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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1.0; maximum-scale=1.0; user-scalable=0;"/><title>Ezra 7 New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/ezra/7.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmcc/ezra/7-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/catholic">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NRSVCE</a> > Ezra 7</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../ezra/6.htm" title="Ezra 6">◄</a> Ezra 7 <a href="../ezra/8.htm" title="Ezra 8">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition</td><td width="1%" valign="top"></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><div class="text-html"> <h3><span id="en" class="text">The Coming and Work of Ezra</span></h3><p class="chapter-1"><span class="text"><span class="versenum">1</span>After this, in the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">2</span>son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">3</span>son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">4</span>son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">5</span>son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of the chief priest Aaron— </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">6</span>this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses that the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> the God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> his God was upon him.</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">7</span>Some of the people of Israel, and some of the priests and Levites, the singers and gatekeepers, and the temple servants also went up to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">8</span>They came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">9</span>On the first day of the first month the journey up from Babylon was begun, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, for the gracious hand of his God was upon him. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">10</span>For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span>, and to do it, and to teach the statutes and ordinances in Israel.</span></p> <h3><span id="en" class="text">The Letter of Artaxerxes to Ezra</span></h3><p><span class="text"><span class="versenum">11</span>This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to the priest Ezra, the scribe, a scholar of the text of the commandments of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> and his statutes for Israel: </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">12</span>“Artaxerxes, king of kings, to the priest Ezra, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven: Peace.<span data-fn='#fen' class='footnote' data-link='[<a href="#fen-NRSVCE-12186a" title="See footnote a">a</a>]'>[<a href="#fen" xtitle="See footnote a">a</a>]</span> And now </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">13</span>I decree that any of the people of Israel or their priests or Levites in my kingdom who freely offers to go to Jerusalem may go with you. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">14</span>For you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God, which is in your hand, </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">15</span>and also to convey the silver and gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">16</span>with all the silver and gold that you shall find in the whole province of Babylonia, and with the freewill offerings of the people and the priests, given willingly for the house of their God in Jerusalem. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">17</span>With this money, then, you shall with all diligence buy bulls, rams, and lambs, and their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and you shall offer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">18</span>Whatever seems good to you and your colleagues to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do, according to the will of your God. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">19</span>The vessels that have been given you for the service of the house of your God, you shall deliver before the God of Jerusalem. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">20</span>And whatever else is required for the house of your God, which you are responsible for providing, you may provide out of the king’s treasury.</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">21</span>“I, King Artaxerxes, decree to all the treasurers in the province Beyond the River: Whatever the priest Ezra, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, requires of you, let it be done with all diligence, </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">22</span>up to one hundred talents of silver, one hundred cors of wheat, one hundred baths<span data-fn='#fen' class='footnote' data-link='[<a href="#fen-NRSVCE-12196b" title="See footnote b">b</a>]'>[<a href="#fen" xtitle="See footnote b">b</a>]</span> of wine, one hundred baths<span data-fn='#fen' class='footnote' data-link='[<a href="#fen-NRSVCE-12196c" title="See footnote c">c</a>]'>[<a href="#fen" xtitle="See footnote c">c</a>]</span> of oil, and unlimited salt. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">23</span>Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be done with zeal for the house of the God of heaven, or wrath will come upon the realm of the king and his heirs. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">24</span>We also notify you that it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll on any of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the doorkeepers, the temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">25</span>“And you, Ezra, according to the God-given wisdom you possess, appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River who know the laws of your God; and you shall teach those who do not know them. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">26</span>All who will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be strictly executed on them, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of their goods or for imprisonment.”</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">27</span>Blessed be the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span>, the God of our ancestors, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king to glorify the house of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> in Jerusalem, </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">28</span>and who extended to me steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty officers. I took courage, for the hand of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> my God was upon me, and I gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me.</span></p> <A name="fen"></a><div class="footnotes"><h4>Footnotes</h4><ol><li id="fen"><a hlef="#en" xtitle="Go to Ezra 7:12">Ezra 7:12</a> <span class='footnote-text'>Syr Vg 1 Esdras 8.9: Aram <i>Perfect</i></span></li><li id="fen"><a hlef="#en" xtitle="Go to Ezra 7:22">Ezra 7:22</a> <span class='footnote-text'>A Heb measure of volume</span></li><li id="fen"><a hlef="#en" xtitle="Go to Ezra 7:22">Ezra 7:22</a> <span class='footnote-text'>A Heb measure of volume</span></li></ol></div> </div></div></div></div></div> </div> </div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. 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