of those who went up with me during the reign of Artachshast [(Darius)] king of Bavel.
  	Of the sons of Pinchas, Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David, Chatush.
  	Of the sons of Shechanyah [(who was)] of the sons of Parosh, Zecharayah [(the head of the family)]. And with him, in his genealogical line, one hundred and fifty males.
  	Of the sons of the governor of Moav, Elyehoeynai the son of Zerachyah, and with him two hundred males.
  	Of the sons of Shechanyah, the son of Yachaziel, and with him, three hundred males.
  	And of the sons of Adin, Even-ben-Yonathan, and with him, fifty males.
  	And of the sons of Eilam, Yeshayah the son of Atalyah, and with him, seventy males.
  	And of the sons of Shefatyah, Zevadyah, the son of Michael, and with him, eighty males.
  	Of the sons of Yoav, Ovadyah the son of Yechiel, and with him, two hundred and eighteen males.
  	And of the sons of Shlomith, the son of Yosifyah, and with him, one hundred and sixty males.
  	And of the sons of Bevai, Zecharyah the son of Bevai, and with him, twenty-eight males.
  	And of the sons of Azgad, Yochanan the son of Hakatan, and with him, one hundred and ten males.
  	And of the sons of Adonikam, the last [(to follow Ezra)]. And these are their names: Elifelet, Ye'iel, and Shemayah, and with them, sixty males.
  	And of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zakkur, and with him, seventy males.
  	And I assembled them at the river that flows into [the river] Ahava, and we camped there for three days. And I surveyed the people and the priests, but I found none of the sons of Levi there.
  	And I sent Eliezer, Shemayah, Elnathan, Yariv, Elnathan, Nathan, Zecharyah, Meshulam, heads [i.e., eminent men], and Yoyariv and Elnathan, sage men,
  	And I charged them unto Iddo, the head, in the place Kasifya, and I placed in their mouths words to speak to Iddo [and to] his brother, the Nethinim, in the place Kasifya, to bring us ministrants to [serve in] the house of our G-d.
  	And they brought us, according to the goodness of the hand of G-d upon us, a man of wisdom of the sons of Machli the son of Levi the son of Israel, and Sherevyah and his sons and his brothers, eighteen [(all Levites)].
  	And Chashavyah and with him Yeshayah, of the sons of Merari, [and] twenty of his kinsmen and their sons.
  	And of the Nethinim assigned by David and the chiefs for the service of the Levites [(in the Temple)], two hundred and twenty Nethinim, all designated by name.
  	And I called out there a fast on the river Ahava, to observe a fast before our G-d to ask of Him [that he lead us] on a straight path [(to peace)] for us, for our children, and for all that we possess.
  	For I was ashamed to request of the king [(an escort of)] troops and riders to help us against the foe on the way. For we had said to the king: The hand of our G-d is upon all those who seek Him, for good; and His might and wrath are against all those who forsake Him.
  	And we fasted and entreated our G-d for this, and He was entreated of us [(and brought us to Jerusalem in peace)].
  	And I had selected [(when I was there on the river Ahava)] twelve of the chiefs of the priests: Sherevyah, Chashavyah, and with them, ten of their brethren.
  	And I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and the vessels, the contribution for the house of our G-d, donated by the king and his counselors and his chiefs and all of Israel who were found [in Bavel].
  	And I weighed out to them six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and one hundred silver vessels, each a talent, [and] one hundred talents of gold.
  	And twenty golden basins of one thousand darkons, and two vessels of fine glowing copper, precious as gold.
  	And I said to them [(to those priests)]: You are holy to the L-rd, and the vessels are holy, and the silver and the gold are a gift to the L-rd, the G-d of your fathers.
  	Take care in guarding (them) until you reposit them with the chiefs of the priests and the Levites and the chiefs of the fathers' [houses] of Israel in Jerusalem (in) the treasuries of the house of the L-rd.
  	And the priests and the Levites received the count of the silver and the gold and the vessels to bring to Jerusalem to the house of our G-d.
  	And we traveled from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month [(Nissan)] to go to Jerusalem. And the hand of our G-d was upon us, and He rescued us from the hand of foe and brigand on the way.
  	And we came to Jerusalem and we stayed there for three days.
  	And on the fourth day the silver and the gold and the vessels were reposited in the house of our G-d with Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him, Elazar the son of Pinchas, and with them, Yozavad the son of Yeshua and Noadyah the son of Binui, the Levites.
  	All [was reposited] in number and weight [(as it had been received)], and the entire count was recorded at that time.
