And some of the chief of the fathers gave unto the work. The Tirshatha gave to the treasure a thousand drams of gold, fifty basons, five hundred and thirty priests' garments. {some: Heb. part.} {the Tirshatha: or, the governor}

And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood {up} a priest with Urim and Thummim. {the Tirshatha: or, the governor}

And ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that {is} within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you.

And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. {that...: Heb. that understood in hearing}

And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that {is} within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that {are} among you, in the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to place his name there.

And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim. {Tirshatha: or, governor}

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee.

And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that {are} within thy gates.

Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first {day} of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

Now those that sealed {were}, Nehemiah, the Tirshatha, the son of Hachaliah, and Zidkijah, {those...: Heb. at the sealings} {the Tirshatha: or, the governor}

And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.

Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. {after...: or, according to God}

Go, enquire of the LORD for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found: for great {is} the wrath of the LORD that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do after all that is written in this book.

And said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, which were holy unto the LORD, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; {it shall} not {be} a burden upon {your} shoulders: serve now the LORD your God, and his people Israel,

And in the seventh month, on the first {day} of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you.

And Hezekiah spake comfortably unto all the Levites that taught the good knowledge of the LORD: and they did eat throughout the feast seven days, offering peace offerings, and making confession to the LORD God of their fathers. {comfortably...: Heb. to the heart of all}

These {were} in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest, the scribe.

And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes.

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.

For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

Now for a long season Israel {hath been} without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.

Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people {stood} in their place.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. {destroyed: Heb. cut off}

Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard {thee}, saith the LORD.

I have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I taken away {ought} thereof for {any} unclean {use}, nor given {ought} thereof for the dead: {but} I have hearkened to the voice of the LORD my God, {and} have done according to all that thou hast commanded me.

And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth {it} with good will at your hand.

Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law {is} the knowledge of sin.

Now for a long season Israel {hath been} without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood {up} a priest with Urim and Thummim. {the Tirshatha: or, the governor}

And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that {are} within thy gates.

Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore. {wept...: Heb. wept a great weeping}

These {were} in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest, the scribe.

Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath {days}: {in meat...: or, for eating and drinking} {respect: or, part}

And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim. {Tirshatha: or, governor}

And some of the chief of the fathers gave unto the work. The Tirshatha gave to the treasure a thousand drams of gold, fifty basons, five hundred and thirty priests' garments. {some: Heb. part.} {the Tirshatha: or, the governor}

Now those that sealed {were}, Nehemiah, the Tirshatha, the son of Hachaliah, and Zidkijah, {those...: Heb. at the sealings} {the Tirshatha: or, the governor}

And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth {it} with good will at your hand.

And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the LORD gave them rest round about.

Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard {thee}, saith the LORD.

And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:

They shall not offer wine {offerings} to the LORD, neither shall they be pleasing unto him: their sacrifices {shall be} unto them as the bread of mourners; all that eat thereof shall be polluted: for their bread for their soul shall not come into the house of the LORD.

In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying, {by: Heb. by the hand of} {governor: or, captain}

Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying,

{And} to speak unto the priests which {were} in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?

And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.

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.