12,750 verses contain “for” (in the KJV: 10,422, in the BSB: 7,841) — showing 4,001–4,100
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And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the LORD.
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke for the LORD.
Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who
slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no
compassion upon young man or
maiden, old man, or him that
stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand.
So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who put their young men to the sword in the sanctuary,
sparing neither young men nor young women, neither elderly nor infirm. God gave them all into the hand of
Nebuchadnezzar,
To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths:
for as long as she lay
desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil
threescore and ten years.
So the land enjoyed its Sabbath rest all the days of the
desolation, until seventy years were completed, in
fulfillment of the word of the LORD through Jeremiah.
Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.
“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house
for Him at Jerusalem in Judah.
Whoever among you belongs to His people, may the LORD his God be with him, and may he go up.’”
Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for Him at Jerusalem in Judah.
And
whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the
freewill offering
for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.
And let every
survivor, wherever he lives, be assisted by the men of that region with silver, gold, goods, and
livestock, along with a
freewill offering
for the house of God in Jerusalem.’”
Also Cyrus the king brought
forth the vessels of the house of the LORD, which
Nebuchadnezzar had brought
forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods;
King Cyrus also brought out the articles belonging to the house of the LORD that
Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the temple of his gods.
Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring
forth by the hand of Mithredath the
treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.
Cyrus king of Persia had them brought out by the hand of Mithredath the
treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.
The children of Zattu, nine hundred forty and five.
the descendants of Zattu, 945;
The children of Bani, six hundred forty and two.
the descendants of Bani, 642;
The children of Azmaveth, forty and two.
the descendants of Azmaveth, 42;
The children of Kirjath-arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty and three.
the men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743;
The children of
Jericho, three hundred
forty and five.
The children of Pashur, a thousand two hundred forty and seven.
the descendants of Pashhur, 1,247;
These sought their register among those that were reckoned by
genealogy, but they were not found: therefore were they, as
polluted, put from the priesthood.
These men searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean.
The whole congregation together was
forty and two thousand three hundred and
threescore,
The whole assembly numbered 42,360,
Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five;
They had 736 horses, 245 mules,
And some of the chief of the fathers, when they came to the house of the LORD which is at Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God to set it up in his place:
When they arrived at the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, some of the heads of the families gave
freewill offerings to rebuild the house of God on its original site.
They gave after their ability unto the
treasure of the work
threescore and one thousand drams of gold, and five thousand pound of silver, and one hundred priests garments.
According to their ability, they gave to the treasury
for this work 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000
minas of silver, and 100 priestly garments.
And they set the altar upon his bases;
for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings
thereon unto the LORD, even burnt offerings morning and evening.
They set up the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD—both the morning and evening burnt offerings—even though they feared the people of the land.
They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required;
They also celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles in accordance with what is written, and they offered burnt offerings daily based on the number prescribed for each day.
And afterward offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a
freewill offering unto the LORD.
After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings and those
for New Moons and
for all the appointed sacred feasts of the LORD, as well as all the
freewill offerings brought to the LORD.
Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began
Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the
remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set
forward the work of the house of the LORD.
In the second month of the second year after they had arrived at the house of God in Jerusalem,
Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, and the rest of their associates including the priests, the Levites, and all who had returned to Jerusalem from the captivity, began the work. They appointed Levites twenty years of age or older to
supervise the construction of the house of the LORD.
Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites.
So Jeshua and his sons and brothers, Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Yehudah), and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together to
supervise those working on the house of God.
And they
sang together by course in praising and giving
thanks unto the LORD; because he is good,
for his mercy endureth
for ever toward Israel. And all the people
shouted with a great
shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.
And they
sang responsively with praise and
thanksgiving to the LORD: “
For He is good;
for His loving devotion to Israel endures
forever.” Then all the people gave a great
shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD had been laid.
But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes,
wept with a loud voice; and many
shouted aloud for joy:
But many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads who had seen the first temple
wept loudly when they saw the foundation of this temple. Still, many others
shouted joyfully.
So that the people could not
discern the noise of the
shout of joy from the noise of the
weeping of the people:
for the people
shouted with a loud
shout, and the noise was heard
afar off.
The people could not distinguish the shouts of joy from the sound of
weeping, because the people were making so much noise. And the sound was heard from
afar.
Now when the
adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel;
When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel,
Then they came to
Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you:
for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assur, which brought us up
hither.
they approached
Zerubbabel and the heads of the families, saying, “Let us build with you because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to Him since the time of King Esar-haddon of Assyria, who brought us here.”
