The gracious commission BEFORE CHRIST cir. 457. m Ezek. 26. 7. Dan. 2. 37. 2 Or, to Ezra the priest, a perfect scribe of the law of the God of heaven, peace, &c. ch. 4. 10. 3 Chald. from before the king. • Esth. 1. 14. EZRA, VIII. 11 ¶ Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of his statutes to Israel. 12 Artaxerxes, m king of kings, 2 unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time. 13 I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee. 14 Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors, to enquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand; 15 And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of p2 Chr. 6.2. Israel, P whose 'habitation is in Jerusalem, Ps. 135. 21. 9 ch. 8. 25. 16 And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people, and of the 1 Chr. 29. priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem: 6,9. 4-13. г 17 That thou mayest buy speedily with this money bullocks, rams, Num. 15. lambs, with their meat offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem. t Deut. 12. 5, 11. 4 Chald. cors. 18 And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God. 19 The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, those deliver thou before the Jerusalem. of Artaxerxes to Ezra. oil, and salt without prescribing how BEFORE CHRIST cir. 457. 2 Heb. decree. 23 2 Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be dili-Whatsoever gently done for the house of the God of the of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons? 24 Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them. u Ex. 18. 21, 22. x ver. 10. 25 And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, "set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that Deut. 16.18. are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know them not. 26 And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed. speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or 3 to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment. CHAPTER VIII. The companions of Ezra, who returned from God of Wesolver more shall be T fathers, and this is the genealogy needful for the house of thy God, 21 And I, even I Artaxerxes the 22 Unto an hundred talents of silver, and to an hundred measures of wheat, and to an hundred baths of wine, and to an hundred baths of Mal. 2. 7. Matt. 23. 2, 3. The companions of Ezra. BEFORE CHRIST cir. 457. 2 Or, the youngest 800. 3 Or, Zaccur, as some read. 4 Or, pitched. d See ch.7.7. 5 Heb. 7 put words in their mouth: See 2 Sam. 14, 3, 19. • Neh. 2. 8. & 9. 4,5. EZRA, VIII. 5 of the sons of Shechaniah; the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males. 6 Of the sons also of Adin; Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males. 7 And of the sons of Elam; Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males. 8 And of the sons of Shephatiah; Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him fourscore males. 9 of the sons of Joab; Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males. 10 And of the sons of Shelomith; the son of Josiphiah, and with him an hundred and threescore males. 11 And of the sons of Bebai; Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty and eight males. 12 And of the sons of Azgad; Johanan 2the son of Hakkatan, and with him an hundred and ten males. 13 And of the last sons of Adonikam, whose names are these, Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them threescore males. 3 14 Of the sons also of Bigvai; Uthai, and Zabbud, and with them seventy males. 15 And I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava; and there abode we in tents three days: and I viewed the people, and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi. 16 Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Élnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and for Elnathan, men of understanding. 17 And I sent them with commandment unto Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say unto Iddo, and to his brethren the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring unto us ministers for the house of our God. 0 18 And by the good hand of our Neh. 8. 7. God upon us they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen; g See ch. 2. 43. 19 And Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brethren and their sons, twenty; 20 & Also of the Nethinims, whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites, two Ezra cometh to Jerusalem. hundred and twenty Nethinims: all of them were expressed by name. 21 ¶ Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. 22 For 1I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, "The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that P forsake him. n 23 So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us. 24 T Then I separated twelve of is. 19. 22. the chief of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them, 25 And weighed unto them the ch.7.15, silver, and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering of the house of our God, which the king, and his counsellors, and his lords, and all Israel there present, had offered: 26 I even weighed unto their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels an hundred talents, and of gold an hundred talents; 27 Also twenty basons of gold, of a thousand drams; and two vessels of 2 fine copper, 3 precious as gold. 28 And I said unto them, Ye are holy unto the LORD; the vessels are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering unto the LORD God of your fathers. 29 Watch ye, and keep them, until ye weigh them before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the LORD. 30 So took the priests and the Levites the weight of the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem unto the house of our God. Ezra prayeth unto God BEFORE CHRIST cir. 457. EZRA, IX. God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites; 34 By number and by weight of every one: and all the weight was written at that time. 35 Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were So ch.6.17. come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering unto the LORD. a ch. 7. 21. 457. b ch. 6. 21. Neh. 9. 2. • Deut. 12. 30, 31. d Ex. 34. 16. Deut. 7. 8. 36 And they delivered the king's & commissions under the king's lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river: and they furthered the people, and the house of God. CHAPTER IX. 1 Ezra mourneth for the affinity of the people with strangers. 5 He prayeth unto God with confession of sins. Now с OW when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not bseparated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 2 For they have taken of their Neh. 13. 23. daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand 12 Cor. 6.14 of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass. • Ex. 19. 6. & 22.31. Deut. 7. 6. & 14. 2. g Job 1.20. 3 And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down hastonied. 