SCRIPTURES

1 So King Darius gave an order to search the writings of the Kings before him. The writings were kept in Babylon in the same place the money and treasures were kept. 2 And a scroll was indeed found in the Palace of Ecbatana (in the province of Media) written by Cyrus the King. This is what was written on that scroll: 3 During the first year that Cyrus was King, he gave an order about the Temple of YAHUAH in Jerusalem. The order said: "Let the Temple of YAHUAH be built again.

1 After these things (58 YEARS LATER) during the rule of King Artaxerxes of Persia, Ezra came to Jerusalem from Babylon. 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 (HIGH PRIEST AT THE TIME OF KING DAVID) 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.

1-14 Ezra wrote: “These are the names of the family-leaders and the other people who came with me to Jerusalem from Babylon. We came to Jerusalem during the rule of King Artaxerxes ... From the descendants of: *Phinehas: Gershom, *Ithamar: Daniel, *David: Hattush, *Shecaniah: Parosh, Zechariah + 150 others, *Pahath Moab: Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah + 200 others, *Zattu: Shecaniah son of Jahaziel + 300 others, *Adin: Ebed son of Jonathan + 50 others, *Elam: Jeshaiah son of Atha

1 After we finished all these things (RETURNED AND GAVE THE GOLD AND SILVER TO THE TEMPLE AUTHORITIES), the leaders of the Israelites came to me and said, “Ezra, the Israelites have not kept themselves separate from the other people living around us, nor have the Priests and the Levites stayed away from the abominations done by the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites, but are being influenced by their evil lifestyles. 2 Th

1 Ezra was praying and confessing. He was crying and bowing down in front of YAHUAH’s Temple. While Ezra was doing that, a large group of the Israelites (men, women, and children) gathered around him. They were crying too (AT THE SIGHT OF THEIR LEADER BROKEN AND WAILING LOUDLY). 2 Then Shecaniah (son of Jehiel), one of the descendants of Elam, spoke to Ezra and said, “We have not been obedient to YAHUAH. We have married the people living around us. But, even though we have do