Ezra 7

Ezra · Chapter 7

Ezra 7:1

1Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,2The son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,3The son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,4The son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,5The son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest:6This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.7And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.8And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.9For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.10For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.11Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of his statutes to Israel.12Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time.13I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee.14Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors, to enquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand;15And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem,16And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem:17That thou mayest buy speedily with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meat offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.18And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God.19The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, those deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem.20And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king’s treasure house.21And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily,22Unto an hundred talents of silver, and to an hundred measures of wheat, and to an hundred baths of wine, and to an hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much.23Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?24Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them.25And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know them not.26And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.27Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem:28And hath extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. And I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
1Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,Many years later, during the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,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,

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Where

Locations from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Some ancient sites are uncertain.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and afterוְאַחַר֙ve-'a-CHARH0310A
after

אַחַר (a.char) 1) after the following part, behind (of place), hinder, afterwards (of time) 1a) as an adverb 1a1) behind (of place) 1a2) afterwards (of time) 1b) as a preposition 1b1) behind, after (of place) 1b2) after (of time) 1b3) besides 1c) as a conjunction 1c) after that 1d) as a substantive 1d1) hinder part 1e) with other prepositions 1e1) from behind 1e2) from following after

the thingsהַדְּבָרִ֣יםha-de-va-RIMH1697I
word

דָּבָר (da.var) : word/speech/command 1) speech, word, speaking, thing 1a) speech 1b) saying, utterance 1c) word, words 1d) business, occupation, acts, matter, case, something, manner (by extension)

the theseהָאֵ֔לֶּהha-'E-lehH0428
these

אֵ֫לֶּה (el.leh) 1) these 1a) used before antecedent 1b) used following antecedent Aramaic equivalent: el.leh (אֵלֶּה "these" H0429)

in [the] reign ofבְּמַלְכ֖וּתbe-mal-KHUTH4438
kingdom

מַלְכוּ (mal.khu) 1) royalty, reign, kingdom 1a) royalty, kingship, kingly authority 1b) kingdom 1c) realm (of territory) 1d) reign (of time)

Artaxerxesאַרְתַּחְשַׁ֣סְתְּא'ar-tach-SHAST'H0783A
Artaxerxes

אַרְתַּחְשַׁשְׂתָּא (ar.tach.shash.ta) A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.6.14 Also named: ar.tach.shash.ta (אַרְתַּחְשַׁשְׂתְּא "Artaxerxes" H0783) § Artaxerxes = "I will make the spoiled to boil: I will stir myself (in) winter" son and successor of Xerxes as emperor of Persia, 465-424 BC

[the] king ofמֶֽלֶךְ־ME-lekh-H4428G
king

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) 1) king Aramaic equivalent: me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4430)

Persiaפָּרָ֑סpa-RASH6539
Persia

אֲפָֽרְסָיֵא (a.pha.re.say) Persia or Apharsite = "causers of division (?)" (CLBL) an unknown office (TWOT) perhaps a title of an official Another spelling of pa.ras (פָּרַס "Persia" H6539)

Ezraעֶזְרָא֙'ez-RA'H5830G
Ezra

עֶזְרָא (ez.ra) A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.7.1; son of: Seraiah (H8304H); brother of: Jehozadak (H3087) Also named: ez.ra (עֶזְרָא "Ezra" H5831) § Ezra = "help" 1) the priest and scribe who led the reforms of the returned exiles in Jerusalem; co-worker with Nehemiah 2) a priest with Zerubbabel 3) another post-exilic Jew

[the] son ofבֶּן־ben-H1121A
son: child

בֵּן (ben) : child/son

Seraiahשְׂרָיָ֔הse-ra-YAHH8304H
Seraiah

שְׂרָיָהוּ (se.ra.yah) A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Ki.25.18; son of: Azariah (H5838L); father of: Jehozadak (H3087) and Ezra (H5830) § Seraiah = "Jehovah is ruler" 1) the scribe or secretary of David 2) son of Azariah, father of Jehozadak, and the chief priest in the reign of king Zedekiah of Judah and at the time of the capture of Jerusalem 3) son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite and one of the men who went to Gedaliah, the governor over Judah appointed by Nebuchadnezzar, and gave their oath to serve the king of Babylon …

[the] son ofבֶּן־ben-H1121A
son: child

בֵּן (ben) : child/son

Azariahעֲזַרְיָ֖ה'a-zar-YAHH5838L
Azariah

עֲזַרְיָה (a.zar.yah) A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.6.13; son of: Hilkiah (H2518H); brother of: Gemariah (H1587); father of: Seraiah (H8304H) § Azariah = "Jehovah has helped" 1) son of king Amaziah of Judah and king of Judah himself for 52 years; also 'Uzziah' …

[the] son ofבֶּן־ben-H1121A
son: child

בֵּן (ben) : child/son

Hilkiahחִלְקִיָּֽה׃chil-ki-YAHH2518H
Hilkiah

חִלְקִיָּהוּ (chil.qiy.yah) A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Ki.22.4; son of: Shallum (H7967L); father of: Azariah (H5838L) and Gemariah (H1587) § Hilkiah = "my portion is Jehovah" 1) father of Eliakim, an officer of Hezekiah 2) high priest in the reign of Josiah 3) a Merarite Levite, son of Amzi 4) another Merarite Levite, 2nd son of Hosah 5) one of those who stood on the right of Ezra when he read the law and probably a Levite and a priest 6) a priest of Anathoth, father of the prophet Jeremiah 7) father of Gemariah who was one of Zedekiah's envoys to Babylon

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.