Ezra 7
1 After all this, during the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra arrived from Babylon. He was the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah,
Forsothe aftir these wordis Esdras, the sone of Saraie, sone of Azarie, sone of Helchie,
2 son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub,
sone of Sellum, sone of Sadoch, sone of Achitob,
3 son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth,
sone of Amarie, sone of Azarie,
4 son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki,
sone of Maraioth, sone of Saraie, sone of Ozi,
5 son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the high 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 arrived from Babylon, and was a scribe who was an expert in the Law of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given to Israel. The king had granted Ezra everything he'd asked for, because the Lord his God was with 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 In the seventh year of King Artaxerxes left for Jerusalem, accompanied by some of the people of Israel, and some of the priests and Levites, singers and 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 King Artaxerxes' reign.
And thei camen in to Jerusalem in the fyuethe monethe; thilke is the seuenthe of the kyng.
9 He had started 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, his gracious God going with 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 committed himself to gaining insights from the Law of the Lord, wanting to practice it and to teach in Israel its rules and how to live.
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 a copy of the letter King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest and scribe, who had studied the Lord's commandments and regulations given 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 issue this decree: Any of the people of Israel or their priests or Levites in my kingdom who voluntarily decide to go to Jerusalem with you may do so.
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 being sent by the king and his seven counselors to investigate the situation in Judah and Jerusalem as it relates to the Law of your God, which you carry with you.
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 We also instruct you to take with you the silver and gold that the king and his counselors have voluntarily donated to the God of Israel, whose lives 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 receive from the province of Babylon, as well as the voluntary donations of the people and priests to the Temple 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 You are to use this money first to buy as many bulls, rams, and lambs as necessary, along with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and present them on the altar at the Temple 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 Then you and those with you may decide to use the rest of the silver and gold in whatever way you think best, in accordance with 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 But the items you have been given for the service of the Temple of your God must be all delivered to the God of Jerusalem.
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 If there is anything else required for the Temple of your God that you have to provide, you may charge it to 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 that all the treasurers west of the Euphrates should provide whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, may require from you, and it must be provided in full,
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 one hundred talents of silver, one hundred cors of wheat, one hundred baths of wine, one hundred baths of olive oil, and unrestricted amounts of salt.
`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 Make sure you provide in full whatever the God of heaven requires for his Temple, for why should his anger be brought down on 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 Also be aware that all of the priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, Temple servants, or other workers of this Temple are exempt from paying any tax, tribute, or fees, and you are not authorized to charge them.
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 You, Ezra, are to follow the wisdom of your God which you possess, shall appoint magistrates and judges to provide justice to all the people west of the Euphrates—all those who follow the laws of your God. You are to teach these laws to those who do not.
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 Anyone who does not keep the law of your God and the law of the king, will be severely punished, either by death, banishment, seizure 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 Praise the Lord, the God of our forefathers, who put into the king's mind to honor the Lord's Temple in Jerusalem in this way,
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 such kindness by honoring me before the king, his counselors, and all his high officials. Because the Lord my God was with me, I was encouraged and called together the leaders of Israel to return to Jerusalem 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.
