Biblia the Byble, that is, the holy Scrypture of the Olde and New Testament, faithfully translated in to Englyshe.

The thirde boke of Eszdras.

What this boke conteyneth.

• Chap. I. The vertuous kynge Osias renueth the seruyce of God, setteth the prestes in their ordre, and holdeth the feast of Easter. Of his death. Of Iechonias his sonne. Of kynge Ioa∣chim and Sedechias.
• Chap. II. God moueth kinge Cyrus to delyuer the presoners, like as he promysed by the pro∣phet Ieremy. Of kynge Artaxerses, by whose auctorite the Iewes are forbydden to buylde vp Ierusalem.
• Chap. III. Of the feast that kinge Darius ma∣de, and of the thre yonge men that wrote euery one his sentence, to proue who might saye the best. The first sheweth his mynde.
• Chap. IIII. The seconde goeth aboute to proue his sentence the wisest, but Zorobabel getteth the victory, for the trueth beareth euer the bell. Darius cōmaundeth to buylde vp Ieru∣salem agayne.
• Chap. V. What they be & how many, that co∣me agayne to Ierusalem out of the captiuyte of Babilon. The tēple and the altare are buyl¦ded agayne. The Heithen withstonde them.
• Chap. VI. The officers in Syria laboure vnto kynge Darius, to forbyd the buyldinge of the temple at Ierusalem: but he commaundeth to kepe the ordinaunce that kynge Cyrus made before.
• Chap. VII. The aduersaries myndes are satis∣fied, the buyldinge is fynished, and the Passe∣ouer holden.
• Chap. VIII. How Eszdras and the other (beinge discharged by the letters and commaūdemēt of kinge Artaxerses) go vp to Ierusalem. The complaynte concernynge those, that were de∣fyled and vncleane.
• Chap. IX. Of the councell that was taken, as touchinge the vncleane mariage.

[illustration]

The first Chapter.

[ A] ANd Iosias helde the feast of Easter in Ierusalem vnto the LORDE, and slewe y^e Passeouer the xiiij. daye of the first mo∣neth. He set y^e prestes also in or¦dre (acordīge to their daylie courses) beynge arayed in longe garmētes in the tēple of the LORDE. And he spake vnto the Leuites the holy ministers of Israel, that they shulde ha¦lowe them selues vnto the LORDE, to set the holy arke of the LORDE, in the house that kyn¦ge Salomō the sonne of Dauid had buylded and sayde: Ye shal nomore beare the Arke v∣pon yo^r shulders. Now serue yoo^r LORDE, & take the charge of his people of Israel, after youre vyllagies and youre trybes: acordinge as kynge Dauid the kynge of Israel hath or¦dened, & acordinge as Salomon his sonne hath honorably prepared: Yee loke y^t ye all do seruyce in the temple, acordinge to the or∣dringe and distribucion of the pryncipall mē which are appoynted out of the trybes, to do seruyce for the childrē of Israel. Kyll y^e Pas∣seouer, & prepare offeringes for yo^r brethren, and do accordinge to the commaundemēt of y^e LORDE, which he gaue vnto Moses. And vnto y^e people y^t was foūde, Iosias gaue xxx. thousande of shepe, lambes, kyddes and goa¦tes, & thre thousande oxē. These the kynge (of his kyngly liberalite) gaue vnto the people, acordinge as he had promysed: & to the pres∣tes (for the Passeouer) he gaue two thousan∣de shepe & an hundreth oxē. Morouer Iecho∣nias & Semeias and Nathanael brethren, & Hasabias, Iehiel and Iosabad, gaue them to the Passeouer, fyue thousande shepe and fyue hundreth bullockes.

And whan these thinges were brought to passe, the prestes and the Leuites stode good¦ly in their ordre, and had the vnleuended bred thorow out y^e trybes. And after the or¦dringe of the pryncipall men in the trybes, they offred vnto the LORDE in the sight of the people, acordinge as it is wrytten in the boke of Moses, & so they rosted the Easter-lambe as acordinge was. As for the thākoffe¦ringes & the other, they dight thē in kettels & pottes, & sett them before the people w^t good will, and afterwarde before them selues and the prestes. For the prestes offred the fatt, vn¦tyll the tyme was expyred, but the Leuites prepared for them selues & for their brethren the childrē of Aaron. The syngers also y^e chil∣dren of Asaph. stode in their ordre, acordinge as Dauid had deuysed. So dyd Asaph, Zacha¦ry & Iedithū, which were appoynted by the kynge. Morouer the porters & dorekepers sto¦de by the dores & y^t diligently, so y^t none wente out of his stondinge & seruyce: for their bre∣thren (the Leuites) prepared for them. Thus were all thinges perfourmed, that belonged to the offringe of the LORDE. In that daye they helde the Passeouer, & offred thankoffe∣ringes besyde y^e sacrifice of y^e LORRDE, acor∣dinge to y^e cōmaundement of kynge Iosias.

[illustration]

So the children of Israel which were thē present helde an honorable Passeouer, & the [ C] feast of swete bred vij: dayes lōge. Yee soch a Passeouer was not kepte in Israel, from y^e ty¦me of the prophet Samuel. And all the kyn∣ges of Israel helde not soch an Easter, as this which kynge Iosias helde, & y^e prestes, y^e leuites, y^e Iewes & all Israel, of all thē y^t we∣re at Ierusalē. In y^e xviij: yeare of y^e raigne of Iosias was this Passeouer kepte. And w^t a parfecte hert dyd kynge Iosias ordre all his workes (before y^e LORDE) & y^e thinges y^t were wryttē of hī in tymes past, cōcernynge those y^t synned & were vngodly agaynst y^e LORDE before all people, & y^t sought not the worde of y^e LORDE vpon Israel. After all these actes of kynge Iosias, Pharao y^e kynge of Egipte wēte vp, & came towarde Carcamis by Eu∣phrates, & Iosias wēte to mete hī. Then sent the kynge of Egipte vnto Iosias, sayenge: what haue I to do w^t y^e, o kynge of Iuda? I am not sent of y^e LORDE to fight agaynst y^e, for my warre is vpō Euphrates, go thou y^e waye home agayne in all y^e haist. And Iosias

wolde not turne agayne vpon his charet, but vndertoke to fight agaynst him, & herke¦ned not vnto y^e worde of y^e prophet, which he tolde him out of the mouth of God, but pitched a battaill agaynst him in y^e felde of Mageddo. And the prynces preassed to kyn¦ge Iosias. Then sayde the kynge vnto his seruauntes: Cary me awaye out of the bat∣tayll, for I am sore wounded. And immediat¦ly his seruauntes toke him awaye out of the front of the battayll. Then satt he vp vpon the secōde charett, came to Ierusalē, dyed, & was buried in his fathers sepulcre. And in all Iewry they mourned for Iosias, yee the rulers also w^t their wyues made lamētacion for him vnto this daye: And this was done euer still in Israel.

