Ezra Chapter 7
So after all that, Artaxerxes was the ruler of Persia, and Ezra, son of Seraiah, was in the scene.
Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,
He's the son of Shallum, son of Zadok, and son of Ahitub, you vibe?
The son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,
Next up, we got Amariah, Azariah, and Meraioth, all part of the crew.
The son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,
Zerahiah’s in the mix, followed by Uzzi and Bukki, keeping it real.
The son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,
Abishua's the child of Phinehas, who’s the kid of Eleazar, son of Aaron, the chief priest, no cap.
The son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest:
Ezra dipped from Babylon, ready to vibe with Moses’ law that God laid down. The king was all like, "You got it, fam," 'cause God was in his corner.
This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he {was} a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.
Some of the crew from Israel, priests, Levites, singers, porters, and Nethinims cruised to Jerusalem in Artaxerxes' seventh year.
And there went up {some} of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.
He cruised into Jerusalem in the fifth month of the king's seventh year, no lie.
And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which {was} in the seventh year of the king.
He kicked off his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month and hit up Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, all thanks to God’s solid vibes.
For upon the first {day} of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first {day} of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. {began...: Heb. was the foundation of the going up}
Ezra was all about seeking the Lord’s law, living it out, and schooling Israel on the rules, periodt.
For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do {it}, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.
Yo, these are the deets from King Artaxerxes to Ezra the priest, the scribe who's all about the Lord’s commandments and vibes for Israel.
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.
Artaxerxes, king of kings, reaches out to Ezra the priest, the law scribe of the God of heaven, sending perfect peace, no cap.
Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect {peace}, and at such a time. {unto...: or, to Ezra the priest, a perfect scribe of the law of the God of heaven, peace, etc}
I’m dropping a decree: anyone from Israel, priests, or Levites who wanna roll up to Jerusalem, go with Ezra, fam.
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.
Since you’re sent by the king and his squad of seven, to check on Judah and Jerusalem, according to your God’s law in your grip;
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; {of the king: Chaldee, from before the king}
And bring that silver and gold which the king and his crew are dropping for the God of Israel, whose crib is in Jerusalem,
And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation {is} in Jerusalem,
And all the silver and gold you can grab in Babylon, plus the freewill offerings from the people and priests for their God’s house in Jerusalem:
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 priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which {is} in Jerusalem:
Use that cash to quickly snag bullocks, rams, and lambs, with their meat and drink offerings, and offer them on your God’s altar in Jerusalem.
That thou mayest buy speedily with this money bullocks, rams, 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.
Whatever seems solid to you and your crew to do with the leftover silver and gold, just vibe with your God’s will.
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.
The stuff you get for servicing your God’s house, make sure to deliver that to the God of Jerusalem.
The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, {those} deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem.
And whatever else you need for your God’s house, just grab it from the king’s treasure house, periodt.
And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow {it} out of the king's treasure house.
Yo, it’s me, Artaxerxes the king, and I’m laying down a decree to all the treasurers across the river. Whatever Ezra the priest needs from you, just get it done quick, no cap.
And I, {even} I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which {are} beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily,
Up to a hundred talents of silver, a hundred measures of wheat, a hundred baths of wine, a hundred baths of oil, and salt, no limits on that.
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 oil, and salt without prescribing {how much}. {measures: Chaldee, cors}
Whatever the God of heaven commands, make sure it’s done for His house, fr. Why would we want the king and his crew to catch heat?
Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons? {Whatsoever...: Chaldee, Whatsoever is of the decree}
Just a heads up, you can’t charge any tolls or taxes on the priests, Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or anyone serving in this house of God.
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.
And you, Ezra, with the wisdom of your God in your hands, choose judges and magistrates to handle all the peeps beyond the river, and teach those who don't know the laws.
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 {are} beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know {them} not.
Anyone who skips out on the law of your God or the king’s law? Yeah, let's serve that judgment quick, whether it’s death, banishment, confiscation, or jail time.
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 to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment. {to banishment: Chaldee, to rooting out}
Big respect to the Lord God of our ancestors for putting this on the king’s heart to make the Lord’s house in Jerusalem look fire.
Blessed {be} the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put {such a thing} as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which {is} in Jerusalem:
He showed me mad mercy in front of the king, his advisors, and all the king’s powerful crew. I felt hyped because the hand of the Lord my God was on me, and I gathered some top folks from Israel to roll with me.
And hath extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the king's mighty princes. And I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God {was} upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.