Esra 7 | New International Reader’s Version

Ezra comes to Jerusalem

1 After all these things had happened, Ezra came up to Jerusalem from Babylon. It was during the rule of Artaxerxes. He was king of Persia. Ezra was the son of Seraiah. Seraiah was the son of Azariah. Azariah was the son of Hilkiah.

2 Hilkiah was the son of Shallum. Shallum was the son of Zadok. Zadok was the son of Ahitub.

3 Ahitub was the son of Amariah. Amariah was the son of Azariah. Azariah was the son of Meraioth.

4 Meraioth was the son of Zerahiah. Zerahiah was the son of Uzzi. Uzzi was the son of Bukki.

5 Bukki was the son of Abishua. Abishua was the son of Phinehas. Phinehas was the son of Eleazar. And Eleazar was the son of Aaron the chief priest.

6 So Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a teacher who knew the Law of Moses very well. The LORD, the God of Israel, had given Israel that law. The king had given Ezra everything he asked for. That’s because the LORD his God helped him.

7 Some of the Israelites came up to Jerusalem too. They included priests, Levites and musicians. They also included the temple servants and those who guarded the temple gates. It was in the seventh year that Artaxerxes was king.

8 Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king’s rule.

9 Ezra had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month. He arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month. That’s because God was gracious to him and helped him.

10 Ezra had committed himself to study and obey the Law of the LORD. He also wanted to teach the LORD’s rules and laws in Israel.

King Artaxerxes’s letter to Ezra

11 Ezra was a priest and teacher of the Law. He was an educated man. He knew the LORD’s commands and rules for Israel very well. Here is a copy of a letter King Artaxerxes had given to Ezra. It said,

12 I, Artaxerxes, am writing this letter. I am the greatest king of all. I have given it to Ezra the priest. He is the teacher of the Law of the God of heaven. I give you my greetings.

13 Ezra, I am giving an order about the Israelites in my kingdom. Any of them who want to go to Jerusalem with you may go. The order also allows priests and Levites to go with you.

14 I and my seven advisers are sending you to see how things are going in Judah and Jerusalem. Find out whether the people there are obeying the Law of your God. You have a copy of that law with you.

15 I and my advisers have freely given some silver and gold to the God of Israel. He is the God who lives in Jerusalem. Take that silver and gold with you.

16 Also take any other silver and gold you can get from the land of Babylon. And take the offerings the people and priests choose to give for the temple of their God in Jerusalem.

17 Make sure you use the money to buy bulls, rams and male lambs. Also buy their grain offerings and drink offerings. Then sacrifice them on the altar of the temple of your God in Jerusalem.

18 You and the other Jews can do what you think is best with the rest of the silver and gold. Do what your God wants you to do.

19 Give to the God of Jerusalem all the things you are responsible for. Use them for worshipping your God in his temple.

20 You might need to supply some other things for the temple of your God. If you do, take them from among the royal treasures.

21 I, King Artaxerxes, also give this order. It applies to all those who are in charge of the treasures west of the River Euphrates. Make sure you provide anything Ezra the priest might ask you to give. He is the teacher of the Law of the God of heaven.

22 Give Ezra up to 3.6 tonnes of silver. Give him up to 15 tonnes of wheat. Give him up to 2,400 litres of wine and up to 2,400 litres of olive oil. And give him as much salt as he needs.

23 Work hard for the temple of the God of heaven. Do everything he has required. I don’t want him to be angry with my kingdom and the kingdom of my sons.

24 Here is something else I want you to know. You have no authority to collect taxes, gifts or fees from these people. You may not collect them from the priests, Levites or musicians. You may not collect them from those who guard the temple gates. You may not collect them from the temple servants. And you may not collect them from other workers at the house of God in Jerusalem.

25 Ezra, appoint judges and other court officials. When you do it, use the wisdom your God gives you. Those you appoint should do what is right and fair when they judge people. They should do it for everyone who lives west of the River Euphrates. They should do it for everyone who knows the laws of your God. And I want you to teach the people who don’t know those laws.

26 Anyone who doesn’t obey the law of your God must be punished. The same thing applies to anyone who doesn’t obey my law. The people must be punished in keeping with the laws they have broken. Some of them must be put to death. Others must be forced to leave the places where they live. Others must have their property taken away from them. Still others must be put in prison.

27 So here is what I, Ezra, say to you people of Israel. ‘Give praise to the LORD. He is the God of our people who lived long ago. He has put it in the king’s heart to bring honour to the LORD’s temple in Jerusalem. The king has honoured the LORD in his letter.

28 The LORD has been kind to me. He has caused the king and his advisers to be kind to me. In fact, all the king’s powerful officials have been kind to me. The strong hand of the LORD my God helped me. That gave me new strength. So I gathered together leaders from Israel to go up to Jerusalem with me.’

Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV® (Anglicised) Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.® Used with permission. All rights reserved worldwide. “Biblica”, “International Bible Society” and the Biblica Logo are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc. Used with permission.

Kutsal Kitap Yeni Çeviri

Ezra Yeruşalim'e Geliyor

1 Bu olaylardan sonra, Pers Kralı Artahşasta'nın krallığı döneminde, Başkâhin Harun oğlu Elazar oğlu Pinehas oğlu Avişua oğlu Bukki oğlu Uzzi oğlu Zerahya oğlu Merayot oğlu Azarya oğlu Amarya oğlu Ahituv oğlu Sadok oğlu Şallum oğlu Hilkiya oğlu Azarya oğlu Seraya oğlu Ezra adında biri Babil'den geldi. Ezra İsrail'in Tanrısı RAB'bin Musa'ya verdiği yasayı iyi bilen bir bilgindi. Tanrısı RAB'bin yardımıyla kral ona her istediğini verdi.

