King James Version · The Persian return
1 Esdras 9
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1Then rising from the court of went to the chamber of Joanan the son of Eliasib, 2And remained there, and did eat no meat nor drink water, for the great of . 3And there was a proclamation in all and to all them that were of , that they should be gathered together at : 4And that whosoever met not there within two or three days according as the that rule appointed, their cattle should be seized to the use of , and himself cast out from them that were of . 5And in three days were all they of the tribe of Judah and gathered together at the twentieth day of the ninth month. 6And all sat trembling in the broad court of because of the present foul weather. 7So arose up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed in marrying strange wives, thereby to increase the of Israel. 8And now by confessing give unto of our fathers, 9And do his will, and separate yourselves from the heathen of the land, and from the strange women. 10Then cried the whole multitude, and said with a loud voice, Like as thou hast spoken, so will we do. 11But forasmuch as the people are many, and it is foul weather, so that we cannot stand without, and this is not a work of a day or two, seeing our in these things is spread far: 12Therefore let the of stay, and let all them of our habitations that have strange wives come at the time appointed, 13And with them the and judges of every place, till we turn away the of from us for this matter. 14Then Jonathan the son of Azael and Ezechias the son of Theocanus accordingly took this matter upon them: and Mosollam and Levis and Sabbatheus helped them. 15And they that were of did according to all these things. 16And the priest chose unto him the principal men of their families, all by name: and in the first day of the tenth month they sat together to examine the matter. 17So their cause that held strange wives was brought to an end in the first day of the first month. 18And of the priests that were come together, and had strange wives, there were found: 19Of the sons of the son of , and his brethren; Matthelas and Eleazar, and Joribus and Joadanus. 20And they gave their hands to their wives and to offer rams to make reconcilement for their errors. 21And of the sons of Emmer; , and Zabdeus, and Eanes, and Sameius, and Hiereel, and . 22And of the sons of Phaisur; Elionas, Massias Israel, and , and Ocidelus and Talsas. 23And of the ; , and Semis, and Colius, who was called Calitas, and Patheus, and Judas, and . 24Of the singers; Eleazurus, Bacchurus. 25Of the porters; Sallumus, and Tolbanes. 26Of them of Israel, of the sons of Phoros; Hiermas, and Eddias, and , and Maelus, and Eleazar, and Asibias, and Baanias. 27Of the sons of Ela; Matthanias, , and Hierielus, and Hieremoth, and Aedias. 28And of the sons of Zamoth; Eliadas, Elisimus, Othonias, Jarimoth, and Sabatus, and Sardeus. 29Of the sons of Babai; Johannes, and and Josabad, and Amatheis. 30Of the sons of Mani; Olamus, Mamuchus, Jedeus, Jasubus, Jasael, and Hieremoth. 31And of the sons of Addi; Naathus, and Moosias, Lacunus, and Naidus, and Mathanias, and Sesthel, Balnuus, and Manasseas. 32And of the sons of Annas; Elionas and Aseas, and , and Sabbeus, and Simon Chosameus. 33And of the sons of Asom; Altaneus, and , and Baanaia, Eliphalet, and , and Semei. 34And of the sons of Maani; , Momdis, Omaerus, Juel, Mabdai, and Pelias, and Anos, Carabasion, and Enasibus, and Mamnitanaimus, Eliasis, Bannus, Eliali, Samis, Selemias, Nathanias: and of the sons of Ozora; Sesis, Esril, Azaelus, Samatus, Zambis, Josephus. 35And of the sons of Ethma; Mazitias, Zabadaias, Edes, Juel, Banaias. 36All these had taken strange wives, and they put them away with their children. 37And the priests and , and they that were of Israel, dwelt in , and in the country, in the first day of the seventh month: so the were in their habitations. 38And the whole multitude came together with one accord into the broad place of the porch toward the east: 39And they spake unto the priest and reader, that he would bring of , that was given of of Israel. 40So the brought unto the whole multitude from man to woman, and to all the priests, to hear law in the first day of the seventh month. 41And he read in the broad court before the porch from morning unto midday, before both men and women; and gave heed unto . 42And the priest and reader of stood up upon a pulpit of wood, which was made for that purpose. 43And there stood up by him , Sammus, , , Urias, Ezecias, Balasamus, upon : 44And upon his left hand stood Phaldaius, , , Lothasubus, and Nabarias. 45Then took the book of before : for he sat honourably in the first place in the sight of them all. 46And when he opened , they stood all straight up. So , the of hosts, Almighty. 47And all the people answered, ; and lifting up their hands they fell to the ground, and . 48Also , Anus, Sarabias, Adinus, Jacubus, Sabateas, Auteas, Maianeas, and Calitas, Asrias, and Joazabdus, and , Biatas, the , taught of , making them withal to understand it. 49Then spake Attharates unto the . and reader, and to the that taught , even to all, saying, 50This day is unto ; (for they all wept when they heard :) 51Go then, and eat , and drink the sweet, and send part to them that have nothing; 52For this day is unto : and be not sorrowful; for will bring you to . 53So the published all things to the people, saying, This day is to ; be not sorrowful. 54Then went they their way, every one to eat and drink, and make merry, and to give part to them that had nothing, and to make great cheer; 55Because they understood the words wherein they were instructed, and for the which they had been assembled.
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · The Persian return, 539 BC to 332 BC ›
Persia takes Babylon and reverses its policy, sending exiled peoples home to rebuild their temples. Judah returns as a small province, rebuilding under imperial permission rather than independence.
- Persia
- The largest empire the world had yet seen, from the Indus to the Aegean, run through provinces, a royal road, and a postal system. Its policy on conquered peoples was to send them home and fund their temples, in exchange for loyalty and prayers for the king. The Cyrus Cylinder states the policy in Cyrus's own words, and Ezra opens with the same policy applied to Judah.
- Judah
- A small, poor province called Yehud, a fraction of the old kingdom, with a rebuilt temple that made the people who remembered the first one weep. No king, and no prospect of one. Leadership passes to priests and scribes, which shapes everything afterward.
- Greece
- Persia and Greece collide at Marathon and Salamis, Persia loses, and Athens spends the following decades on the Parthenon, tragedy, and Socrates. Herodotus writes the first history in order to explain that war. Then Plato and Aristotle, whose vocabulary the church will still be using at Nicaea eight centuries later.
- Further afield
- Rome throws out its kings and becomes a republic. In India and China this is the age of the Buddha's early followers and of Confucian teaching taking hold. More of what the world still thinks with was invented in this era than in almost any other.