Ezra Arrives in Jerusalem
1 Many years later, when Artaxerxes was emperor of Persia, there was a man named Ezra. He traced his ancestors back to Aaron, the High Priest, as follows: Ezra was the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, 2 son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, 3 son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, 4 son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, 5 son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron.
6-7 Ezra was a scholar with a thorough knowledge of the Law which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given to Moses. Because Ezra had the blessing of the Lord his God, the emperor gave him everything he asked for. In the seventh year of the reign of Artaxerxes, Ezra set out from Babylonia for Jerusalem with a group of Israelites which included priests, Levites, Temple musicians, Temple guards, and workers. 8-9 They left Babylonia on the first day of the first month, and with God's help they arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month. 10 Ezra had devoted his life to studying the Law of the Lord, to practicing it, and to teaching all its laws and regulations to the people of Israel.
The Document Which Emperor Artaxerxes Gave to Ezra
11 Emperor Artaxerxes gave the following document to Ezra, the priest and scholar, who had a thorough knowledge of the laws and commands which the Lord had given to Israel:
12 “From Emperor Artaxerxes to the priest Ezra, scholar in the Law of the God of Heaven.
13 “I command that throughout my empire all the Israelite people, priests, and Levites that so desire be permitted to go with you to Jerusalem. 14 I, together with my seven counselors, send you to investigate the conditions in Jerusalem and Judah in order to see how well the Law of your God, which has been entrusted to you, is being obeyed. 15 You are to take with you the gold and silver offerings which I and my counselors desire to give to the God of Israel, whose Temple is in Jerusalem. 16 You are also to take all the silver and gold which you collect throughout the province of Babylon and the offerings which the Israelite people and their priests give for the Temple of their God in Jerusalem.
17 “You are to spend this money carefully and buy bulls, rams, lambs, grain, and wine and offer them on the altar of the Temple in Jerusalem. 18 You may use the silver and gold that is left over for whatever you and your people desire, in accordance with the will of your God. 19 You are to present to God in Jerusalem all the utensils that have been given to you for use in the Temple services. 20 And anything else which you need for the Temple, you may get from the royal treasury.
21 “I command all the treasury officials in West-of-Euphrates Province to provide promptly for Ezra, the priest and scholar in the Law of the God of Heaven, everything he asks you for, 22 up to a limit of 7,500 pounds of silver, 500 bushels of wheat, 550 gallons of wine, 550 gallons of olive oil, and as much salt as needed. 23 You must be careful to provide everything which the God of Heaven requires for his Temple, and so make sure that he is never angry with me or with those who reign after me. 24 You are forbidden to collect any taxes from the priests, Levites, musicians, guards, workers, or anyone else connected with this Temple.
25 “You, Ezra, using the wisdom which your God has given you, are to appoint administrators and judges to govern all the people in West-of-Euphrates who live by the Law of your God. You must teach that Law to anyone who does not know it. 26 If any disobey the laws of your God or the laws of the empire, they are to be punished promptly: by death or by exile or by confiscation of their property or by imprisonment.”
Ezra Praises God
27 Ezra said, “Praise the Lord, the God of our ancestors! He has made the emperor willing to honor in this way the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. 28 By God's grace I have won the favor of the emperor, of his counselors, and of all his powerful officials; the Lord my God has given me courage, and I have been able to persuade many of the heads of the clans of Israel to return with me.”
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.”
