19 September - Ezra 4-6 And Psalm 137

Jude Thu Sep 06, 2018 6:33 am

My soul doth magnify my YAH, and my spirit hath rejoiced in EL my Saviour; For HE that is mighty hath done to me great things; and Holy is HIS Name. Now unto HIM who is ever present in my helpless estate; who is able to keep me from falling and to present me faultless before the presence of His Glory with exceeding joy, unto the King Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, the only wise EL our Saviour be honour and glory and majesty, dominion and power both now and for ever Halleluyah!

EZRA 4

1And when the adversaries of Yehuḏah and Binyamin heard that the sons of the exile were building the Hĕḵal of יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl,

2they came to Zerubbaḇel and the heads of the fathers’ houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your Elohim as you do. And we have slaughtered to Him since the days of Ěsarḥaddon sovereign of Ashshur, who brought us here.”

3But Zerubbaḇel and Yĕshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Yisra’ĕl said to them, “It is not for you and for us to build a house for our Elohim, but we alone build to יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, as Sovereign Koresh the sovereign of Persia has commanded us.”

4And it came to be that the people of the land were weakening the hands of the people of Yehuḏah and troubling them in their building,

5and hiring counsellors against them to thwart their plans all the days of Koresh sovereign of Persia, even until the reign of Dareyawesh sovereign of Persia.

6And in the reign of Aḥashwĕrosh, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Yehuḏah and Yerushalayim.

7And in the days of Artaḥshashta, Bishlam, Mithreḏath, Taḇe’ĕl, and the rest of their companions wrote to Artaḥshashta sovereign of Persia. And the letter was written in Aramaic, and translated from Aramaic.

8Reḥum the governor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Yerushalayim to Sovereign Artaḥshashta, thus:

9Reḥum the governor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions – the judges, and the emissaries, the consuls, the officials, the people of Ereḵ and of Baḇel and of Shushan, the Dehawites, the Ěylamites,

10and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnapper took into exile and settled in the cities of Shomeron and the rest beyond the River. And now,

11this is a copy of the letter that they sent him, to Sovereign Artaḥshashta from your servants the men beyond the River. And now,

12let it be known to the sovereign that the Yehuḏim who came up from you have come to us at Yerushalayim, and are building the rebellious and evil city, and are completing its walls and repairing the foundations.

13Now let it now be known to the sovereign that, if this city is built and the walls completed, they are not going to pay tax, excise, or toll, and cause the revenue of the sovereign to suffer loss.

14Now, because we have eaten salt from the palace, it was not fitting for us to see the sovereign’s shame. Therefore we have sent and informed the sovereign,

15so that search be made in the book of the records of your fathers, and you find in the book of the records, and know, that this city is a rebellious city, and causing loss to sovereigns and provinces. And revolt was stirred up in it since days of old, for which cause this city was destroyed.

16We inform the sovereign that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, then you have no portion beyond the River.

17The sovereign sent a message: To Reḥum the governor, and Shimshai the scribe, to the rest of their companions who dwell in Shomeron, and the rest beyond the River: Peace! And now,

18the letter you sent to us has been plainly read before me.

19And I made the decree, and a search has been made, and it was found that this city in days of old has lifted up itself against sovereigns, and that rebellion and revolt have been made in it.

20And mighty sovereigns have been over Yerushalayim, who have ruled over all beyond the River. And tax, excise, and toll were paid to them.

21Now, make a decree to make these men cease, and that this city be not built until the command is given by me.

22And beware of negligence to do this. Why should damage increase to the hurt of the sovereigns?

23Now when the copy of the letter of Sovereign Artaḥshashta was read before Reḥum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in a hurry to Yerushalayim against the Yehuḏim, and made them cease by might and power.

24Then the work of the House of Elah which is at Yerushalayim ceased, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Dareyawesh sovereign of Persia.

EZRA 5

1Then the prophets, Ḥaggai the prophet and Zeḵaryah son of Iddo, prophesied to the Yehuḏim who were in Yehuḏah and Yerushalayim, in the Name of the Elah of Yisra’ĕl upon them.

2Then Zerubbaḇel son of She’alti’ĕl and Yĕshua son of Yotsaḏaq rose up and began to build the House of Elah which is in Yerushalayim. And the prophets of Elah were with them, helping them.

3At that time Tattenai the governor beyond the River and Shethar-Bozenai and their companions came to them and said this to them, “Who has made you a decree to build this House and to complete this wall?”

4Then we told them what the names were of the men who were building this building.

5And the eye of their Elah was upon the elders of the Yehuḏim, so that they could not make them cease until the matter went to Dareyawesh. And then they sent back a letter concerning this.

6This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor beyond the River, had sent, and Shethar-Bozenai, and his companions the officials beyond the River, to Dareyawesh the sovereign.

7They sent a letter to him, and this was written in it: To Dareyawesh the sovereign: All peace.

8Let it be known to the sovereign that we went into the province of Yehuḏah, to the House of the great Elah, which is being built with heavy stones, and timber is being laid in the walls. And this work goes on speedily and is blessed in their hands.

9Then we asked those elders, saying this to them, “Who made you a decree to build this House and to complete these walls?”

10And we also asked them their names, in order to inform you, so we could write the names of the men at their head.

11And this is the answer they gave us, saying, “We are the servants of the Elah of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the House that was built many years ago, which a great sovereign of Yisra’ĕl built and completed.

