< עזרא 7 >
| ואחר הדברים האלה במלכות ארתחשסתא מלך פרס--עזרא בן שריה בן עזריה בן חלקיה | 1 |
[Many/Fifty years] later, while Artaxerxes was the king of Persia, I, Ezra came from Babylon here to Jerusalem. I am the son of Seraiah and the grandson of Azariah, and the great-grandson of Hilkiah.
| בן שלום בן צדוק בן אחיטוב | 2 |
Hilkiah was the son of Shallum, who was the son of Zadok, who was the son of Ahitub,
| בן אמריה בן עזריה בן מריות | 3 |
who was the son of Amariah, who was the son of Azariah, who was the son of Meraioth,
who was the son of Zerahiah, who was the son of Uzzi, who was the son of Bukki,
| בן אבישוע בן פינחס בן אלעזר בן אהרן הכהן הראש | 5 |
who was the son of Abishua, who was the son of Phinehas, who was the son of Eleazar, who was the son of Aaron, the [first] Supreme Priest.
| הוא עזרא עלה מבבל והוא ספר מהיר בתורת משה אשר נתן יהוה אלהי ישראל ויתן לו המלך כיד יהוה אלהיו עליו--כל בקשתו | 6 |
I am a man who knows very well the laws that Moses [wrote]. Those were the laws that Yahweh, the God whom we Israeli people ([worship/belong to]), had given to us Israeli people. When I arrived in Jerusalem, Yahweh my God was kind to me, and as a result the [people] gave me everything that I had requested the king to [tell them to] give to me.
| ויעלו מבני ישראל ומן הכהנים והלוים והמשררים והשערים והנתינים--אל ירושלם בשנת שבע לארתחשסתא המלך | 7 |
Some of the priests, some [other] descendants of Levi, [some] singers, [some] (gatekeepers/men who guarded the gates of the temple), and [some] men who worked in the temple, and some other [Israeli] people came up with me here to Jerusalem. That was during the seventh year that Artaxerxes was the king [of Persia].
| ויבא ירושלם בחדש החמישי היא שנת השביעית למלך | 8 |
We left Babylon on April 8, which was the first day of the Jewish year. Because God was very kind to us, we arrived [safely] in Jerusalem on August 4 of that year.
| כי באחד לחדש הראשון--הוא יסד המעלה מבבל ובאחד לחדש החמישי בא אל ירושלם כיד אלהיו הטובה עליו | 9 |
| כי עזרא הכין לבבו לדרש את תורת יהוה ולעשת וללמד בישראל חק ומשפט | 10 |
During my entire life, I devoted myself to studying the laws of Yahweh, and how to obey those laws. I had also taught those laws and all their regulations to the Israeli people [for many years].
| וזה פרשגן הנשתון אשר נתן המלך ארתחשסתא לעזרא הכהן הספר ספר דברי מצות יהוה וחקיו--על ישראל | 11 |
King Artaxerxes [knew that] I am a priest who knows the Jewish laws very well. [He knew that for many years] I had studied those laws and had taught all the rules and regulations of those laws to the Israeli people. [So before I left Babylon to come to Jerusalem, ] he wrote a letter, and gave a copy to me. [This is what he wrote]:
| ארתחשסתא--מלך מלכיא לעזרא כהנא ספר דתא די אלה שמיא גמיר--וכענת | 12 |
[“This letter is] from me, Artaxerxes, the greatest of the kings. [I am giving it] to Ezra the priest, who has studied very well all the rules and regulations that the God [who is/rules] in heaven [gave to the Israeli people].
| מני שים טעם--די כל מתנדב במלכותי מן עמא ישראל וכהנוהי ולויא למהך לירושלם עמך יהך | 13 |
“Ezra, I command that when you return to Jerusalem, any of the Israeli people in my kingdom who want to are allowed to go with you. That includes any priests and [other] descendants of Levi [who will work in the temple] who want to go.
| כל קבל די מן קדם מלכא ושבעת יעטהי שליח לבקרה על יהוד ולירושלם--בדת אלהך די בידך | 14 |
I, along with my seven counselors/advisors, am sending you to Jerusalem, in order that you can determine what is happening there and in [other towns in] Judah. You are taking with you [MTY] a copy of God’s laws; make sure that the people are doing everything that is written in those laws.
| ולהיבלה כסף ודהב--די מלכא ויעטוהי התנדבו לאלה ישראל די בירושלם משכנה | 15 |
[We are also saying that] you should take with you the silver and gold that I and my advisors are wanting to give to you, in order that you will present it to be an offering to the God who [rules] the Israeli people and who lives in Jerusalem.
