Ezra Comes to Jerusalem
1-6 Much later, when Artaxerxes was king of Persia, Ezra came to Jerusalem from Babylonia. Ezra was the son of Seraiah and the grandson of Azariah. His other ancestors were Hilkiah, Shallum, Zadok, Ahitub, Amariah, Azariah, Meraioth, Zerahiah, Uzzi, Bukki, Abishua, Phinehas, Eleazar, and Aaron, the high priest.
Ezra was an expert in the Law that the Lord God of Israel had given to Moses, and the Lord made sure that the king gave Ezra everything he asked for.
7 Other Jews, including priests, Levites, musicians, the temple guards, and servants, came to Jerusalem with Ezra. This happened during the seventh year that Artaxerxes was king.
8-9 God helped Ezra, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month of that seventh year, after leaving Babylonia on the first day of the first month. 10 Ezra had spent his entire life studying and obeying the Law of the Lord and teaching it to others.
Artaxerxes Gives a Letter to Ezra
11 Ezra was a priest and an expert in the laws and commands that the Lord had given to Israel. One day King Artaxerxes gave Ezra a letter which said:
12 Greetings from the great King Artaxerxes to Ezra the priest and expert in the teachings of the God of heaven.
13-14 Any of the people of Israel or their priests or Levites in my kingdom may go with you to Jerusalem if they want to. My seven advisors and I agree that you may go to Jerusalem and Judah to find out if the laws of your God are being obeyed.
15 When you go, take the silver and gold that I and my advisors are freely giving to the God of Israel, whose temple is in Jerusalem. 16 Take the silver and gold that you collect from everywhere in Babylonia. Also take the gifts that your own people and priests have so willingly contributed for the temple of your God in Jerusalem.
17 Use the money carefully to buy the best bulls, rams, lambs, grain, and wine. Then sacrifice them on the altar at God's temple in Jerusalem. 18 If any silver or gold is left, you and your people may use it for whatever pleases your God. 19 Give your God the other articles that have been contributed for use in his temple. 20 If you need to get anything else for the temple, you may have the money you need from the royal treasury.
21 Ezra, you are a priest and an expert in the laws of the God of heaven, and I order all treasurers in Western Province to do their very best to help you. 22 They will be allowed to give as much as 3.4 tons of silver, 10 tons of wheat, 2,000 liters of wine, 2,000 liters of olive oil, and all the salt you need.
23 They must provide whatever the God of heaven demands for his temple, so that he won't be angry with me and with the kings who rule after me. 24 We want you to know that no priests, Levites, musicians, guards, temple servants, or any other temple workers will have to pay any kind of taxes.
25 Ezra, use the wisdom God has given you and choose officials and leaders to govern the people of Western Province. These leaders should know God's laws and have them taught to anyone who doesn't know them. 26 Everyone who fails to obey God's Law or the king's law will be punished without pity. They will either be executed or put in prison or forced to leave their country, or have all they own taken away.
Ezra Praises God
27 Because King Artaxerxes was so kind, Ezra said:
Praise the Lord God of our ancestors! He made sure that the king honored the Lord's temple in Jerusalem. 28 God has told the king, his advisors, and his powerful officials to treat me with kindness. The Lord God has helped me, and I have been able to bring many Jewish leaders back to Jerusalem.
Esrab di hās Jerusalems ǃnâ
1 ǂGui kurigu khaoǃgâ, Artaxerxesi ge Persiab di gao-ao i ǁaeb ǃnâb ge Esra ti ǀon hâ aoba ge hâ i. ǁÎb di aboxagu ge Serajab, Asariab, Hilkiab, 2 Salummi, Sadoki, Ahitub, 3 Amariab, Asariab, Merajoti, 4 Serajab, Usib, Bukib, 5 Abisuab, Pinehasi, Eleasari tsî ǀgapipristeri Aronni tsîga.
6-7 Esrab ge ǁkhāǁkhāsa aob, ǀoasa ǂansa ge ǃKhūb, Israeli di Elob ge Moseba mā ǂhanub xa ūhâ iba. ǃKhūb, ǁîb Elob di ǀkhaeb ge ǁîb ai hâ i, xui-aob ge gao-aoba ǂganni ga xū-i hoa-e gere mā bi. Hûǁî kurib Artaxerxesi ǂgaeǂguis dib ǃnâb ge Esraba, ǀnî Israelǁîgu, ǁîgu ǃnâ gu pristergu, Leviǁîgu, Tempelǁnae-aogu, Tempelǃûi-aogu tsî Tempelǃgāgu tsîga hâ igu ǀkha Babiloniaba xu Jerusalems ǁga ge ǃgû. 8-9 ǁÎgu ge ǂguro tsēs ǂguro ǁkhâb dis ai Babiloniaba xu ǃgû tsî Elob di huib ǀkha ǂguro tsēs koroǁî ǁkhâb dis ai Jerusalems ǃnâ ge sī. 10 Esrab ge ǁîb di ûiǁaeb ǃnâ ge ǁgui-aisen, ǃKhūb di ǂhanuba ǁkhāǁkhāsen, ǁîba dī tsî ǁîb di ǂhanugu tsî mîmādi tsîna Israelǁîna ǁkhāǁkhāsa.
