The Temple Completed and Dedicated

13 Then Tattenai, governor of the region beyond the River, Shethar-Boznai, and their companions diligently did according to what King Darius had sent. 14 kSo the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the 5command of lCyrus, mDarius, and nArtaxerxes king of Persia. 15 Now the temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. 16 Then the children of Israel, the priests and the Levites and the rest of the descendants of the captivity, celebrated othe dedication of this 6house of God with joy. 17 And they poffered sacrifices at the dedication of this house of God, one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. 18 They assigned the priests to their qdivisions and the Levites to their rdivisions, over the service of God in Jerusalem, sas it is written in the Book of Moses.

The Passover Celebrated

19 7And the descendants of the captivity kept the Passover ton the fourteenth day of the first month. 20 For the priests and the Levites had upurified themselves; all of them were ritually clean. And they vslaughtered the Passover lambs for all the descendants of the captivity, for their brethren the priests, and for themselves. 21 Then the children of Israel who had returned from the captivity ate together with all who had separated themselves from the wfilth 8of the nations of the land in order to seek the Lord God of Israel. 22 And they kept the xFeast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy; for the Lord made them joyful, and yturned the heart zof the king of Assyria toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

The Arrival of Ezra

7 Now after these things, in the reign of aArtaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the bson of Seraiah, cthe son of Azariah, the son of dHilkiah, 2 the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, 3 the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, 4 the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, 5 the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest—6 this Ezra came up from Babylon; and he was ea skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given. The king granted him all his request, faccording to the hand of the Lord his God upon him. 7 gSome of the children of Israel, the priests, hthe Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and ithe Nethinim came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes. 8 And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. 9 On the first day of the first month he began his journey from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, jaccording to the good hand of his God upon him. 10 For Ezra had prepared his heart to kseek 1the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to lteach statutes and ordinances in Israel.

The Letter of Artaxerxes to Ezra

11 This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave Ezra the priest, the scribe, expert in the words of the commandments of the Lord, and of His statutes to Israel:

12 2Artaxerxes, mking of kings,

To Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Law of the God of heaven:

Perfect peace, nand 3so forth.

13 I issue a decree that all those of the people of Israel and the priests and Levites in my realm, who volunteer to go up to Jerusalem, may go with you. 14 And whereas you are being sent 4by the king and his oseven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, with regard to the Law of your God which is in your hand; 15 and whereas you are to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, pwhose dwelling is in Jerusalem; 16 qand whereas all the silver and gold that you may find in all the province of Babylon, along with the freewill offering of the people and the priests, are to be rfreely offered for the 5house of their God in Jerusalem—17 now therefore, be careful to buy with this money bulls, rams, and lambs, with their sgrain offerings and their drink offerings, and toffer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem.

18 And whatever seems good to you and your brethren to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, do it according to the will of your God. 19 Also the articles that are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem. 20 And whatever more may be needed for the house of your God, which you may have occasion to provide, pay for it from the king’s treasury.

21 And I, even I, Artaxerxes the king, issue a decree to all the treasurers who are in the region beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, may require of you, let it be done diligently, 22 up to one hundred talents of silver, one hundred kors of wheat, one hundred baths of wine, one hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribed limit. 23 Whatever 6is commanded by the God of heaven, let it diligently be done for the 7house of the God of heaven. For why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?

24 Also we inform you that it shall not be lawful to impose tax, tribute, or custom on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, Nethinim, or servants of this house of God. 25 And you, Ezra, according to your God-given wisdom, uset magistrates and judges who may judge all the people who are in the region beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God; and vteach those who do not know them. 26 Whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily on him, whether it be death, or 8banishment, or confiscation of goods, or imprisonment.

27 wBlessed 9be the Lord God of our fathers, xwho has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, 28 and yhas extended mercy to me before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty princes.

So I was encouraged, as zthe hand of the Lord my God was upon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me.

Heads of Families Who Returned with Ezra

8 These are the heads of their fathers’ houses, and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of King Artaxerxes: 2 of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David, aHattush; 3 of the sons of Shecaniah, of the sons of bParosh, Zechariah; and registered with him were one hundred and fifty males; 4 of the sons of cPahath-Moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males; 5 of 1the sons of Shechaniah, Ben-Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males; 6 of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males; 7 of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males; 8 of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him eighty males; 9 of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males; 10 of 2the sons of Shelomith, Ben-Josiphiah, and with him one hundred and sixty males; 11 of the sons of dBebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight males; 12 of the sons of Azgad, Johanan 3the son of Hakkatan, and with him one hundred and ten males; 13 of the last sons of Adonikam, whose names are these—Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah—and with them sixty males; 14 also of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and 4Zabbud, and with them seventy males.