But
Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.
But
Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other heads of the families of Israel replied, “You have no part with us in building a house
for our God, since we alone must build it
for the LORD, the God of Israel, as Cyrus king of Persia has commanded us.”
Now because we have maintenance from the king’s palace, and it was not meet
for us to see the king’s dishonour, therefore have we sent and
certified the king;
Now because we are in the service of the palace and it is not fitting for us to allow the king to be dishonored, we have sent to inform the king
That search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers: so shalt thou find in the book of the records, and know that this city is a
rebellious city, and
hurtful unto kings and provinces, and that they have moved
sedition within the same of old time:
for which cause was this city destroyed.
that a search should be made of the record books of your fathers. In these books you will discover and
verify that the city is a
rebellious city,
harmful to kings and provinces,
inciting sedition from ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed.
Give ye now commandment to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not builded, until another commandment shall be given from me.
Now, therefore, issue an order for these men to stop, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order.
Now when the copy of king
Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the
scribe, and their companions, they went up in
haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by
force and power.
When the text of the letter from King
Artaxerxes was read to Rehum, Shimshai the
scribe, and their associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and
forcibly stopped them.
We asked their names also, to
certify thee, that we might write the names of the men that were the chief of them.
We also asked for their names, so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information.
And there was found at
Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of the Medes, a roll, and therein was a record thus written:
And a
scroll was found in the
fortress of
Ecbatana, in the province of Media, with the following written on it:
Memorandum:
In the first year of Cyrus the king the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof
threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof
threescore cubits;
In the first year of King Cyrus, he issued a decree concerning the house of God in Jerusalem: Let the house be rebuilt as a place for offering sacrifices, and let its foundations be firmly laid. It is to be sixty cubits high and sixty cubits wide,
And also let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God, which
Nebuchadnezzar took
forth out of the temple which is at Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and brought again unto the temple which is at Jerusalem, every one to his place, and place them in the house of God.
Furthermore, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which
Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and carried to Babylon, must also be returned to the temple in Jerusalem and deposited in the house of God.
Moreover I make a decree what ye shall do to the elders of these Jews
for the building of this house of God: that of the king’s goods, even of the tribute beyond the river,
forthwith expenses be given unto these men, that they be not hindered.
I
hereby decree what you must do
for these elders of the Jews who are rebuilding this house of God: The cost is to be paid in full to these men from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the provinces west of the Euphrates, so that the work will not be hindered.
And that which they have need of, both young bullocks, and rams, and lambs, for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the appointment of the priests which are at Jerusalem, let it be given them day by day without fail:
Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, as well as wheat, salt, wine, and oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem—must be given to them daily without fail.
That they may offer sacrifices of sweet savours unto the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king, and of his sons.
Then they will be able to offer sacrifices of a sweet
aroma to the God of heaven and to pray
for the lives of the king and his sons.
Also I have made a decree, that
whosoever shall alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him be
hanged thereon; and let his house be made a
dunghill for this.
I also decree that if any man interferes with this directive, a beam is to be
torn from his house and raised up, and he is to be impaled on it. And his own house shall be made a pile of
rubble for this
offense.
And offered at the
dedication of this house of God an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and
for a sin offering
for all Israel, twelve he goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.
For the
dedication of the house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and a sin offering
for all Israel of twelve male goats, one
for each tribe of Israel.
And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses.
They also appointed the priests by their divisions and the Levites by their groups to the service of God in Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.
For the priests and the Levites were
purified together, all of them were pure, and killed the
passover for all the children of the captivity, and
for their brethren the priests, and
for themselves.
All the priests and Levites had
purified themselves and were
ceremonially clean. And the Levites slaughtered the
Passover lamb
for all the exiles,
for their priestly brothers, and
for themselves.
And kept the feast of
unleavened bread seven days with joy:
for the LORD had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to
strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
For seven days they kept the Feast of
Unleavened Bread with joy, because the LORD had made them joyful and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to
strengthen their hands in the work on the house of the God of Israel.
This
Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready
scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.
this
Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a
scribe skilled in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted
Ezra all his requests,
for the hand of the LORD his God was upon him.
For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.
He had begun the journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month,
for the
gracious hand of his God was upon him.
For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.
For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, to practice it, and to teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.
Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors, to
enquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand;
You are sent by the king and his seven counselors to
evaluate Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which is in your hand.
And all the silver and gold that thou canst 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 which is in Jerusalem:
together with all the silver and gold you may find in all the province of Babylon, as well as the
freewill offerings of the people and priests to the house of their God in Jerusalem.