Artaxerxesi ge ǂkhâǃnâs di sîǂkhanisa Esraba ra mā
11 Gao-aob Artaxerxesi ge sao ra sîǂkhanisa prister Esrab, ǁkhāǁkhās tsî ǀoasa ǂans tsîna ge ǃKhūb ge Israela mā ǂhanugu tsî mîmādi ǃnâ ūhâ iba ge mā:
12 “Gao-ao Artaxerxesta xu, prister Esrab, ǀhommi Elob di ǂhanub ǃnâ ǁkhāǁkhāsab ǃoa.
13 “Tita ge ra mîmā, hoaraga Israelǁîn, pristergu tsî Leviǁîgu tsîn hîa ra oa ǂgaon, sats ǀkha Jerusalems ǁga a ǃgû ǁkhāsa. 14 Tita tsî ti hû ǀapemā-aogu tsîge ge ra sî tsi, îts Jerusalems tsî Judab tsîra ǃnâ hâ mâsiga ôaǃnâ tsî Elob di ǂhanub, sats ge ǂgomǃgâbaheb ra ǁnâuǀnamhesa ǂanǂui. 15 Îts ǁkhāti tita tsî ti ǀapemā-aogu tsîge ge māsenxase Israeli di Elob, ǁîb di Tempeli Jerusalems ǃnâ hâba a mā ǀhaiǀurib tsî ǃhuniǀurib tsîna ūsao. 16 ǁKhātits ge Babiloniab hoab ǃnâts nî ǀhaoǀhao ǀhaiǀurib tsî ǃhuniǀurib, tsî Israelǁîn tsî ǁîn pristergu, ǁîn Elob di Tempeli, Jerusalems ǃnâ mâb ǃaroma ra ǁguiba mādi tsîn hoana nî ūsao.
17 “Nē marina ǃgâise sîsenū, î ǁgōgu, baigu, ǁkhaogu, ǃhoro-i tsî ǂauxûi-i tsîna ǁama, î ǁîna sadu Tempeli, Jerusalems ǃnâ mâb di altars ai ǁguiba. 18 ǃGau ka ǀhaiǀurib tsî ǃhuniǀurib tsîn ǀkha sats tsî sa sîsenǁare-aogu tsîgo ǃgâiba go nî khami dī, sadu Elob di ǂâisa ǃoa. 19 Îts Tempelǃoabas ǃnâ nî sîsenūhesets ge māhe xūn hoana Jerusalems Eloba ǁkhaeǁnâba. 20 Tempeli ǃaroma nî ǂhâbasa xū-i hoa-ets ge gao-aob di ǁuiǂgaesa xu a ū ǁkhā.
21 “Eufrati huriǂoasǀkhāb di ǁuiǃkhōmâi-aogo hoago ta ge ra mîmā, î go prister Esrab, ǀhommi Elob di ǂhanub ǃnâ ǁkhāǁkhāsaba ǂganni ka xū-i hoa-e ǃhaese mā, 22 sao ra ǃgôab tawa i a sī ǁkhās kōse: ǃNonaǀoadisi tsî hakakaidisi kiloxramgu ǀhaiǀurib, disiǀoadisi kiloxramgu ǃhoro-i, ǀgamǀoadisi litergu ǂauxûi-i, ǀgamǀoadisi litergu ǀkhera-oli-i tsî ǂō-e ǂhâbasa as kōse. 23 ǃÛiǃgâ, î ǀhommi Elob ǁîb di Tempeli ǃaroma ra ǂgaoǀkhā xū-i hoa-e mā, îb ǁîb di ǁaiba tā tita tsî ti ôagu ai hā. 24 Pristergu, Leviǁîgu, Tempelǁnae-aogu, Tempelǃûi-aogu, Tempelǃgāgu tamas ka io Tempeli ǃnâ ra ǃoaba khoe-e xu ǁgui-aimarisa ūsa go ge ra ǂkhāhe.
25 “Sats Esratsa, Elob xats māhe hâ gā-aisib ǀkha ǂgaeǂgui-aogu tsî ǀgoraǃgâ-aogu tsîga mâi, î gu Eufrati huriǂoasǀkhāb ai ǁan hâ khoen, Elob ǂhanuba ǂanna mûǂam. Elob ǂhanuba ǂan tama khoe-i hoa-e go ge ǁîba nî ǁkhāǁkhā. 26 Elob di ǂhanub kas, gao-aob di ǂhanub kas hoasa ga ǁnâuǀnam tama i khoe-i hoa-i ge ǁkhō ǁkharaba nî ǁgui-aihe: ǁŌb ǁkharab kas, ǃhūba xu ǃhaeǂuis kas, xūn â-e ǁkhâuǁnâs kas, ǃkhō-oms ǁkharab kas hoasa.”
Esrab ge Eloba ra koa
27 Ob ge Esraba ge mî: “Ab koahe re, ǃKhūb, sida aboxan di Eloba. ǁÎb ge gao-aoba go māsenxa kai, ǃKhūb di Tempeli Jerusalems ǃnâ mâbab, nē ǀgaus ai ǃgôasiba nî māse. 28 Elob di ǀkhomxaǂgaosiba xu ta ge gao-aob tsî ǁîb ǀapemā-aogu tsî ǁîb ǀgaisa ǂamkhoegu tsîgu tawa ǀkhomma ge hō. ǃKhūb, ti Elob ge ǁkhoaǂgaoxasiba ge mā te tsî ta ge ǂgui ǂgaeǂgui-aogu Israeli diga ge gowadan, î gu tita ǀkha doe-oa.”