[ D] These thinges are written in the boke of of the stories of y^e kynges of Iuda: namely, all the actes & workes of kynge Iosias, his kyngly power & maiesty, his vnderstandin¦ge in the lawe of God, & what he dyd, yee thinges which are not wryttē in the boke of the kynges of Israel & Iuda. And y^e people toke Iechonias the sonne of Iosias, & made him kynge in y^e steade of Iosias his father, whan he was xxxiij. yeare olde. And he raig¦ned ouer Israel thre monethes. And the kin¦ge of Egipte put him downe, y^t he shulde not raigne in Ierusalē, & raysed vp a taxinge of the people: namely, an C. talentes of syluer & one talēt of golde. The kinge of Egipte al¦so made Ioachim his brother kynge of Iu∣da & Ierusalē. As for thē of the kinges coun¦cell w^t the kynge himself and Zaraceles his brother, he toke thē, & caried thē awaye pre∣soners in to Egipte. Fyue & twentie yeare ol∣de was Ioachim, whan he was made kynge in the londe of Iuda and Ierusalem, and he dyd euell before the LORDE. After this, Na¦buchodonosor [ E] y^e kynge of Babylō came vp, bounde him w^t bandes of yron, & caried him vnto Babilō. Nabuchodonosor also toke all y^e vessell y^t were halowed in the tēple of the LORDE, & all y^e Iewels, & caried thē vnto Ba¦bilon, & brought thē in to his owne tēple at Babilon. Of his vnclennes & vngodlynes, it is writtē in y^e boke of the actes of y^e kynges. And Ioachim his sonne raigned in his stea∣de: He was made kynge beinge xviij. yeare ol¦de, & raigned but thre monethes & x. dayes in Ierusalē, & dyd euell before the LORDE. So after a yeare, Nabuchodonosor sent & caused him be brought vnto Babilon w^t y^e holy ves∣sels of y^e LORDE, & made Sedechias his bro¦ther kynge of Iuda and Ierusalē, whan he was xxj. yeare olde: and he raigned xj. yeare.

And he dyd euell also in y^e sight of y^e LOR∣DE, & cared not for y^e wordes y^t were spokē vn¦to hī by y^e prophet Ieremy at y^e mouth of the LORDE. And where as he had made on ••oth vnto kynge Nabuchodonosor, he manswor•• himself, & fell frō him hauynge a stiff neck & hert, & trāsgressed all y^e statutes & ordinaun∣ces of the LORDE God of Israel. The rulers also & heades of y^e people of the LORDE dyd moch euell, & became vngodly, more thē the Heithen, beynge defyled in all maner of abho¦minaciōs: Yee & defyled y^e holy tēple of the LORDE at Ierusalē. And the God of their fa¦thers sent his messaungers vnto thē, to tur∣ne [ F] them backe & to call thē agayne frō their synnes: for he wolde fayne haue spared thē for his holy tabernacles sake. Neuertheles, they had his messaungers in derision: & loke what God spake vnto thē by his prophetes, they made but a sporte of it. This drew on so longe, tyll the LORDE was wroth w^t his peo∣ple for their vngodlynes, & tyll he caused the kinges of y^e Caldees to come vp, which slew their yonge men w^t the swerde, yee euen in the compasse of their holy tēple, & spared no bo∣dy, nether yonge ner olde, nether mayden ner yonge man: but they were all delyuered in to the power of the kynges of y^e Caldees, & all the holy vessels of the LORDE and the kynges treasures toke they, & caried them vnto Babi¦lon. As for the house of the LORDE, they brēt it, & brake downe the walles of Ierusalē, set fyre vpon hir towres, destroyed all hir noble buyldinges and brought them to naught, and the people that were not slayne with the swerde, they caried vnto Babilon.

Thus became they y^e presoners & bōdemē of y^e kynge of Babilon, tyll they were delyue¦red & raygned for them selues, when the wor¦des of the LORDE were fulfilled, which he promysed them by the mouth of the prophet Ieremy, and tyll the londe had hir rest: name¦ly, all the tyme y^t it laye wayest, had it rest & quyetnes lxxvij. yeares.

The II. Chapter.

NOw whā kynge Cyrus raigned ouer [ A] the Persians, & whā the LORDE wol¦de perfourme the worde y^t he had pro¦mysed by the mouth of the prophet Ieremy: the LORDE raysed vp the sprete of Cyrus, the kynge of the Persiās, so y^t he caused this wry∣tinge to be proclamed thorow out his whole realme, sayenge: Thus sayeth the kynge of y^e Persians: The LORDE of Israel that hye LORDE hath made me kynge of the lōde, and commaunded me to buylde him an house at Ierusalem in Iewry. Yf there be eny now of

youre people, y^e LORDE be with him, and go vp with him to Ierusalem. And all they that dwell rounde aboute y^t place, shal helpe thē, whether it be with golde, with syluer, with giftes, with horses and necessary catell, and all other thinges that are brought w^t a fre wyll to the house of the LORDE at Ierusalē.