The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, those deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem.
You must deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles given to you for the service of the house of your God.
And if anything else is needed for the house of your God that you may have occasion to supply, you may pay for it from the royal treasury.
Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be
diligently done
for the house of the God of heaven:
for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?
Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven must be done
diligently for His house.
For why should wrath fall on the realm of the king and his sons?
Then sent I
for Eliezer,
for Ariel,
for Shemaiah, and
for Elnathan, and
for Jarib, and
for Elnathan, and
for Nathan, and
for Zechariah, and
for Meshullam, chief men; also
for Joiarib, and
for Elnathan, men of understanding.
Then I summoned the leaders:
Eliezer,
Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan,
Nathan,
Zechariah, and Meshullam, as well as the teachers Joiarib and Elnathan.
And I sent them with commandment unto
Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say unto
Iddo, and to his brethren the
Nethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring unto us ministers
for the house of our God.
And I sent them to
Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, with a message
for him and his
kinsmen, the temple servants at Casiphia, that they should bring to us ministers
for the house of our God.
Also of the
Nethinims, whom David and the princes had appointed
for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty
Nethinims: all of them were expressed by name.
They also brought 220 of the temple servants, all designated by name. David and the officials had appointed them to assist the Levites.
Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of
Ahava, that we might
afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way
for us, and
for our little ones, and
for all our substance.
And there by the
Ahava Canal I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him
for a safe journey
for us and our children, with all our possessions.
For I was
ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and
horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them
for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that
forsake him.
For I was
ashamed to ask the king
for an
escort of soldiers and
horsemen to protect us from our enemies on the road, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is
gracious to all who seek Him, but His great anger is against all who
forsake Him.”
So we fasted and
besought our God
for this: and he was intreated of us.
So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He granted our request.
And
weighed unto them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering of the house of our God, which the king, and his counsellors, and his lords, and all Israel there present, had offered:
and I
weighed out to them the contribution of silver and gold and the articles that the king, his counselors, his leaders, and all the Israelites there had offered
for the house of our God.
And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days.
So we arrived at Jerusalem and rested there for three days.
Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks
for all Israel,
ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats
for a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering unto the LORD.
Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, and a sin offering of 12 male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD.
For they have taken of their daughters
for themselves, and
for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands:
yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this
trespass.
Indeed, the Israelites have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed has been mixed with the people of the land. And the leaders and officials have taken the lead in this unfaithfulness!”
And said, O my God, I am
ashamed and
blush to lift up my face to thee, my God:
for our
iniquities are increased over our head, and our
trespass is grown up unto the heavens.
and said: “O my God, I am
ashamed and
embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, because our
iniquities are higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached the heavens.
Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great
trespass unto this day; and
for our
iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a
spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.
From the days of our fathers to this day, our guilt has been great. Because of our
iniquities, we and our kings and priests have been delivered into the hands of the kings of the earth and put to the sword and captivity, to
pillage and
humiliation, as we are this day.
And now
for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a
remnant to escape, and to give us a
nail in his holy place, that our God may
lighten our eyes, and give us a little
reviving in our
bondage.
But now,
for a brief moment, grace has come from the LORD our God to preserve
for us a
remnant and to give us a
stake in His holy place. Even in our
bondage, our God has given us new life and light to our eyes.
For we were
bondmen; yet our God hath not
forsaken us in our
bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a
reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.
Though we are slaves, our God has not
forsaken us in our
bondage, but He has extended to us grace in the sight of the kings of Persia, giving us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and giving us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.
And now, O our God, what shall we say after this?
for we have
forsaken thy commandments,
And now, our God, what can we say after this?
For we have
forsaken the commandments
Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever.
Now, therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters
for your sons. Never seek their peace or prosperity, so that you may be strong and may eat the good things of the land, leaving it as an inheritance to your sons
forever.’
And after all that is come upon us
for our evil deeds, and
for our great
trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our
iniquities deserve, and hast given us such
deliverance as this;
After all that has come upon us because of our evil deeds and our great guilt (though You, our God, have punished us less than our
iniquities deserve and have given us such a
remnant as this),
O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.
O LORD, God of Israel, You are righteous!
For we remain this day as a
remnant. Here we are before You in our guilt, though because of it no one can stand before You.”
Now when
Ezra had prayed, and when he had
confessed,
weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children:
for the people
wept very
sore.
While
Ezra prayed and made this confession,
weeping and falling facedown before the house of God, a very large assembly of Israelites—men, women, and children—gathered around him, and the people
wept bitterly as well.