7 Kral Artahşasta'nın krallığının yedinci yılında İsrail halkından, kâhinlerden, Levililer'den, ezgicilerden, tapınak görevlilerinden ve kapı nöbetçilerinden bazıları Yeruşalim'e gitti.

8 Ezra, Artahşasta'nın krallığının yedinci yılının beşinci ayında Yeruşalim'e vardı.

9 Birinci ayın birinci günü Babil'den ayrılmıştı. Tanrısı'nın koruyucu eli sayesinde beşinci ayın birinci günü Yeruşalim'e vardı.

10 Ezra kendini RAB'bin Yasası'nı inceleyip uygulamaya ve İsrail'de kuralları, ilkeleri öğretmeye adamıştı.

Kral Artahşasta'nın Ezra'ya Verdiği Mektup

11 Kral Artahşasta'nın RAB'bin buyruklarını, İsrail için koyduğu kuralları iyi bilen Kâhin ve Bilgin Ezra'ya verdiği mektubun bir örneği şudur:*

12 ‹‹Kralların Kralı Artahşasta'dan Gökler Tanrısı'nın Yasası'nın bilgini Kâhin Ezra'ya selamlar!

13 ‹‹Krallığımda yaşayan İsrail halkından, kâhinlerden ve Levililer'den Yeruşalim'e gitmek isteyen herkesin seninle gidebilmesi için buyruk veriyorum.

14 Elindeki Tanrın'ın Yasası'nın uygulanıp uygulanmadığı konusunda Yahuda ve Yeruşalim'de araştırma yapman için, ben ve yedi danışmanım seni görevlendirdik.

15 Benim ve danışmanlarımın Yeruşalim'de konut kuran İsrail'in Tanrısı'na gönülden verdiğimiz altını, gümüşü birlikte götürmelisin.

16 Babil İli'nden elde edeceğin altının, gümüşün tümünü, halkın ve kâhinlerin Tanrıları'nın Yeruşalim'deki Tapınağı'na gönülden verdikleri armağanları da alıp götürmelisin.

17 ‹‹Bu parayla hemen boğalar, koçlar, kuzular, tahıl sunuları ve dökmelik sunular satın alacak ve hepsini Tanrın'ın Yeruşalim'deki Tapınağı'nın sunağı üzerinde sunacaksın.

18 Sen ve kardeşlerin artan altını, gümüşü Tanrınız'ın isteği uyarınca dilediğiniz gibi kullanın.

19 Tanrın'ın Tapınağı'nın hizmetinde kullanılmak üzere sana verilen kapların hepsini Yeruşalim'in Tanrısı'na sun.

20 Tanrın'ın Tapınağı için ödemen gereken başka bir şey varsa, giderleri kralın hazinesinden karşılarsın.

21 ‹‹Ben, Kral Artahşasta, Fırat'ın batı yakasındaki bölgenin bütün hazine görevlilerine buyruk veriyorum: Gökler Tanrısı'nın Yasası'nın bilgini Kâhin Ezra'nın sizden her istediğini özenle yerine getirin.

22 Kendisine gerektiğinde yüz talanta* kadar gümüş, yüz kor buğday*, yüz bat* şarap, yüz bat* zeytinyağı ve istediği kadar tuz sağlayın.

23 Göklerin Tanrısı kendi tapınağı için ne buyurursa, özenle yerine getirin. Öyle ki, bana ve oğullarıma öfkelenmesin.

24 Şunu da bilesiniz ki, kâhinlerden, Levililer'den, ezgicilerden, tapınak görevlilerinden ve kapı nöbetçilerinden, Tanrı'nın Tapınağı'nın öbür hizmetkârlarından vergi almaya yetkiniz yoktur.

25 ‹‹Sana gelince, Ezra, sendeki Tanrı bilgeliği uyarınca yargıçlar ata. Bunlar Fırat'ın batı yakasındaki bölgede yaşayan bütün halka, Tanrın'ın yasalarını bilenlerin hepsine adalet sağlasınlar. Yasayı bilmeyenlere de siz öğreteceksiniz.

26 Tanrın'ın Yasası'na ve kralın buyruklarına uymayanlar ya ölümle, ya sürgünle, ya mallarına el konarak, ya da hapsedilerek cezalandırılsın.››

Ezra Tanrı'yı Övüyor

27 Atalarımızın Tanrısı RAB'be övgüler olsun! Kralın yüreğine Yeruşalim'deki tapınağını onurlandırma isteğini koydu.

28 Kralın, danışmanlarının, güçlü komutanlarının bana iyi davranmalarını sağladı. Tanrım RAB'bin eli üzerimde olduğundan yüreklendim. İsrail ileri gelenlerinin bazılarını toplayıp benimle Yeruşalim'e dönmelerini sağladım.

Eskı Antlaşma © The Bible Society in Turkey 2001 Yeni Antlaşma © The Translation Trust 1987, 1994, 2001 Written permission is required from the copyright holders to use part or all of the text for purposes other than personal study.