Then the pryncipall mē out of the trybes [ B] and vyllages of Iuda and Ben Iamin stode vp: so dyd the prestes also & the leuites (whō the LORDE had moued) to go vp, and to buyl¦de the house of the LORDE at Ierusalē. And they that were aboute them, helped them w^t all maner of golde, and syluer, and catell also and with many liberall giftes, and this dyd many one, whose mynde was stered vp ther∣to. Kynge Cyrus also brought forth the ves∣sels and ornamentes, that were halowed vn∣to the LORDE (which Nabuchodonosor the kynge of Babilon had caried awaye from Ie¦rusalem, and consecrated them to his Idoll and ymage) and delyuered them to Mithri∣datus his treasurer, and by him they were de∣lyuered to Salmanasar y^e debyte in Iewry. And this was the nōbre of them: Two thou∣sande and iiij.C. syluer boules, xxx. syluer ba∣sens, xxx. basens of golde, ij.M. and iiij.C. ves¦sels of syluer, and a thousande besyde. All the vessels of golde and syluer were v.M.viij.C. and lx. These were nombred vnto Salmana¦sar, and them that were come agayne with him to Ierusalē out of the captiuyte of Ba¦bilon. Now in the tyme of kynge Artaxerses the kynge of Persia, these men: Balemus and Mithridatus, Sabellius, Rathimus, Bal∣themus, Semelius y^e scrybe, and other that dwelt in Samaria & in other places vnder y^e dominion therof, Wrote a letter vnto kynge Artaxerses, wherin they complayned vnto the kynge of them in Iewry and Ierusalem. The letter was made after this maner:

[ C] Syr, thy seruauntes Rathimus the story wryter, Sabellius the Scrybe, & other iud∣ges of thy courte in Celosyria and Phenices. Be it knowne and manifest to o^r lorde the kyn that the Iewes which are come vp frō you vnto vs into the rebellious and wicked cite, begynne to buylde it agayne, and the walles aboute it, and to set vp the tēple of the new. Now yf this cite and the walles therof be sett vp agayne, they shal not only refuse to ge¦ue trybutes and taxinges, but also rebell vt∣terly agaynst the kynge. And for so moch as they take this in hande now aboute the tem¦ple, we thought it reason, to thinke no scorne of it, but to shewe it vnto o^r lorde the kynge, & to certifie him therof: to the intent y^t yf it plea¦se the kinge, he maye cause it be sought in the bokes of olde: and thou shalt fynde soch war¦nynge wrytten, and shalt vnderstonde, that this cite hath allwaye bene rebellious and disobedient, that it hath subdued kynges and cities, and that the Iewes which dwell ther¦in, haue euer bene a rebellious, obstinate, vn∣faithfull and fightinge people, for the which cause this cite is waysted. Wherfore now we certifie oure lorde the kynge, that yf this cite be buylded and occupied agayne, & the wal∣les therof set vp a new, thou canst haue no passage in to Celosyria and Phenices.

Then wrote the kynge to Rathimus the [ D] story wryter, to Balthemus, to Sabellius y^e scrybe, and to the other officers and dwellers in Syria and Phenices, after this maner: I haue red the epistle which thou sentest vnto me, and haue commaunded to make diligent search, and haue founde, that the cite hath e∣uer resisted kynges, that the same people are dishobedient, and haue caused moch warre, & that mightie kynges haue raigned in Ierusa¦lem, which also haue raysed vp taxinges of Syria and Phenices. Wherfore, I haue com¦maūded those people, that they shal not buyl¦de the cite, that they make no more in it, and that they procede no further with the buyl∣dinge: for so moch as it might be the cause of warre, and displeasure vnto kynges.

Now whan Rathymus and Sabellius the scrybe and the rulers in the londe had red the wrytinge of kynge Artaxerses, they gatt them together, and came in all the haist to Ie¦rusalem with an hoost of horsemen, and with moch people of fote, and forbad them to buyl¦de. And so they left of from buyldinge of the temple, vnto the seconde yeare of kynge Da∣rius.

The III. Chapter.

KYnge Darius made a greate feast vn∣to [ A] his seruaūtes, vnto all his courte, & to all the officers of Media and Per∣sia, yee and to all the debytes & rulers that we¦re vnder him, from India vnto Ethiopia, an hundreth & xxvij, countrees. So whan they had eaten, and dronken beinge satisfied, and were gone home agayne, Darius the kynge wente in to his chambre, layed him downe to slepe, and so awaked.

Then the thre yonge men, that kepte the kynges personne, and watched his body, com¦moned amonge them selues, and spake one to another: Let euery one of vs saye some thin∣ge, and loke whose sentence is wyser and more excellent then the other, vnto him shal kinge Darius geue greate giftes, and clothe him

with purple. He shal geue him vessels of gol¦de to drynke in, clothes of golde and coue∣ringes: he shall make him a costly charett & a brydle of golde, he shall geue him a bonet of whyte sylke and a chayne of golde abou∣te his neck: yee he shal be the seconde & pryn∣cipall nexte vnto kynge Darius, & that be∣cause of his wyszdome, and shalbe called y^e kynges kynsman.

[ B] So euery one wrote his meaninge, sealed it and layed it vnder the kinges pelowe, and sayde: whan the kynge aryseth, we will geue him oure wrytinges: and loke whose worde the kynge and his chefe lordes iudge to be the most wysely spoken, the same shall haue the victory. One wrote: wyne is a stronge thinge. The secōde wrote: The kynge is strō¦ger. The thirde wrote: wemen haue yet more strength, but aboue all thinges y^e trueth bea¦reth awaye the victory. Now whan the kyn¦ge was rysen vp, they toke their wrytinges and delyuered them vnto him, and so hered them. Then sent he forth to call all his chefe lordes, all the debytes & rulers of the coun∣trees of Media and Persia. And whan they were sett downe in the councell, the wrytin∣ges were red before them. And he commaun¦ded to call for y^e yonge mē, y^t they might de∣clare their meanynges thēselues by mouth. So when they were sent for, and came in, y^e kynge sayde vnto them: shew vs and make vs to vnderstōde, what the thinges are that ye haue wrytten.