  	The sons of the exile who came from captivity [with Ezra] sacrificed burnt-offerings to the G-d of Israel: bulls, twelve, for all [the tribes of] Israel; rams, ninety-six; sheep, seventy-seven; goats [sacrificed as] sin-offerings, twelve — all sacrificed [in their entirety] to the L-rd.
  	And they imparted the edicts of the king [viz. chapter 7] to the king's satraps and to the governors of this side of the river, and they [(the latter)] exalted the people and the house of G-d.
  
  
  
  	And when these [words (i.e., their relating of the king's edicts)] were concluded, the chiefs [of Israel] drew near to me and said: The people have not separated — Israel, and the priests, and the Levites — from the people of the lands, in their abominations — (those of) the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizites, the Yevusites, the Ammonites, the Moavites, the Egyptians, and the Emorites.
  	For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, and the holy seed [i.e., Israel] have intermingled with the people of the lands, and the hand of the chiefs and their deputies has been in this faithlessness first.
  	And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my cloak, and I tore out the hair of my head and my beard, and I sat desolate.
  	And there gathered unto me all who were zealous for the words of the G-d of Israel, over the faithlessness of the exile, and I sat desolate until the [(daily)] evening offering.
  	And at the evening offering I rose from my fast [(not having eaten that day)], my garment and my cloak rent, and I bowed down on my knees, and spread out my hands to the L-rd my G-d.
  	And I said: My G-d, I am ashamed and abashed to lift, my G-d, my face to You, for our transgressions have risen above our heads and our guilt has grown until the heavens.
  	From the days of our fathers we are in [(a state of)] great guilt, until this [very] day. And because of our transgressions, we have been delivered — our kings and our priests — into the hand of the kings of the land, to the sword, to captivity, to spoil, and to shamefacedness as [(we see)] of this day, [(the ten tribes having been exiled, and many of the exiles remaining yet in Bavel.)]
  	And, for the moment, we have been granted favor by the L-rd our G-d, to leave us a remnant and to give us a hold in His holy place, that our G-d enlighten our eyes and give us a little life in our servitude.
  	For we are servants [(to Darius, king of Paras)], and in our servitude, our G-d has not forsaken us. For He has bestowed favor upon us before the kings of Paras, to give us the wherewithal to exalt the house of our G-d and to restore its ruins, and to give us a "fence" [(for the observance of His mitzvoth)] in Judah and Jerusalem.
  	And now, what can we say, our G-d, after this, that we have forsaken Your mitzvoth
  	that You commanded through Your servants the prophets, saying: "The land that you are coming to inherit is a defiled land, in the defilement of the people of the lands, in their abominations, with which they have filled it from mouth to mouth in their defilement.
  	And now, Your daughters do not give to their sons, and their daughters do not take for your sons, and do not seek their peace and their good forever. So that you take hold [(in the land)] and eat of the good of the land and bequeath it to your sons forever."
  	And after all [these evils] that have come upon us because of our evil acts and our great guilt, [now] that You, our G-d, have kept [Yourself from exacting punishment], beneath the deserts of our transgressions, and You have left us such a remnant,
  	shall we revert to the violation of Your mitzvoth, to intermarry with the peoples of these abominations! Will You not rage at us until [(the point of)] destruction, until [there is left of us] no trace or remnant?
  	O L-rd, G-d of Israel, You are righteous, for we have been left as a remnant as of this day. Behold, we are before You in our guilt, for we [have] no merits [with which] to stand before You against [i.e., to counter] this transgression.
  
  
  
  	And in Ezra's praying and confessing, crying and fallen before the house of G-d, there gathered before him of Israel a vast assemblage of men and women and children, the people weeping profusely.
  	And Shechanyah the son of Yechiel of the sons of Eilam called out and said to Ezra: We have been faithless to our G-d and have taken into our houses foreign women of the peoples of the land. But now, there is hope for Israel for this [i.e., We can send away these women and the children born of them.]
  	And now, let us make a covenant with our G-d to send out all the [foreign] women and those born to them, by the will of the L-rd. And those who are zealous for the mitzvah of our G-d [will do so]; and he will be acting in accordance with the Torah.
  	Arise, for the thing depends upon you, and we will be with you; strengthen yourself and do!
  	And Ezra arose and adjured the chiefs of the priests and the Levites and (of) all of Israel to act in accordance with this thing, and they swore.
  	And Ezra rose from before the house of G-d and went to the chamber of Yehonathan the son of Elyashiv. And he went there [(fasting)]. He ate no bread and drank no water, for he was [still] mourning the faithlessness of the exile.