And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of
Elam, answered and said unto
Ezra, We have
trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.
Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, an
Elamite, said to
Ezra: “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying
foreign women from the people of the land, yet in spite of this, there is hope
for Israel.
Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that
tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.
So now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all the
foreign wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who
tremble at the command of our God. Let it be done according to the Law.
Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it.
Get up,
for this matter is your
responsibility, and we will support you. Be strong and take action!”
Then
Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water:
for he
mourned because of the
transgression of them that had been carried away.
Then
Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and walked to the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. And while he stayed there, he
ate no food and
drank no water, because he was
mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.
And that
whosoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be
forfeited, and himself separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away.
Whoever failed to appear within three days would
forfeit all his property, according to the counsel of the leaders and elders, and would himself be expelled from the assembly of the exiles.
Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the
twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God,
trembling because of this matter, and
for the great rain.
So within the three days, all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled in Jerusalem, and on the
twentieth day of the ninth month, all the people sat in the square at the house of God,
trembling regarding this matter and because of the heavy rain.
And
Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have
transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the
trespass of Israel.
Then
Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful by marrying
foreign women, adding to the guilt of Israel.
Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate
yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.
Now, therefore, make a confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers, and do His will. Separate
yourselves from the people of the land and from your
foreign wives.”
But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither is this a work of one day or two:
for we are many that have
transgressed in this thing.
But there are many people here, and it is the
rainy season. We are not able to stay out in the open. Nor is this the work of one or two days,
for we have
transgressed greatly in this matter.
Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us.
Let our leaders represent the whole assembly. Then let
everyone in our towns who has married a
foreign woman come at an appointed time, together with the elders and judges of each town, until the fierce anger of our God in this matter is turned away from us.”
And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first month.
and by the first day of the first month they had dealt with all the men who had married foreign women.
And among the sons of the priests there were found that had taken strange wives: namely, of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren; Maaseiah, and
Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah.
Among the descendants of the priests who had married foreign women were found these descendants of Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers:
And they gave their hands that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock
for their
trespass.
Maaseiah,
Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. They
pledged to send their wives away, and
for their guilt they presented a ram from the flock as a guilt offering.
All these had taken strange wives: and some of them had wives by whom they had children.
All these men had married foreign women, and some of them had children by these wives.
And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and
wept, and
mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,
When I heard these words, I sat down and
wept. I
mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
And said, I
beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy
for them that love him and observe his commandments:
Then I said: “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and
awesome God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion with those who love Him and keep His commandments,
Let thine ear now be
attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night,
for the children of Israel thy servants, and
confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have
sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have
sinned.
let Your eyes be open and Your ears
attentive to hear the prayer that I, Your servant, now pray before You day and night
for Your servants, the Israelites. I
confess the sins that we Israelites have committed against You. Both I and my father’s house have
sinned.
But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the
uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.
but if you return to Me and keep and practice My commandments, then even if your exiles have been banished to the
farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling
for My Name.’
O Lord, I
beseech thee, let now thine ear be
attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and
prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.
For I was the king’s
cupbearer.
O Lord, may Your ear be
attentive to my prayer and to the prayers of Your servants who delight to
revere Your name. Give Your servant success this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” (At that time I was the
cupbearer to the king.)
And said unto the king, Let the king live
for ever: why should not my countenance be
sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’
sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?
and replied to the king, “May the king live
forever! Why should I not be
sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
Then the king said unto me,
For what
dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
“What is your request?” replied the king. So I prayed to the God of heaven
And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,)
For how long shall thy journey be? and when
wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
Then the king, with the queen seated beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I set a time.
Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah;
I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may letters be given to me for the governors west of the Euphrates, so that they will grant me safe passage until I reach Judah.
And a letter unto
Asaph the keeper of the king’s
forest, that he may give me timber to make beams
for the gates of the palace which
appertained to the house, and
for the wall of the city, and
for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
And may I have a letter to
Asaph, keeper of the king’s
forest, so that he will give me timber to make beams
for the gates of the citadel to the temple,
for the city wall, and
for the house I will occupy.” And because the
gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.
And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I
rode upon.
I set out at night with a few men. I did not tell
anyone what my God had laid on my heart to do
for Jerusalem. The only animal with me was the one on which I was riding.
Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king’s
pool: but there was no place
for the beast that was under me to pass.
Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and the King’s
Pool, but there was no room
for the animal under me to get through;
And the rulers knew not
whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work.
The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, for I had not yet told the Jews or priests or nobles or officials or any other workers.