[ C] Then beganne the first (which had spokē of the strength of wyne) & sayde: O ye men, wyne is maruelous strōge, and ouercōmeth them y^e drynke it: it disceaueth the mynde, & bryngeth both the poore man & y^e kynge to dotage and vanite. Thus doth it also w^t the bondman and with the fre, with the poore & rych: it taketh awaye their vnderstondinge, and maketh them careles and mery, so that none of them remembreth eny heuynes, dett or dewtie: It causeth a man to thinke also that y^e thinge which he doth, is honest and good: and remembreth not that he is a kyn∣ge, nor y^t he is in auctorite, & y^t he ought not to do soch thinges. Morouer, whan men are drynckinge, they forgett all frendshipe, all brotherly faithfulnes & loue: but as soone as they are dronckē, they drawe out the swerde & wil fight: & whā they are layed downe frō the wyne, & so rysen vp agayne, they can not tell what they dyd. Iudge ye now, Is not wyne the strongest? For who wolde els take in hande, to do soch thinges? And whan he had spoken this, he helde his tonge.

The IIII. Chapter.

THen the seconde (which had sayde, y^t [ A] the kynge was stronger) beganne to speake, sayēge: O ye men, are not they the strongest & most excellent, y^t cōquere the lōde & the see, & all y^t is in y^e see & in the earth? Now is the kynge lorde of all these thinges, & hath dominion of thē all: & loke what he cō¦maūdeth, it is done. Yf he sende his mē forth a warfare, they go and breake downe hilles, walles & towres. They are slayne, & slaye (o∣her men) them selues, & ouer passe not y^e kyn∣ges worde. Yf they get the victory, they bryn¦ge the kynge all the spoyle. Likewyse, the o∣ther y^t medle not w^t warres & fightinge, but tyll the grounde: whan they reape, they bryn¦ge trybute vnto y^e kynge. And yf y^e kynge alo¦ne do but cōmaunde to kyll, they kyll: yf he cō¦maunde to forgeue, they forgeue: yf he cōma¦unde to smyte, they smyte: yf he byd dryue a∣waye, they dryue awaye: yf he commaunde to buylde, they buylde: yf he cōmaūde to breake downe, they breake downe: yf he cōmaunde to plante, they plāte. The comon people & y^e rulers are obedient vnto him. And y^e kynge in the meane season sytteth hī downe, eateth and drynketh, & taketh his rest: thē kepe they watch roūde aboute y^e kinge, & not one of thē darre gett him out of y^e waye, to do his owne busynes, but must be obediēt vnto y^e kinge at a worde. Iudge ye now o ye men, how shulde not he go farre aboue, vnto whom men are thus obediēt? And whan he had spokē this, he helde his tonge. The thirde (whose name [ B] was Zorobabel, which had spokē of wemen & of y^e trueth) begāne to saye after this maner: O ye mē, it is not y^e greate kynge, it is not the multitude of mē, nether is it wine y^t excelleth: Who is it thē, y^t hath y^e lordshipe ouer thē? Haue not wemen borne the kynge, & all y^e peo¦ple y^t rule these thinges? Haue not wemē bor¦ne thē, & brought thē vp, y^t plante the vynes, wher out y^e wyne cōmeth? They make garmē¦tes for all mē, they geue hono^r vnto all men, & w^t out wemen can not men lyue. Yf they ga¦ther golde & syluer & all precious thinges, & se a fayre & wel fauoured womā, they leaue all together, and turne their eyes onely vnto the woman, & gape vpon her, & haue more desyre vnto her, then vnto the syluer & golde, or eny maner of precious thinge. A mā leaueth his father y^t brought him vp, he leaueth his ow¦ne naturall coūtre, and cleueth vnto the wo∣man: yee he ioperdeth his life with the wo∣man, and remembreth nether father, ner mo∣ther, ner countre. By this then ye must nedes knowe, y^t wemen haue y^e domynion ouer you.

Doth it greue you? A mā taketh his swer¦de & goeth his waye to steale, to kyll, to mur¦ther, to sayle vpon the see, & seyth a lyon, and goeth in the darcknes: and when he hath stollen, disceaued & robbed, he bringeth it vn¦to his loue. Agayne, a man loueth his wyfe better then father and mother: yee many one there be, that renne out of their wyttes & be∣come bondmen for their wyues sakes: many one also haue perished, & haue bene slayne, & haue synned because of wemen.

[ C] And now beleue me, I knowe a kynge which is greate in his power, & all lōdes stō¦de in awe of him, & no man darre laye hande vpon him: yet dyd I se, y^t Apame (y^e daugh¦ter of the greate kynge Bartacus) the kyn∣ges cōcubine, satt besyde the kynge vpō the right hāde, and toke of his crowne from his heade, and set it vpon hir owne heade, and smote the kynge with hir left hande. Moro¦uer, the kynge loked vpō her w^t open mouth: yf she laughed vpon him, he laughed also: but yf she toke eny displeasure with him, the kynge was fayne to flater her, & to geue her good wordes, till he had gotten hir fauoure agayne.

O ye men, are not wemen then stron∣ger? Greate is the earth, and hie is the hea∣uen that do these thinges. Then the kynge & the prynces loked one vpon another. So he beganne to speake of the trueth: O ye men, are not wemē stronger? Greate is the earth, hye is the heauen, swyft is the course of the Sonne, he compaseth the heauen rounde a∣boute, and fetcheth his course againe to his owne place in one daye. Is he not excellent that doth this? yee greate is the trueth, and stronger then all thinges. All the earth cal∣leth vpon the trueth, the heauen prayseth it, all workes shake and tremble at it, and with it is no vnrighteous thinge. Wine is vnrigh¦teous, the kynge is vnrighteous, wemen are vnrighteous: all the children of men are vn∣righteous, yee all their workes are vnrigh∣teous, and there is no trueth in them, in their vnrighteousnes also shall they be destroyed and perish. As for y^e trueth, it endureth, and is allwaye stronge: it lyueth, and cōquereth for euermore worlde without ende.

[ D] The trueth accepteth no personnes, it put¦teth no difference betwixte rych or poore, be∣twixte y^e mightie or symple, but doth right vnto euery mā, whether they be euel or good, & all men are louyngly dealt withall in the workes of it. In the iudgment of it there is no vnrighteous thinge, but strength, kingdo¦me & power and maiesty for euermore. Bles∣sed be the God of trueth.

