Chapter 7

1 And after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,

2 Son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub,

3 the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Marayof,

4 The son of Zechariah, the son of Uzziah, the son of Bucca,

5 the son of Abishui, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the high priest,

6 This Ezra went out of Babylon. He was a scribe, versed in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel gave. And the king gave him all that he desired, for the hand of the Lord his God was upon him.

7 And with him went up to Jerusalem also certain of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and of the Levites, and of the singers, and of the gatekeepers, and of the Nethinians, in the seventh year of king Ahasuerus.

8 And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, in the seventh year of the king.

9 For on the first day of the first month was the beginning of the departure from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, because the beneficent hand of his God was upon him,

10 for Ezra disposed his heart to study the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel the law and righteousness.

11 And this is the content of the letter which King Ahasuerus gave to Ezra, the priest, the scribe, who taught the words of the commandments of the Lord and his laws in Israel:

12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, perfect teacher of the law of the God of heaven, and so forth.

13 A command has been given from me, that in my kingdom every one of the people of Israel, and of the priests thereof, and of the Levites, that he will go up to Jerusalem, shall go with thee.

14 For thou art sent from the king, and his seven counsellors, to survey Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thy hand,

15 and to bring the silver and the gold which the king and his counselors had sacrificed to the God of Israel, whose dwelling place is in Jerusalem,

16 And all the silver and gold that thou shalt gather in all the province of Babylon, together with the willing gifts of the people and the priests, which they shall sacrifice for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem.

17 Therefore immediately with this money you shall buy oxen, rams, lambs, and meal offerings thereof, and drink offerings for them, and offer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem.

18 And whatever it pleases you and your brethren to make of the rest of the silver and gold, do according to the will of your God.

19 And the vessels which have been given to you for the services in the house of your God, you shall set before the God of Jerusalem.

20 And the other things that are necessary for the house of thy God, which thou wilt deem needful, thou shalt give out of the house of the king's treasures.