1 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 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; 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.
7 And 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.
8 And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.
9 For 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.
10 For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.
11 Now 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.
12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time.
13 I 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.
14 Forasmuch 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;
15 And 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,
16 And 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:
17 That 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.
18 And 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.
19 The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, those deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem.
20 And 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.
21 And 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,
22 Unto 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.
23 Whatsoever 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?
24 Also 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.
25 And 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.
26 And 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.
27 Blessed 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:
28 And 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.
<html><b>And after these incidents</b> of the building of the House. <b>Artaxerxes</b> That is Darius.</html>
<html><b>and the king granted him</b> [i.e., King] Darius. <b>according to the command of the Lord his God upon him</b> as the Holy One, blessed be He, had commanded him. This verse is transposed [its meaning being]: and the King granted him his entire request, according to the command of the Lord upon him. And our Rabbis said (Meg. 15a) that Ezra and Malachi were one and the same.</html>
<html><b>in the seventh year</b> That is a year after the completion of the Temple. <b>of Artaxerxes</b> That is Darius.</html>
<html><b>in the fifth month</b> i.e., the month of Av, for the first of the month of Nissan was the beginning of their ascent from Babylon, and on the first of the month of Av they arrived in Jerusalem.</html>
<html><b>was the commencement of the ascent</b> the foundation of the commencement of the ascent. <b>according to the…hand of his God</b> as the hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, caused him to succeed, for His hand was good upon him to make him succeed in his way.</html>
<html><b>For Ezra…</b> Therefore, he went and prospered in his way, because Ezra prepared his heart, etc. He gives a reason for his words.</html>
<html><b>And this is the interpretation of the writ</b> Heb. פַתְשֶּׁגֶן הַכְּתָב. <b>and His statutes to Israel</b> and His statutes that He commanded Israel to keep.</html>
<html><b>And God, Who caused His name to rest there</b> [as translated,] and God, Who caused His name to rest there. <b>who has mastered… and Ke’eneth</b> He has mastered it in his hand.</html>
<html><b>An order is issued by me</b> The authorization emanates from me that whoever of Israel, of the priests, or of the Levites, whose heart prompts him to go to Jerusalem, may go with you.</html>
<html><b>Because of this</b> Because of this, you are sent from the king and his seven advisors who saw the king’s face. <b>and his seven advisors</b> and his seven advisors; they are the seven who see the king’s face. <b>to search out Judea</b> An order to seek and to search out the Jews who are in Jerusalem, to see whether they are engaged in the Torah of the Holy One, blessed be He, which is in your hand.</html>
<html><b>And to bring</b> and to bring the silver and gold of the king and his advisors that they donated to the God of Israel, to maintain His House, Whose habitation and House are in Jerusalem.</html>
<html><b>And all the silver and gold</b> and all the silver and gold that you will find in the province of Babylon, together with the donations of the people and the priests that they will donate to the House of the Holy One, blessed be He, which is in Jerusalem; you shall take everything to Jerusalem.</html>
<html><b>Because of this</b> And because of this, because it is for the service of the Sanctuary, you shall quickly purchase with this money cattle, rams and lambs; sacrifices, meal-offerings, and libations, and you shall offer them up on the altar of the Holy One, blessed be He.</html>
<html><b>And what pleases you</b> And what pleases you and your brethren (to do) with the rest of the silver and the gold, according to the will of the Holy One, blessed be He, you shall do.</html>
<html><b>And the vessels</b> And the vessels that are given to you for the service of the Holy One, blessed be He, give in their entirety before the Holy One, blessed be He, in Jerusalem.</html>
<html><b>And the rest of the necessities</b> and the rest of the necessities that you will require for the House of the Holy One, blessed be He, to purchase, for which you will have to give the money; you shall give from the royal treasury.</html>
<html><b>And from me—I</b> And from me—I, King Darius—is issued a command and an authorization to all the treasurers who are on the other side of the river of the side of Israel, who receive my taxes from the nations, that anything that Ezra the priest, the scholar of the Law of the Holy One, blessed be He, requests of you, shall be performed quickly. They should not delay his request up to a hundred talents of silver, with which to purchase sacrifices, and a hundred kors of wheat for meal-offerings, and up to a hundred measures of wine for the libations, and a hundred measures of oil to mingle the meal- offerings, and salt for the sacrifices, according to the matter that is stated (Lev. 2:13): “And every meal-offering you shall salt with salt.”</html>
<html><b>which is not written</b> And salt, regarding which no measure is written, they shall give according to how much is needed.</html>
<html><b>Whatever is with the authorization</b> Whatever is with the authorization of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His command, shall be done with alacrity, with the seal of the king for the House of the Holy One, blessed be He. <b>with a seal</b> Aram. אַדְרַזְדָּא, seal in Arabic. <b>for why should there be</b> For why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons? Therefore, the treasurers shall provide all the needs of the House.</html>
<html><b>And we are making known to you</b> And we are making known to you that [over] all the priests, the Levites, the musicians, the gatekeepers, and the Nethinites, who are wood cutters and water drawers for the altar, and those who serve in this House of the Holy One, no man shall be empowered over them to levy upon them any tribute or head tax, but they shall be free from the service of the king.</html>
<html><b>And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God, which is in your hand</b> and you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God, which is in your hand [and which is] greater than that of the judges and the magistrates who judge all the people beyond the river to the side of Israel, the people knowledgeable in the Torah. <b>and whoever does not know</b> and the judge who does not know how to judge, inform him of the judgment that he should execute it.</html>
<html><b>And whoever does not fulfill</b> and whoever does not fulfill the law of the Holy One, blessed be He, and the law of the king promptly, viz. that he delays the law and the judgment. <b>judgment</b> The judgment shall be inflicted upon him, upon the one who obstructs justice. <b>whether to be executed</b> [as translated,] whether to be executed. <b>uprooted</b> whether to uproot him from the world, him, his offspring and his family (לִשְּׁרשִׁי is desraziner in Old French, to uproot). <b>fined</b> to be punished with money. <b>or tortured</b> or to torture him with tortures. Until here is the writ of the letter that King Darius gave to Ezra the scribe in order that he convey it to Jerusalem to show it to the priests and the Levites and the king’s treasurers, in order that they persist in performing the commandments and worshiping the Lord in the Temple and keeping the Torah properly.</html>
<html><b>Blessed be the Lord</b> Ezra wrote this in his Book when he gave thanks to the Holy One, blessed be He.</html>
<html><b>and his advisers</b> They are his seven advisers mentioned above (verse 14). <b>according to the hand of the Lord my God upon me</b> as the help of the Holy One, blessed be He, was upon me; and I gathered from the Israelites remaining in Babylon the chiefs of the fathers’ houses and the great men to ascend with me from Babylon.</html>