Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Uzair1 son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, 2son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, 3son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, 4son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, 5son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Harun2 the chief priest; 6this Uzair went up from Babylon: and he was a ready scribe in the Taurat3 of Musa, which YAHWEH4, the God of Israel, had given; and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of YAHWEH his God on him. 7There went up some of Bani-Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites5, and the singers, and the porters, and the temple servants, to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king. 8He came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. 9For on the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylon; and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God on him. 10For Uzair had set his heart to seek the Taurat of YAHWEH, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and ordinances.
11Now this is the copy of the letter that the King Artaxerxes gave to Uzair the priest, the scribe, even the scribe of the words of the commandments of YAHWEH, and of his statutes to Israel:
12Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Uzair the priest, the scribe of the Taurat of the God of heaven. Peace and so forth. 13I make a decree, that all those of the people of Israel, and their priests and the Levites, in my realm, who are minded of their own free will to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. 14Because you are sent by the king and his seven counsellors, to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of your God which is in your hand, 15and to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling place is in Jerusalem, 16and all the silver and gold that you shall 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 in Jerusalem; 17therefore you shall with all diligence buy with this money bulls, rams, lambs, with their meal-offerings and their drink-offerings, and shall offer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem. 18Whatever shall seem good to you and to your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, do that according to the will of your God. 19The vessels that are given you for the service of the house of your God, deliver to the God of Jerusalem. 20Whatever more shall be required for the house of your God, which you shall have occasion to give, take it from the king’s treasure-house. 21I, even I Artaxerxes the king, make a decree to all the treasurers beyond the River, that whatever Uzair the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, be done with all diligence, 22to one hundred talents of silver, and to one hundred measures of wheat, and to one hundred baths of wine, and to one hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much. 23Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be done exactly 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 inform you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, the singers, porters, temple servants, or workers in this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll, on them. 25You, Uzair, after the wisdom of your God who is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges, who may judge all the people beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God; and teach him who does not know them. 26Whoever will not obey the law of your God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed on him with all diligence, whether it be death, or banishment, or confiscation of goods, or imprisonment.
27Praise be to YAHWEH, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the House of YAHWEH in Jerusalem; 28and has extended loving kindness to me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. I was strengthened according to the hand of YAHWEH my God on me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.
- 7:1 Uzair, this Arabic name is derived from the Hebrew name Ezra, meaning “helper” or “strength”. ↩︎
- 7:5 Harun, this Arabic name and the English name Aaron, are both derived from the Hebrew name Aharon, possibly meaning “exalted” or “high mountain.” ↩︎
- 7:6 Taurat, this Arabic term is derived from the Hebrew word Torah, which means “instruction” or “teaching.” Depending on context, Taurat can refer to,
1. The whole Hebrew Bible contained here under the title Taurat, equivalent to what Jews today call Tanakh, and what Christians call the Old Testament.
2. The revelation given to Prophet Musa, that is, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, sometimes called the Pentateuch. Pentateuch is a Greek word meaning “five books” and includes Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. These five books are attributed to Prophet Musa himself. This is the traditional and most common meaning given to Taurat or Torah.
3. The Law of Musa found within the Pentateuch, with its hundreds of rules and regulations covering many aspects of daily life for the people of Israel. The most famous of these laws are the Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20.
4. Taurat can also refer to divine instruction and teaching in general without reference to a particular book of the Hebrew Bible. ↩︎ - 7:6 YAHWEH, God’s personal Name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15: ‘God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”’ ↩︎
- 7:7 Levites, the descendants of Levi, one of the 12 sons of Prophet Yaqub (Jacob), from whose family line came all the priests who served in the Holy House of God, the Temple at Jerusalem. ↩︎