以斯拉記 7
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
以斯拉到達耶路撒冷
7 這些事以後，波斯王亞達薛西年間，以斯拉從巴比倫上到耶路撒冷。以斯拉是西萊雅的兒子，西萊雅是亞撒利雅的兒子，亞撒利雅是希勒迦的兒子， 2 希勒迦是沙龍的兒子，沙龍是撒督的兒子，撒督是亞希突的兒子， 3 亞希突是亞瑪利雅的兒子，亞瑪利雅是亞撒利雅的兒子，亞撒利雅是米拉約的兒子， 4 米拉約是西拉希雅的兒子，西拉希雅是烏西的兒子，烏西是布基的兒子， 5 布基是亞比書的兒子，亞比書是非尼哈的兒子，非尼哈是以利亞撒的兒子，以利亞撒是大祭司亞倫的兒子。 6 這以斯拉是位律法教師，精通以色列的上帝耶和華賜下的摩西律法。他的上帝耶和華幫助他，使王批准他的一切要求。
7 亞達薛西王第七年，一些以色列人、祭司、利未人、歌樂手、殿門守衛和殿役來到耶路撒冷。 8-9 這年一月一日，以斯拉從巴比倫啟程去耶路撒冷，五月一日就到達那裡，因為他的上帝施恩幫助他。 10 以斯拉定意研讀、遵行耶和華的律法，並在以色列教導律例和典章。
亞達薛西王給以斯拉的諭旨
11 以斯拉是祭司和律法教師，精通耶和華賜給以色列的誡命和律例。亞達薛西王降旨給以斯拉，內容如下：
12 「王中之王亞達薛西降旨給精通天上上帝律法的教師以斯拉祭司，願你平安！
13 「我現在降旨，我國中的以色列人、祭司和利未人，凡願意上耶路撒冷的都可以與你同去。 14 我和七位謀士派你去按照你手中上帝的律法察看猶大和耶路撒冷的情況， 15 並帶去我和謀士們自願獻的金銀，獻給住在耶路撒冷的以色列的上帝， 16 還要帶去你在巴比倫省得到的金銀，以及民眾和祭司為耶路撒冷的上帝之殿自願奉獻的祭物。 17 你一定要用這些金銀購買公牛、公綿羊和綿羊羔，以及素祭和奠祭用品，把這一切獻在耶路撒冷上帝殿的祭壇上。 18 至於餘下的金銀，你和你的弟兄可以按你們上帝的心意妥善使用。 19 那些交托給你、用來在你上帝的殿裡敬拜的器皿，你要帶到耶路撒冷的上帝面前。 20 如果你們上帝的殿還需要什麼，你可以從國庫支取費用。
21 「我亞達薛西王降旨給河西所有的財政大臣，精通天上上帝律法的律法教師以斯拉祭司無論向你們要什麼，都要速速辦理， 22 可以給他銀子三點四噸、麥子兩萬二千升、酒兩千二百升、油兩千二百升，鹽可以隨意取用。 23 不論天上的上帝為祂的殿有何要求，都要認真辦理，以免祂的烈怒臨到王及眾王子的國。 24 我們也通知你們不可向這座上帝殿的祭司、利未人、歌樂手、殿門守衛、殿役或其他工人徵收賦稅。
25 「你以斯拉要運用上帝賜給你的智慧委派官員和審判官，讓他們治理河西省的人民，就是明白你上帝律法的人。你要教導那些不明白你上帝律法的人。 26 凡不遵行你上帝的律法和王法的，要對他嚴加治罪，或處死，或發配，或抄家，或監禁。」
以斯拉讚美上帝
27 以斯拉說：
「我們祖先的上帝耶和華當受讚美！因為祂使王有這樣的心意尊崇耶路撒冷耶和華的殿。 28 祂又在王及其謀士和所有權貴面前施恩於我。因為我的上帝耶和華幫助我，我便有勇氣召集以色列的首領與我一同上去。」
Ezra 7
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
7 Now [a]after this, in the reign of Artaxerxes [son of Xerxes, or Ahasuerus] king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,
2 The son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,
3 The son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,
4 The son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,
5 The son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest—
6 This Ezra went up from Babylon. He was a skilled scribe in the five books of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given. And the king granted him all he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was upon him.
7 And also some of the Israelites, with some of the priests and Levites, the singers and gatekeepers, and the temple servants, went up [from Babylon] to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.
8 Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king.
9 On the first of the first month he started out from Babylon, and on the first of the fifth month he arrived in Jerusalem, for upon him was the good hand of his God.
10 For Ezra had [b]prepared and set his heart to seek the Law of the Lord [to inquire for it and of it, to require and yearn for it], and to do and teach in Israel its statutes and its ordinances.
11 Now this is the copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe [occupied with] the words of the commands of the Lord and of His statutes to Israel:
12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, scribe of the instructions of the God of heaven: Greetings.
13 I make a decree that all of the people of Israel and of their priests and Levites in my realm, who offer freely to go up to Jerusalem, may go with you.
14 For you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to inquire about Judah and Jerusalem according to the instruction of your God, which is in your hand,
15 And to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, Whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,
16 And all the silver and gold that you may find in all the province of Babylonia, with the freewill offerings of the people and of the priests, offered willingly for the house of their God in Jerusalem.