  	And they made proclamation in Judah and in Jerusalem for all the sons of the exile to gather in Jerusalem.
  	And (they proclaimed that) anyone who would not come by [the end of] three days, as mandated by the chiefs and the elders, all of his property would be confiscated and he would be separated from the congregation of the exile.
  	And all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered in Jerusalem at [the end of] three days, in the ninth month [Kislev], in the twentieth day of the month. And all the people sat in the thoroughfare of the house of G-d, trembling over the thing [(the transgression)] and over the rains [descending] upon them.
  	And Ezra the priest arose and said: You were faithless and took foreign women into your houses to add to the guilt of Israel.
  	And now, make confession to the L-rd, the G-d of your fathers, and do His will, and separate yourselves from the people of the land and from the foreign women.
  	And all the congregation answered and said in a loud voice: Yes, as you say, so must we do.
  	But the people are many, and it is a time of rain, and they have no strength to stand outside, and the work is not for one day and not for two, for we have offended profusely in this thing.
  	Let, now, our chiefs stand with all the congregation, and let all [i.e., each one] in our cities who has taken foreign women into his house come at designated times, and with them, the elders of each city and its judges, until the wrath of our G-d is removed from us, until [the elimination of] this thing.
  	But Jonathan the son of Asahel and Yachzeyah the son of Tikvah stood up against this, and Meshulam and Shabthai the Levite abetted them.
  	And the sons of the exile did so [(as exhorted to do)], and there were set aside [(to effect this)] Ezra the priest (and) men who were the heads of the families of their fathers' houses, all men of renown; and they convened on the first day of the tenth month [(Teveth)] to search out the matter.
  	And they completed [dealing with] all the men who had taken foreign women into their houses by the first day of the first month [(Nissan), all these women having been sent away by that time].
  	And there were found of the sons of the priests who had taken foreign women into their houses, of the sons of Yeshua the son of Yotzadak, and his brothers, Ma'aseyah and Eliezer and Yariv and Gedalyah.
  	And they took counsel to send away their wives, and they were made to bring (as an offering) a ram of the flock for their guilt [(an extraordinary ruling, for that contingency)].
  	And ("there were found of the sons of the priests, etc."), of the sons of Immer: Chanani and Zevadyah.
  	And of the sons of Charim: Ma'aseyah and Eliyah and Shemayah and Yechiel and Uziyah.
  	And of the sons of Pashchur: Elyoeinai, Ma'aseyah, Yishmael, Nethanel, Yozavad, and Elassa.
  	And of the Levites: Yozavad and Shim'i and Kelayah (the same as "K'lita"), Pethachyah, Yehudah, and Eliezer.
  	And of the singers, Elyashiv; and of the gatekeepers, Shalum and Telem and Uri.
  	And of Israel: Of the sons of Parosh, Ramyah and Yiziyah and Malkiyah and Miyamin and Elazar and Malchiyah and Benayah.
  	And of the sons of Eilam: Matanyah, Zecharyah and Yechiel and Avdi and Yeremoth and Eliyah.
  	And of the sons of Zatu: Elyoeinai, Elyashiv, Matanyah, and Yeremoth and Zavad and Aziza.
  	And of the sons of Bevai: Jonathan, Chananiah, Zabbai, Athlai.
  	And of the sons of Bani: Meshulam, Maluch, and Adayah, Yashuv, Sha'al, Yeramoth.
  	And of the sons of Pachath: Moav, Adna, Chelal, Benayah, Ma'aseyah, Matanyah, Betzalel, and Binnui and Menasheh.
  	And the sons of Charim: Eliezer, Yeshiyah, Malkiyah, Shemayah, Shimon,
  	Binyamin, Maluch, Shemaryah.
  	Of the sons of Chashum: Matnai, Matatah, Zavad, Elifelet, Yereimai, Menasheh, Shim'i.
  	Of the sons of Bani: Ma'adai, Amram, and Uel,
  	Benayah, Bedyah, Keluhu,
  	Vanyah, Meremoth, Elyashiv,
  	Matanyah, Matnai, and Ya'asai,
  	and Bani and Binnui, Shim'i,
  	and Shelemyah and Nathan and Adayah,
  	Machnadvai, Shashai, Sarai,
  	Azarel and Shelemyahu, Shemaryah,
  	Shalum, Amaryah, Yosef.
  	Of the sons of Nevo: Yeiel, Matithyah, Zavad, Zevina, Yaadai and Yoel, Benayah.
  	All these married foreign women, some of them having (foreign) wives of whom they had children [(and they sent away both the wives and the children)].