12“But because our fathers provoked the Elah of heaven, He gave them into the hand of Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar sovereign of Baḇel, the Chaldean, who destroyed this House and exiled the people to Baḇel.

13“But in the first year of Koresh sovereign of Baḇel, Koresh the sovereign made a decree to build this House of Elah.

14“And also, the gold and silver utensils of the House of Elah, which Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar had taken from the Hĕḵal that was in Yerushalayim and brought to the hĕḵal of Baḇel, those Sovereign Koresh took from the hĕḵal of Baḇel and they were given to one named Shĕshbatstsar, whom he had made governor,

15and said to him, ‘Take these utensils, go, deposit them in the Hĕḵal in Yerushalayim, and let the House of Elah be built on its place.’

16“Then the same Shĕshbatstsar came, laid the foundation of the House of Elah which is in Yerushalayim, and since that time even until now it has been in building, and it is not completed.”

17And now, if it seems good to the sovereign, let a search be made in the sovereign’s treasure-house, which is there in Baḇel, whether it is so that a decree was made by Sovereign Koresh to build this House of Elah at Yerushalayim, and let the sovereign send us his decision concerning this.

EZRA 6

1Then Dareyawesh the sovereign made a decree, and a search was made in the house of the books wherein also the treasures of Baḇel were kept.

2And at Aḥmetha, in the palace which is in the province of Media, a scroll was found, and this was written in it:

3In the first year of Sovereign Koresh, Sovereign Koresh made a decree concerning the House of Elah at Yerushalayim, “Let the house be built in the place where they brought offerings, and its foundations strongly laid, its height sixty cubits, its width sixty cubits,

4three rows of heavy stones and one row of new timber. Let the expenses be paid from the sovereign’s house.

5“And let the gold and silver utensils of the House of Elah, which Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar took from the Hĕḵal which is in Yerushalayim and brought to Baḇel, be returned and go to the Hĕḵal which is in Yerushalayim, to its place, and deposit them in the House of Elah,”

6Now, Tattenai, governor beyond the River, and Shethar-Bozenai, and your companions the officials beyond the River, stay away from there.

7Leave the work of this House of Elah alone. Let the governor of the Yehuḏim and the elders of the Yehuḏim build this House of Elah on its place.

8And I make a decree as to what you should do for the elders of these Yehuḏim, for the building of this House of Elah: Let the exact expense be paid to these men from the sovereign’s resources, out of the taxes beyond the River, so that they are not stopped.

9And whatever they need – both young bulls and rams, and lambs for the burnt offerings of the Elah of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the request of the priests who are in Yerushalayim – let it be given them day by day without fail,

10so that they bring pleasing offerings to the Elah of heaven, and pray for the life of the sovereign and his sons.

11And I make a decree that whoever changes this word, let a timber be pulled from his house, and let him be impaled, hanged on it. And let his house be made a dunghill because of this.

12And Elah, who has caused His Name to dwell there does overthrow any sovereign or people who put their hand to change, to destroy this House of Elah which is in Yerushalayim! I Dareyawesh make the decree – let it be done promptly.

13Then Tattenai, governor beyond the River, Shethar-Bozenai, and their companions promptly did according to what Dareyawesh the sovereign had sent.

14And the elders of the Yehuḏim were building, and they were blessed through the prophesying of Ḥaggai the prophet and Zeḵaryah son of Iddo. And they built and finished it, according to the decree of the Elah of Yisra’ĕl, and according to the decree of Koresh, and Dareyawesh, and Artaḥshashta sovereign of Persia.

15And this House was completed on the third day of the month of Aḏar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Sovereign Dareyawesh.

16Then the children of Yisra’ĕl, the priests and the Lĕwites and the rest of the sons of the exile, did the dedication of this House of Elah with joy,

17and offered at the dedication of this House of Elah one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and as a sin offering for all Yisra’ĕl twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Yisra’ĕl.

18And they appointed the priests to their divisions and the Lĕwites to their divisions, over the service of Elah in Yerushalayim, as it is written in the Book of Mosheh.

19And the sons of the exile performed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month,

20for the priests and the Lĕwites had cleansed themselves – all of them were clean. And they slaughtered the Passover for all the sons of the exile, and for their brothers the priests, and for themselves.

21And the children of Yisra’ĕl who had returned from the exile ate together with all who had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the gentiles of the land in order to seek יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl.

22And they performed the Festival of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for יהוה caused them to rejoice, and turned the heart of the sovereign of Ashshur toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the House of Elohim, the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl.

PSALM 137

1By the rivers of Baḇel, There we sat down and we wept As we remembered Tsiyon.

2We hung our lyres Upon the willows in the midst of it.

3For there our captors Asked us for the words of a song, And our plunderers for rejoicing, saying, “Sing to us a song of Tsiyon!”

4How could we sing the song of יהוה On foreign soil?

5If I forget you, O Yerushalayim, Let my right hand forget.

6Let my tongue cleave to my palate, If I do not remember you, If I do not exalt Yerushalayim Above my chief joy.

7Remember, O יהוה, against the sons of Eḏom The day of Yerushalayim, Who said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare, To its foundation!”

8O daughter of Baḇel, who are to be destroyed, Blessed is he who repays you your deed, What you did to us!

9Blessed is he who shall take And dash your little ones against the rock.