Ezra 7
1 Forsothe aftir these wordis Esdras, the sone of Saraie, sone of Azarie, sone of Helchie,
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,
2 sone of Sellum, sone of Sadoch, sone of Achitob,
the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,
3 sone of Amarie, sone of Azarie,
the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,
4 sone of Maraioth, sone of Saraie, sone of Ozi,
the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,
5 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,
the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest—
6 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.
this Ezra went up from Babylon. He was a skilled scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given; and the king granted him all his request, according to the LORD his God’s hand on him.
7 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.
Some of the children of Israel, including some of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants went up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.
8 And thei camen in to Jerusalem in the fyuethe monethe; thilke is the seuenthe of the kyng.
He came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.
9 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
For on the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylon; and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God on him.
10 Esdras made redi his herte to enquere the lawe of the Lord, and to do, and teche in Israel the comaundement and doom.
For Ezra had set his heart to seek the LORD’s law, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.
11 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.
Now this is the copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, even the scribe of the words of the LORD’s commandments, and of his statutes to Israel:
12 Artaxerses, kyng of kyngis, desirith helthe to Esdras, the preest, moost wijs writere of the lawe of God of heuene.
Artaxerxes, king of kings, To Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the perfect God of heaven. Now
13 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.
I make a decree that all those of the people of Israel and their priests and the Levites in my realm, who intend of their own free will to go to Jerusalem, go with you.
14 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;
Because you are sent by the king and his seven counsellors to enquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of your God which is in your hand,
15 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.
and to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem,
16 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;
and all the silver and gold that you will find in all the province of Babylon, with the free will offering of the people and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem.
17 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.
Therefore you shall with all diligence buy with this money bulls, rams, and lambs with their meal offerings and their drink offerings, and shall offer them on the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.
18 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;
Whatever seems good to you and to your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, do that according to the will of your God.
19 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.
The vessels that are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver before the God of Jerusalem.
20 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.
Whatever more will be needed for the house of your God, which you may have occasion to give, give it out of the king’s treasure house.
21 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,
I, even I, Artaxerxes the king, make a decree to all the treasurers who are beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, requires of you, it shall be done with all diligence,
22 `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.
up to one hundred talents of silver, and to one hundred cors of wheat, and to one hundred baths of wine, and to one hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much.
23 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.
Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be done exactly for the house of the God of heaven; for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?
24 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.
Also we inform you that it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants, or labourers of this house of God.
25 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.
You, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people who are beyond the River, who all know the laws of your God; and teach him who doesn’t know them.
26 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,
Whoever will not do the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgement be executed on him with all diligence, whether it is to death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.
27 that yaf this thing in the herte of the kyng, that he schulde glorifie the hows of the Lord,
Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the LORD’s house which is in Jerusalem;
28 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.
and has extended loving kindness to me before the king and his counsellors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. I was strengthened according to the LORD my God’s hand on me, and I gathered together chief men out of Israel to go up with me.