And with that he helde his tōge, and all y^e people cried & sayde: Greate is the trueth, and aboue all. Then sayde the kynge vnto him: Axe what thou wilt, more then is ap∣poynted in the wrytinge, and I shal geue it the, for thou art founde wyser then thy com¦panyons: thou shalt sytt nexteme, and be my kynsman. Then sayde he vnto the kynge: Remembre thy promyse and vowe, which thou hast vowed and promysed (in the daye whan thou camest to the kyngdome) to buyl¦de vp Ierusalem, and to sende againe all the vessels and Iewels, that were taken awaye out of Ierusalem: which Cyrus separated, whan he offred in Babilon, and wolde sen∣de them agayne. And thy minde was to buyl¦de vp the temple, which the Edomites brēt, whan Ierusalem was destroyed by the Cal∣dees. This onely (O kynge) is the thinge that I requyre, this is y^e maiesty, which, I desyre & axe of the: that thou perfourme the vowe, which thou with thine owne mouth hast ma¦de vnto the kynge of heauen.

Then Darius the kynge stode vp, and kys¦sed [ E] him, and wrote a letter vnto all the deby¦tes and shreues, to all y^e lordes and nobles, y^t they shulde conveye him forth, & all them y^t wolde go vp with him. He wrote a letter also vnto all y^e shreues y^t were in Celosyria & Phenices, & vnto Libanus, y^t they shulde harle cedre trees from Libanus vnto Ieru∣salem, to buylde y^e cite withall. Morouer he wrote vnto all y^e Iewes that were gone out of his realme in to Iewry because of the fre¦dome, y^t no officer, no ruler ner shreue shulde come to their dores: and that all their londe▪ which they had conquered, shulde be fre and not tributary: And that the Edomytes shul¦de geue ouer the cities and vyllagies of the Iewes, which they had taken in: yee & that they shulde yearly geue xx. talētes to y^e buyl¦dinge of the temple, vntill the tyme that it were fynished: and to the daylie halowinge of the brent offeringes (as it is commaun∣ded) ten talentes yearly also: And y^t all they which come from Babilon to buylde the ci∣te, shulde haue fre lybertie, they & their chil∣dren, and all the prestes.

He wrote the greatnesse also, & commaun¦ded [ F] that the holy garment shulde be geuen thē, wherin they ministred: and wrote that commaundementes shulde be geuen to the Leuites, vntill the daye, that the house were fynished and Ierusalem buylded vp: and cō¦maunded that all they that watched the ci∣te, shulde haue their porcions and wagies.

He gaue ouer also all the vessell y^t Cyrus had separated from Babilon: & all y^t Cyrus had geuē in cōmaundement, y^e same charged he also, y^t it shulde be done, & sent vnto Ieru∣salem. Now whan this yonge mā was go∣ne forth, he turned his face towarde Ierusa¦lē, & praysed y^e kinge of heauē, & sayde: Of y^e cōmeth victory, of the cōmeth wyszdome & clearnesse, & I am thy seruaunt. Blessed art thou, which hast geuen me wyszdome: the wyll I prayse, O LORDE, thou God of ou∣re fathers.

And so he toke the letters, & wente vnto Babilon: And whan he came there, he tolde this vnto all his brethrē y^t were at Babilō, & they praysed y^e God of their fathers, y^t he had geuē them refreszshinge & lyberte to go vp, & to buylde Ierusalē & the temple (which is there called after the name of the LORDE) and they reioysed with instrumentes & glad¦nesse, seuen dayes longe.

The V. Chapter.

[ A] AFter this, were the prynciall mē of all y^e vyllagies chosen in the trybes & kin¦reddes, that they shulde go vp with their wiues and children, with their seruaun¦tes and maydens, with all their catell & sub∣staunce. And Darius the kynge sent with them a thousande horsmen, to conveye them safely vnto Ierusalem: and their brethrē we¦re glad, playenge vpon instrumētes, and syn¦ginge.

And these are the names of the mē, which wente vp out of the vyllagies acordinge to the trybes. Of the prestes, the sonne of Phi∣neas, the sonne of Aaron: Iesus the sonne of Iosedec, Ioachim the sonne of Zoroba∣bel the sonne of Salathiel (of the kynred of Dauid, out of the kynred of Phares, of the trybe of Iuda) which spake wonderfull thin¦ges vnder Darius the kynge of Persia, in y^e seconde yeare of his raigne in the first mo∣neth of Nisan.

These also are they of Iewry, which ca∣me vp and turned Agayne vnto Ierusalem, out of the captiuyte that Nabuchodonosor y^e kynge of Babilon had brought vnto Ba¦bilon. And euery man sought his porcion a∣gayne in Iewry, his cite, they that came w^t Zorobabel, and with Iesus, Nehemias, Sa¦raias, Raelaias, Elimeus, Emmanius, Mar¦docheus, Beelserus, Mechpsa, Rochor, Olio¦rus, Emonias, one of their prynces.

[ B] And the nōbre of thē, acordinge to their kynreddes & rulers, was. The childrē of Pha¦res, two thousande, an hundreth & lxxij. The children of Ares, iij.M. an C. and lvij. The children of Femo, an C. and xlij. In the son∣nes of Iesus and Ioabes, a M.iij.C. and two. The sonnes of Beniu, ij.M.iiij.C. and lxx. The sonnes of Choroba, ij.C. and v. The sonnes of Banica, an C. and lxviij. The sonnes of Rebech, iiij.C. and thre. The sonnes of Archad, iiij.C. and xxvij. The son¦nes of Cham, xxxvij. The sonne of Zoroar, ij.M. and lxvij. The sonnes of Adinu, iiij.C. and lxj. The sonnes of Adarectis an C. and viij. The sonnes of Ciaso and Zelas, an C. and vij. The sonnes of Azorec, iiij.C. and xxxix. The sonnes of Iedarbone, an C. and xxxij. The sonnes of Hananias, an C. and xxx. The sonnes of Asoni, xc. The sonnes of Marsar, iiij.C. and xxij. The sonnes of Zaba∣rus, xcv. The sonnes of Sepholemon, an C. and xxiij. The sonnes of Nepopas, lv. The sonnes of Hechanatus, an C. and lviij. The sonnes of Zebethanus, an C. and xxxij. The sonnes of Crearpatros, (which is called al∣so Enohadies and Modias) iiij.C. and xxiij. Of them of Gramos and Gabea, an C. and xxj. Of them of Besselon and C••agge, lxv. Of them of Bastharus, an C. and xxij. Of them of Bechenobes, lv. Of the sonnes of Liptis, there were an C. and lv. Of the son∣nes of Labonnus, iij.C. and lvij. Of the son∣nes of Sichem, iij.C. and lxx. Of the sonnes of Suadon and Elimon, iij.C. and lxxviij. Of the sonnes of Ericus, ij.M. an C. and xlv. The sonnes of Anaas, thre hundreth and lxx.