4 Then were assembled unto me every one that 'trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until Ex. 29.89. the evening sacrifice. h Ps. 143. 4. i ch. 10. 3. Is. 66. 2. 2 Or, affliction 5 ¶ And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my 2 heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and 1 Ex. 9. 29, 'spread out my hands unto the LORD my God, 33. 6 And said, O my God, I am shamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are n with confession of sins. increased over our head, and our 2 trespass is grown up unto the heavens. 7 Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to 'confusion of face, as it is this day. 8 And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. 9 For we were bondmen; "yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and 5 to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. 10 And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments, Ezra reformeth the BEFORE CHRIST 457. a Dan. 9. 20. EZRA, X. OW when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down b2 Chr.20.9. before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people 2 Heb. wept 2wept very sore. a great weeping. с 2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have Neh.13.27. trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing. 3 Now therefore let us make da covenant with our God to put away bring forth. all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble Deut.7.2,3. at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. d 2 Chr. 34. 31. 3 Heb. to e ch. 9. 4. 6 ¶ Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, Deut.9.18. he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away. 4 Heb. devoted. 7 And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem; 8 And that whosoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be 'forfeited, and himself separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away. 9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; and 1 See 1 Sam. all the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling be 12. 18. strange marriages. cause of this matter, and for 2 the great rain. BEFORE CHRIST 457. 2 Heb. the & Heb. have caused to dwell, 10 And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have trans-showers. gressed, and 3have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel. 11 Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and "separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives. 12 Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do. 13 But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither is this a work of one day or two: for we are many that have transgressed in this thing. 14 Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us. 15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed about this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them. 16 And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated, and sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. 17 And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first month. 18 ¶ And among the sons of the priests there were found that had taken strange wives: namely, of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren; Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19 And they gave their hands that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their trespass. 20 And of the sons of Immer; Hanani, and Zebadiah. 21 And of the sons of Harim; Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah. 22 And of the sons of Pashur; Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad, and Elasah. 23 Also of the Levites; Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah, (the same or, have brought back. m Josh. 7. 19. Prov.28.13. n ver. 3. His prayer. BEFORE is Kelita,) Pethahiah, Judah, and | Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, CHRIST 456. BEFORE CHRIST cir. 446. a ch. 10. 1. b ch. 2.17. e 2 Kings 25.10. Eliezer. 24 of the singers also; Eliashib: and of the porters; Shallum, and Telem, and Uri. 25 Moreover of Israel: of the sons of Parosh; Ramiah, and Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Miamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah. 26 And of the sons of Elam; Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Eliah. 27 And of the sons of Zattu; Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza. 28 of the sons also of Bebai; Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai. 29 And of the sons of Bani; Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth. 30 And of the sons of Pahathmoab; Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel, and Binnui, and Manasseh. 31 And of the sons of Harim; | 32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah. 33 of the sons of Hashum; Mattenai, Mattathah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei. 34 Of the sons of Bani; Maadai, Amram, and Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasau, 38 And Bani, and Binnui, Shimei, 39 And Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah, BEFORE CHRIST 456. 2 Or, Mabnadebai, ac 402 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azareel, and Shelemiah, She-cording to mariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph. 43 Of the sons of Nebo; Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jadau, and Joel, Benaiah. 44 All these had taken strange wives and some of them had wives by whom they had children. THE : BOOK OF NEHEMIAH. CHAPTER I. 1 Nehemiah, understanding by Hanuni the misery of Jerusalem, mourneth, fasteth, and prayeth. 5 His prayer. Ton W Hachaliah. And it came HE words of a Nehemiah the to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, 6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day thy servants, and & confess the sins of and night, for the children of Israel the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned. 2 That Hanani, one of my bre- 7 h We have dealt very corruptly thren, came, he and certain men of against thee, and have not kept the Judah; and I asked them concerning commandments, nor the statutes, nor the Jews that had escaped, which the judgments, which thou comwere left of the captivity, and con-mandedst thy servant Moses. cerning Jerusalem. b 3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. 4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, d Dan. 9. 4. 5 And said, I beseech thee, a O LORD God of heaven, the great and •Ex. 20. 6. terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: k some copies. 8 Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye trans-Lev.26.33. gress, I will scatter you abroad among 26, 27. & 25. the nations: 1 m 9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. 10 Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. Deut. 4. 25, 64. &c. Lev. 26.30, Deut. 4. 29, 30, 31. & 30. Deut.30.4. n Deut.9.29. Dan. 9. 15. 11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let over. 6. |