| וכל כסף ודהב די תהשכח בכל מדינת בבל--עם התנדבות עמא וכהניא מתנדבין לבית אלההם די בירושלם | 16 |
You should also take any silver and gold that the people in the entire Babylonia province give to you, and the money that the priests and [other] Israeli people have happily said that they would give to you to be offerings for building the temple of their God in Jerusalem.
| כל קבל דנה אספרנא תקנא בכספא דנה תורין דכרין אמרין ומנחתהון ונסכיהון ותקרב המו--על מדבחה די בית אלהכם די בירושלם | 17 |
With this money, you should buy the bulls, rams, lambs, and the grain and wine that the priests will burn on the altar [outside] the temple of your God in Jerusalem.
| ומה די עליך (עלך) ועל אחיך (אחך) ייטב בשאר כספא ודהבה--למעבד כרעות אלהכם תעבדון | 18 |
“If there is any silver or gold that remains [you have bought all those things], you and your companions/colleagues are permitted to use it to [buy] whatever you desire, but buy only things that [you know that] God wants you to buy.
| ומאניא די מתיהבין לך לפלחן בית אלהך--השלם קדם אלה ירושלם | 19 |
We have given to you some valuable items to be used in the temple of your God. Take them also to Jerusalem.
| ושאר חשחות בית אלהך די יפל לך למנתן--תנתן מן בית גנזי מלכא | 20 |
If you need any other things for the temple, you are permitted to get the money for those things from the building here where my government’s money is kept/stored.
| ומני אנה ארתחשסתא מלכא שים טעם--לכל גזבריא די בעבר נהרה די כל די ישאלנכון עזרא כהנא ספר דתא די אלה שמיא--אספרנא יתעבד | 21 |
“And I, King Artaxerxes, command this to all the treasurers in the province west of the [Euphrates] River: 'Give to Ezra, the priest who has studied very well the laws of the God [who is/rules] in heaven, everything that he requests, and give it to him quickly.
| עד כסף ככרין מאה ועד חנטין כורין מאה ועד חמר בתין מאה ועד בתין משח מאה ומלח די לא כתב | 22 |
The most that you should give to him is (7,500 pounds/3,400 kg.) of silver, 500 bushels of wheat, 550 gallons of wine, and 550 gallons of [olive] oil, but give to him all the salt that they need.
| כל די מן טעם אלה שמיא יתעבד אדרזדא לבית אלה שמיא די למה להוא קצף על מלכות מלכא ובנוהי | 23 |
Be sure that you provide whatever their God requires for his temple, because we certainly do not [RHQ] want him to be angry with me or with my descendants who will later be kings.
| ולכם מהודעין די כל כהניא ולויא זמריא תרעיא נתיניא ופלחי בית אלהא דנה--מנדה בלו והלך לא שליט למרמא עליהם | 24 |
We are also commanding that none of the priests, descendants of Levi, musicians, temple guards, or other men who work in the temple, will be required to pay any kind of taxes.'
| ואנת עזרא כחכמת אלהך די בידך מני שפטין ודינין די להון דאנין (דינין) לכל עמא די בעבר נהרה לכל ידעי דתי אלהך ודי לא ידע תהודעון | 25 |
“Ezra, your God has enabled you to become very wise. Using that wisdom, appoint men in the province west of the [Euphrates] River who will judge cases involving the people, and men who will judge cases involving the government. You must appoint men who know the laws of your God. All of you must teach God’s laws to others who do not know them.
| וכל די לא להוא עבד דתא די אלהך ודתא די מלכא--אספרנא דינה להוא מתעבד מנה הן למות הן לשרשו (לשרשי) הן לענש נכסין ולאסורין | 26 |
Everyone who does not obey God’s laws or the laws of my government must be punished severely. Some of them will be executed, some will be put in prison, some will be sent out of the country or have all their property taken away from them.”
| ברוך יהוה אלהי אבתינו--אשר נתן כזאת בלב המלך לפאר את בית יהוה אשר בירושלם | 27 |
[Because King Artaxerxes was very kind like that, I said], “Praise Yahweh, the God whom our ancestors [worshiped/belonged to]! He has caused the king to want to honor the temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem.
| ועלי הטה חסד לפני המלך ויועציו ולכל שרי המלך הגברים ואני התחזקתי כיד יהוה אלהי עלי ואקבצה מישראל ראשים לעלות עמי | 28 |
Because God was very kind to me, the king and all his advisors and all his powerful officials have also been kind to me. So, because God has helped me, I have become encouraged, and I have [been able to] persuade some of the Israeli leaders to go up to Jerusalem with me.”