The prestes: The sonnes of Ieddus: The sonnes of Euther: The sonnes of El Iasib, iij.C. and lxxij. The sonnes of Emerus, ij.C. and lij. The sonnes of Fasurius, iij.C. & lvij. The sonnes of Carea, ij.C. & xxvij. The Le∣uites: The sonnes of Iesus in Caduhel and Banus, and Serebias, and Edeas, seuentie and foure.

The whole nombre of these from xij. yea∣res, [ C] was iij.M.iiij.C. and lxij▪ Of the sonnes, daughters and wyues, the whole summe was iiij.M.ij.C. and xlij. The sonnes of the prestes that praysed God in the temple: The sonnes of Asaph, of whom there were an C. and xxviij. But the dore kepers were: The children of Esmenus: The children of Aser: The children of Amon: The children of Acuba, Topa: The children of Tobi: an C. and xxxix. in all.

The prestes that serued in the temple: The sonnes of Sel, the sonnes of Gaspha, the sonnes of Tobloch, the sonnes of Caria, the sonnes of Sub, the sonnes of Heliu, the sonnes of Labana, y^e sonnes of Armacha, y^e

sonnes of Acub, the sonnes of Vtha, the son¦nes of Cetha, the sonnes of Aggab, the son∣nes of Obay, the sonnes of Anani, the son∣nes of Canna, y^e sonnes of Geddu, y^e sonnes of An, y^e sonnes of Radin, y^e sonnes of De¦sanon, the sonnes of Nechoba, the sonnes of Caseba, the sonnes of Goza, the sonnes of Ozul, the sonnes of Sinona, the sonnes of Atra, y^e sonnes of Hastem, y^e sonnes of Asia¦na, y^e sonnes of Manei, y^e sonnes of Nasisin, y^e sonnes of Accufa, y^e sonnes of Agista, y^e sonnes of Azui, y^e sonnes of Fauon, the son∣nes of Phasalon, the sonnes of Meeda, the sonnes of Susa, the sonnes of Cared, y^e son∣nes of Barcus, the sonnes of Sarea, y^e son∣nes of Coesi, y^e sonnes of Nasit, y^e sonnes of Agista, the sonnes of Pedon: Salomon his sonnes, the sonnes of Asophot, the sonnes of Phazida, the sonnes of Celi, y^e sonnes of De¦don, the sonnes of Gaddahel, the sonnes of Zapheus, y^e sonnes of Aggia, the sonnes of Sacharet, y^e sonnes of Sabathē, the sonnes of Saroneth, y^e snones of Malsit, y^e sonnes of Ania, y^e sonnes of Sasus, y^e sonnes of Ad¦dus, y^e sonnes of Suba, y^e sonnes of Eura, y^e sonnes of Rahotis, the sonnes of Phas∣phat, y^e sonnes of Malmon. All these mynis∣tred in the Sanctuary, & were seruauntes of Salomon: euen iiij.C. and lxxxij.

[ D] These folowinge are they, y^t wēte vp frō Chelmellat Thelarsa (whose prynces were Carmelā & Careth) & might not shewe forth their cities & kynreddes, how they were of Israel: The sonnes of Dalarus, y^e sonnes of Tubē, y^e sonnes ef Nechodaicus. Of y^e pres∣tes y^t executed y^e office of y^e presthode, & we¦re not founde: The sonnes of Obia, y^e sonnes of Achisos, the sonnes of Addin, which ma∣ried one of y^e daughters of Phargeleu, & we¦re named, after him. The writinge of y^e sa∣me kynred was sought in y^e register of their generacion, but it was not foūde: & therfore were they forbyddē to execute y^e office of y^e presthode. Vnto these sayde Nehemias and Astharas, y^t they shulde haue no porcion in y^e Sanctuary, tyll there rose vp an hie prest, y^t were well instructe in the playne clearnes & trueth. Of all Israel (besyde seruauntes & maydens) there were xlij.M.iij.C. & xl. Now were there of seruauntes & maydens, vij.M.iij.C. & xxxvj. Of synginge mē & synginge we¦men there were ij.C. & lxv. Foure hundreth & xxxv. Camels. Seuen thousande & xxxvj. hor¦ses. Two hundreth thousande & xlv. Moo∣les. Fyue thousande and xxxv. Asses.

Their heades also and the rulers in the trybes, whan they came to Ierusalem, & wol¦de buylde & sett vp y^e tēple of God againe in his place, they gaue (after their abylite) vnto the tēple, to y^e treasure & to y^e seruyce of the Sāctuary, xij.M. poundes of golde, v. thou¦sande of syluer, & an hundreth prestes gar∣mētes. And so dwelt the prestes & the Leui∣tes, & the people y^t wente out to Ierusalē & in the countre there aboute, the syngers also & the porters, euery one of Israel in his ow∣ne lande.

So whan the seuenth moneth came, and [ E] whan the childrē of Israel were euery man at his busines, they came all with one cōsent in to the courte, which was before y^e east do¦re. And there stode Iesua the sonne of Iose∣dec and his brethren y^e prestes, & Zorobabel the sonne of Salathiel and his brethren, set∣tinge vp an aulter, to offre brent sacrifices v∣pon it, as it is written in y^e lawe of Moses.