17 Therefore you shall with all speed and exactness buy with this money young bulls, rams, lambs, with their cereal offerings and drink offerings, and offer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem.
18 And whatever shall seem good to you and to your brethren to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God.
19 The vessels also that are given to you for the service of the house of your God, those deliver before the God of Jerusalem.
20 And whatever more shall be needful for the house of your God which you shall have occasion to provide, provide it out of the king’s treasury.
21 And I, Artaxerxes the king, make a decree to all the treasurers in the province beyond the [Euphrates] River that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the instructions of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it shall be done exactly and at once—
22 Up to 100 talents of silver, 100 measures of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths of oil, and salt not specified.
23 Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be done diligently and honorably for the house of the God of heaven, lest His wrath be against the realm of the king and his sons.
24 Also we notify you that as to any of the priests and Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants, or other servants of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll on them.
25 You, Ezra, after the wisdom of your God, which is [in His instructions] in your hand, set magistrates and judges who may judge all the people [west] of the River; choose those who know the instructions of your God, and teach him who does not know them.
26 And whoever will not do the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed upon him exactly and speedily, whether it be unto death or banishment or confiscation of goods or imprisonment.
27 Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers [said Ezra], Who put such a thing as this into the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the Lord in Jerusalem,
28 And Who has extended His mercy and steadfast love to me before the king, his counselors, and all the king’s mighty officers. I was strengthened and encouraged, for the hand of the Lord my God was upon me, and I gathered together outstanding men of Israel to go with me to Jerusalem.
Footnotes
- Ezra 7:1 There is about a sixty-year silence in the book of Ezra between chapters six and seven, including the years 516-458 b.c. It is during this time that events of the book of Esther took place. The Ahasuerus of the book of Esther is identified with the Xerxes who invaded Greece, was stopped at Thermopylae, defeated at the naval battle at Salamis, and nearly annihilated at Plataea (479 b.c.). The French excavations at Susa in 1880-1890 disclosed the great palace of Xerxes (Ahasuerus), where Esther would have lived. The building covered two and one-half acres. The finds at Susa from this period were so astonishing that the Louvre in Paris devoted two large rooms to the exhibition of the treasures (J. P. Free, Archaeology and Bible History).
- Ezra 7:10 God can use mightily one whose whole heart craves a knowledge of Him and His Word like that. Watch Ezra throughout the remainder of his story, as he turns the homes of his nation back from heathendom to God—in the pouring rain! He was not merely righteous, he was “[uncompromisingly] righteous” (I Kings 8:32); he worshiped God, Who is not merely just and righteous, but “rigidly just and righteous” (Ezra 9:15.)
Ezra 7
New King James Version
The Arrival of Ezra
7 Now after these things, in the reign of (A)Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the (B)son of Seraiah, (C)the son of Azariah, the son of (D)Hilkiah, 2 the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, 3 the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, 4 the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, 5 the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest— 6 this Ezra came up from Babylon; and he was (E)a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given. The king granted him all his request, (F)according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him. 7 (G)Some of the children of Israel, the priests, (H)the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and (I)the Nethinim came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes. 8 And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. 9 On the first day of the first month he began his journey from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, (J)according to the good hand of his God upon him. 10 For Ezra had prepared his heart to (K)seek[a] the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to (L)teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.
The Letter of Artaxerxes to Ezra
11 This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave Ezra the priest, the scribe, expert in the words of the commandments of the Lord, and of His statutes to Israel:
To Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Law of the God of heaven:
13 I issue a decree that all those of the people of Israel and the priests and Levites in my realm, who volunteer to go up to Jerusalem, may go with you. 14 And whereas you are being sent [d]by the king and his (O)seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, with regard to the Law of your God which is in your hand; 15 and whereas you are to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, (P)whose dwelling is in Jerusalem; 16 (Q)and whereas all the silver and gold that you may find in all the province of Babylon, along with the freewill offering of the people and the priests, are to be (R)freely offered for the [e]house of their God in Jerusalem— 17 now therefore, be careful to buy with this money bulls, rams, and lambs, with their (S)grain offerings and their drink offerings, and (T)offer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem.
18 And whatever seems good to you and your brethren to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, do it according to the will of your God. 19 Also the articles that are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem. 20 And whatever more may be needed for the house of your God, which you may have occasion to provide, pay for it from the king’s treasury.
21 And I, even I, Artaxerxes the king, issue a decree to all the treasurers who are in the region beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, may require of you, let it be done diligently, 22 up to one hundred talents of silver, one hundred kors of wheat, one hundred baths of wine, one hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribed limit. 23 Whatever [f]is commanded by the God of heaven, let it diligently be done for the [g]house of the God of heaven. For why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?
24 Also we inform you that it shall not be lawful to impose tax, tribute, or custom on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, Nethinim, or servants of this house of God. 25 And you, Ezra, according to your God-given wisdom, (U)set magistrates and judges who may judge all the people who are in the region beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God; and (V)teach those who do not know them. 26 Whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily on him, whether it be death, or [h]banishment, or confiscation of goods, or imprisonment.
27 (W)Blessed[i] be the Lord God of our fathers, (X)who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, 28 and (Y)has extended mercy to me before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty princes.
So I was encouraged, as (Z)the hand of the Lord my God was upon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me.
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
