Ezra 7
1 Many years later, during the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,
Forsothe aftir these wordis Esdras, the sone of Saraie, sone of Azarie, sone of Helchie,
2 the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,
sone of Sellum, sone of Sadoch, sone of Achitob,
3 the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,
sone of Amarie, sone of Azarie,
4 the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,
sone of Maraioth, sone of Saraie, sone of Ozi,
5 the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest—
sone of Bocci, sone of Abisue, sone of Phynees, sone of Eleazar, sone of Aaron, preest at the bigynnyng, was in the rewme of Artaxerses, king of Persis; thilke Esdras stiede fro Babiloyne,
6 this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted Ezra all his requests, for the hand of the LORD his God was upon him.
and he was a swift writere in the lawe of Moises, which the Lord God of Israel yaf; and the kyng yaf to hym al his axyng, by the goode hoond of his Lord God on hym.
7 So in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes, he went up to Jerusalem with some of the Israelites, including priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants.
And there stieden of the sones of Israel, and of the sones of preestis, and of the sones of dekenes, and of the syngeris, and of the porteris, and of Nathyneis, `in to Jerusalem in the seuenthe yeer of Artaxerses, kyng.
8 Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king.
And thei camen in to Jerusalem in the fyuethe monethe; thilke is the seuenthe of the kyng.
9 He had begun the journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was upon him.
For in the firste dai of the firste monethe he bigan to stie fro Babiloyne, and in the firste dai of the fyuethe monethe he cam in to Jerusalem, bi the good hond of his God on hym. Forsothe
10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, to practice it, and to teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.
Esdras made redi his herte to enquere the lawe of the Lord, and to do, and teche in Israel the comaundement and doom.
11 This is the text of the letter King Artaxerxes had given to Ezra the priest and scribe, an expert in the commandments and statutes of the LORD to Israel:
Sotheli this is the saumpler of the pistle of the comaundement, which the kyng Artaxerses yaf to Esdras, preest, writere lerud in the wordis and comaundementis of the Lord, and in hise cerymonyes in Israel.
12 Artaxerxes, king of kings. To Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven: Greetings.
Artaxerses, kyng of kyngis, desirith helthe to Esdras, the preest, moost wijs writere of the lawe of God of heuene.
13 I hereby decree that any volunteers among the Israelites in my kingdom, including the priests and Levites, may go up with you to Jerusalem.
It is demyd of me, that whom euer it plesith in my rewme of the puple of Israel, and of hise preestis, and dekenes, to go in to Jerusalem, go he with thee.
14 You are sent by the king and his seven counselors to evaluate Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which is in your hand.
For thou art sent fro the face of the kyng and of hise seuene counseleris, that thou visite Judee and Jerusalem in the lawe of thi God, which is in thin hond;
15 Moreover, you are to take with you the silver and gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,
and that thou bere siluer and gold, which the kyng and hise counseleris han offrid bi fre wille to God of Israel, whos tabernacle is in Jerusalem.
16 together with all the silver and gold you may find in all the province of Babylon, as well as the freewill offerings of the people and priests to the house of their God in Jerusalem.
And take thou freli al siluer and gold, which euer thou fyndist in al the prouynce of Babiloyne, and the puple wole offre, and of preestis that offriden bi fre wille to the hows of her God, which is in Jerusalem;
17 With this money, therefore, you are to buy as many bulls, rams, and lambs as needed, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and offer them on the altar at the house of your God in Jerusalem.
and bie thou bisili of this monei calues, rammes, lambren, and sacrifices, and moiste sacrifices of tho; and offre thou tho on the auter of the temple of youre God, which temple is in Jerusalem.
18 You and your brothers may do whatever seems best with the rest of the silver and gold, according to the will of your God.
But also if ony thing plesith to thee, and to thi britheren, for to do of the residue siluer and gold, do ye bi the wille of youre God;
19 You must deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles given to you for the service of the house of your God.
also bitake thou in the siyt of God in Jerusalem the vessels, that ben youun in to the seruyce of the hows of thi God.
20 And if anything else is needed for the house of your God that you may have occasion to supply, you may pay for it from the royal treasury.
But also thou schalt yyue of the tresouris of the kyng, and of the comyn arke, `ethir purse, and of me `othere thingis, that ben nedeful in the hows of thi God, as myche euere as is nedeful, that thou spende.
21 I, King Artaxerxes, decree to all the treasurers west of the Euphrates: Whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, may require of you, it must be provided promptly,
Y Artaxerses, kyng, haue ordeyned, and demyd to alle the keperis of the comyn arke, that ben biyende the flood, that what euer thing Esdras, the preest, writere of the lawe of God of heuene, axith of you, ye yyue with out tariyng,
22 up to a hundred talents of silver, a hundred cors of wheat, a hundred baths of wine, a hundred baths of olive oil, and salt without limit.
`til to an hundrid talentis of siluer, and to an hundrid `mesuris clepid chorus of wheete, and til an hundrid mesuris clepid bathus of wyn, and `til to an hundrid `mesuris clepid bathus of oile, salt forsothe without mesure.
23 Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven must be done diligently for His house. For why should wrath fall on the realm of the king and his sons?
Al thing that perteyneth to the custom, `ethir religioun, of God of heuene, be youun diligentli in the hows of God of heuene, lest perauenture he be wrooth ayens the rewme of the kyng and of hise sones.
24 And be advised that you have no authority to impose tribute, duty, or toll on any of the priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.
Also we make knowun to you of alle the preestis, and dekenes, syngeris, and porteris, and Nathyneis, and mynystris of the hows of this God, `that ye han not power to put on hem tol, and tribute, and costis for keperis of the lond.
25 And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God which you possess, are to appoint magistrates and judges to judge all the people west of the Euphrates—all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach these laws to anyone who does not know them.
Forsothe thou, Esdras, bi the wisdom of thi God, which is in thin hond, ordeyne iugis and gouernouris, that thei deme to the puple, which is biyende the flood, that is, to hem that kunnen the lawe of thi God, and the lawe of the kyng; but also teche ye freli vnkunnynge men.
26 If anyone does not keep the law of your God and the law of the king, let a strict judgment be executed against him, whether death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.
And ech man, that doth not the lawe of thi God, and the lawe of the kyng diligentli, doom schal be of hym, ethir in to the deeth, ethir in to exilyng, ethir in to condempnyng of his catel, ethir certis in to prisoun. And Esdras, the writere, seide, Blissid be the Lord God of oure fadris,
27 Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put into the heart of the king to so honor the house of the LORD in Jerusalem,
that yaf this thing in the herte of the kyng, that he schulde glorifie the hows of the Lord,
28 and who has shown me favor before the king, his counselors, and all his powerful officials. And because the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, I took courage and gathered the leaders of Israel to return with me.
which is in Jerusalem, and bowide his mercy in to me bifor the kyng, and hise counseleris, and bifore alle the myyti princes of the kyng. And Y was coumfortid bi the hond of `my Lord God, that was in me, and Y gederide of the sones of Israel princes, that stieden with me.