There came people also of other countre¦es, and the Heithen out of all londes set vp the aulter in his place, and offred sacrifices & brent offerynges vnto the LORDE in the mornynge. And so they helde the feast of ta¦bernacles, as it is commaunded in the lawe. And daylie offred they as acordinge was, and made the sacrifices appoynted, the offe¦ringes also of the Sabbathes and of the new Moones, and all holy feastes. And all they that vowed offerynges vnto the LOR¦DE, beganne at the new Moone of y^e seuēth moneth to offre vnto God, for the temple of the LORDE was not yet buylded. And they gaue vnto the Masons and Carpēters, mo¦ney, meate & drynke with chearfulnesse. Vn∣to them of Sydon also and Tyre they gaue cartes, y^t they shulde cary Cedre trees from Libanus to be ieastes and beames, and that they shulde make shippes in the hauen of Ioppa, acordinge as it was appoynted and ordeyned, by Cyrus kynge of the Persians.

And in the seconde yeare they came in to the temple of God at Ierusalem. In the se∣conde moneth beganne Zorobabel the son∣ne of Salathiel, and Iesua the sonne of Io¦sedec, and their brethren the prestes and Le¦uites, and all they that were come vnto Ie∣rusalem out of the captiuyte of Babilon, & layed the foundacion of the temple, in the new Moone of the seconde moneth in the seconde yeare y^t they were come in to Iew∣ry and Ierusalem. And they appoynted the [ F] Leuites (that were aboue xx. yeare olde) vn∣to the seruyce of the LORDE: so Iesua and his sonnes and his brethren all the Leuites stode together, and perfourmed the lawe & ordinaunce in the house of the LORDE.

And the prestes stode and had their gar∣mentes & trompettes, & the Leuites, the son¦nes of Asaph had Cymbals, geuynge than∣kes, and prayses vnto the LORDE, acordin∣ge as Dauid the kynge of Israel had ordey∣ned. And the songe that they dyd synge vn∣to the LORDE, was after this maner: O syn¦ge vnto the LORDE, for he is gracious, and his goodnes vpon Israel endureth for euer. And all the people blew out with trompet∣tes, and sunge with loude voyce, praysyn∣ge the LORDE together in the rearinge vp of the house of the LORDE. There came al¦so from amonge the prestes and Leuites the rulers and elders, acordinge to the try∣bes and kynreds (soch as had sene the house afore) to the buyldinge of this temple with greate crye and greate mournynge, many al¦so with trompettes and greate ioye: In so moch, that the trompettes might not wel be herde for the wepynge and mournynge. For the comon people blew goodly vpō the trom¦pettes.

[ G] Then came the enemies of the trybes of Iuda and Ben Iamin, to knowe what that trōpettynge and noyse of shawmes might be. And they perceaued y^t it was they which were come agayne out of captiuyte, & wol∣de buylde the temple a new vnto the LOR∣DE God of Israel. So they wente to Zoroba¦bel and Iesua and to the rulers of the vylla∣ges, & sayde vnto them: Shal we buylde w^t you also? for we like wyse haue herde youre LORDE, & we walke after the same maner, from the dayes of Aszbazareth the kinge of Assiria, which brought vs hither. Then Zo∣robabel and Iesua and the rulers of the vil¦lages of Israel sayde vnto them: It is not mete, that ye shulde buylde the temple of ou¦re God w^t vs: we oure selues alone wil buyl¦de vnto the LORDE, like as Cyrus the kyn∣ge of the Persians hath commaūded vs,

But the Heithen in the londe layed them selues against those that were in Iewry, hel¦de vp the buyldinge from them, layed wayte vpō them preuely, stopped soch as brought eny thinge to them, forbad them to buylde, & hyndered those that made thē passage, that the buyldinge shulde not be fynished: & this contynued so longe as kynge Cyrus lyued: & so they put of the buyldinge for the space of two yeare, vntill y^e raigne of kynge Darius.

The VI. Chapter.

[ A] NOt w^t stondinge, in the seconde yeare of the raigne of Darius, Aggeus & Zachary the sonne of Addo prophe∣cied vpon them in Iewry and Ierusalem, in the name of the God of Israel. Then Zoro∣babel the sonne of Salathiel and Iesua the sonne of Iosedec stode vp, and beganne to buylde the house of the LORDE at Ierusa∣lem, when the prophetes of the LORDE hel¦ped them.

At the same tyme came Sysennes the vn∣der shreue in Syria and Phenices, with the landlordes and his companyons, and sayde vnto them: Who hath bydden & commaun∣ded you to buylde the house? to make the ro∣fe and all other thinges agayne? And who are the worke men, that buylde them? Ne∣uertheles the elders of the Iewes had soch grace of the LORDE, that they wolde not be lett (though they were prouoked therto) but buylded on still, vntill the tyme that kynge Darius were certified therof, and an answe¦re receaued from him. The letter that these men sent vnto kynge Darius, was after this maner:

Sysennes the vnder shreue in Syria and [ B] Phenices, and the landlordes with their cō∣paniōs, which are head rulers in Syria and Phenices, sende their salutacion vnto Dari∣us the kynge. We certifie oure lorde the kyn∣ge, that we came in to the londe of Iewry, & wente to Ierusalem: where we founde them buyldinge the greate house of God and the tēple, with greate costly frestone and with goodly tymbre for the walles: yee they make greate haist with the worke, & helpe one ano¦ther, and it goeth forth prosperously in their handes, and with greate diligence & worshi¦pe is it made. Then axed we the elders, who had cōmaunded them to make vp the house and the buyldinge: and this we dyd, to y^e in∣tēt that we might certifie the perfectly, and wryte vnto the, the names of those y^t were y^e rulers of the worke. So they gaue vs this answere: we are the seruauntes of the LOR¦DE, which made heauen and earth: & as for this house, it hath bene buylded and set vp afore tyme by the greate and mightie kynge of Israel. But whan oure fathers prouoked God vnto wrath, & synned agaynst the God of Israel, he gaue thē ouer in to the power of Nabuchodonosor kynge of Babilon the kynge of the Caldees, which brake downe y^e house and brēt it, and caried awaye the peo∣ple presoners vnto Babilon.

Neuertheles, in the first yeare that kynge [ C] Cyrus reigned at Babilon, Cyrus the kynge wrote and commaunded to buylde vp this house agayne: and all the ornamentes that Nabuchodonosor caried awaye from Ieru¦salem vnto Babilon, and appropriated vnto

his owne temple: those brought Cyrus forth agayne, and delyuered them to Zorobabel & to Salmanasar the vndershreue, commaun∣dynge them, y^t they shulde brynge those sa∣me ornamentes agayne to Ierusalē in to y^e tē¦ple, & to begynne from y^t tyme forth, to buyl∣de the tēple agayne in his owne place. Thē Salmanasar layed the foundacion of y^e LOR¦DES house at Ierusalem, and euer sence haue they buylded, & yet is it not ended. And ther∣fore (O kynge) yf thou thynkest it good, let it be sought in the Lybraries & rolles of kynge Cyrus: yf it be founde thē, that it is done w^t the councell and cōsent of kynge Cyrus, and yf oure lorde y^e kynge be so mynded, let him wryte vnto vs therof.

[ D] Then cōmaunded kinge Darius, to seke in the Lybraries: and so at Egbathanis in a litle cite in Media there was founde soch a wrytinge: In the first yeare of the raigne of Cyrus, the same kynge Cyrus cōmaunded, y^t the house of the LORDE at Ierusalem shul¦de be buylded agayne (& odoures to be made there contynually vnto the LORDE) whose heyth shalbe ten cubites, y^e bredth lx. cubites & iiij. square w^t thre hewen stones, w^t a lofte of tymbre of the same countre, yee w^t a new loft, & the expenses therof to be geuen of y^e house of kynge Cyrus. And the ornamētes of golde & syluer, y^t Nabuchodonosor toke out of the house of the LORDE at Ierusalem, shalbe set agayne in the temple at Ierusalē, where they were afore. Sysennes also the vndershreue in Syria and Phenices, y^e pryn¦ces and their companyons, and the other y^t be head rulers in Syria and Phenices, shall not medle ner haue eny thinge to do with that place.

[ E] I Cyrus haue cōmaunded also, that they shal buylde the house of the LORDE whole vp: & haue ordeyned them, to helpe those y^t be come out of captiuyte, tyll the house of the LORDE be fynished: & out of the trybute and taxinge that is yearly raysed vp in Sy∣ria and Phenices, diligently to geue them a certayne summe, to the offerynge of the LOR¦DE: and the same to be delyuered vnto Zoro∣babel the officer: that he therwithall maye ordeyne oxen, rammes, lambes, & corne, salt, wyne and oyle, and that contynually euery yeare: after the expences which the prestes that be at Ierusalem, shew to be made day∣lie: this shalbe geuen vnto them without de¦laye, that they maye offer sacrifices daylie to the hyest God, for the kynge and for his seruauntes, and to praye for their lyues. Let it be proclamed also on euery syde, that who o euer breaketh or despyseth this cōmaunde¦ment of y^e kynge, shalbe hanged vpon a ga∣low (made of his owne good) & all his goo∣des shalbe seasoned vnto y^e kynge. The LOR¦DE therfore (whose name is there called v∣pon) rote out and destroye all y^e kynges and people, that vndertake by violence to hyn∣der the same, or to deale vncurteously w^t the house of the LORDE at Ierusalem. I Darius the kinge haue ordeyned, that these thinges shalbe done with all diligence.

[illustration]

The VII. Chapter.

THen Sysennes y^e vndershreue in Ce∣losyria [ A] and Phenices, and the other landlordes with their companyons, obeyed the thinges that kynge Darius had ordened, were diligent in the holy workes, & were felow helpers with the olde rulers of the Iewes. And so the worke of the Sanc∣tuary wente forth and prospered, whan Ag∣geus and Zachary prophecied. And they per¦fourmed all thinges thorow the commaun∣dement of the LORDE God of Israel, and after the deuyce of Cyrus, Darius, and Ar∣taxerses kynges of Persia.

And thus was oure house fynished, vnto [ B] the xxiij. daye of the moneth Addar in y^e vj. yeare of kynge Darius. And the children of Israel the prestes & the Leuites, & the other that were come out of captiuyte, & soch as were ioyned vnto them, dyd acordinge as it is wrytten in the boke of Moses. And in the dedicacion of the temple they offred an hun¦dreth oxen, an C. rammes, iiij.C. lambes, & xij. goates for the synnes of all the people of Is¦rael, after y^e nombre of the trybes of Israel. The prestes also & the Leuites stode arayed in the prestly garmētes, after y^e trybes, ouer all y^e workes of the LORDE God of Israel, acordinge to y^e boke of Moses, and the por¦ters by all the dores.

And the children of Israel (w^t those y^t we¦re [ C] come out of captiuyte) helde the Passeo∣uer the xiiij. daye of the first moneth, whan the prestes and the Leuites were sanctified.

They that came out of captiuyte, were not all sanctified together: but the Leuites were all sanctified together. And so all they that came out of captiuyte, kylled the easter lam¦be, for their brethrē, for the prestes & for them selues. And the childrē of Israel y^t came out of captiuyte, & escaped frō all y^e abhomina¦cions of the Heithē, sought the LORDE, and kepte the feast of vnleuended bred vij. daies longe, eatinge & drynkynge & were mery be∣fore the LORDE: y^t the LORDE had turned the deuyce of the kynge of Assiria, & comfor¦ted their handes to the workes of y^e LORDE God of Israel.

The VIII. Chapter.

[ A] ANd after him, whan Artaxerses the kynge of y^e Persiās raigned, there wē¦te vnto him Eszdras the sonne of Sa¦raias, the sonne of Azarias, the sonne of Hel¦chia, y^e sonne of Sallū, the sonne of Sadoc, y^e sonne of Achitob, the sonne of Amarias, y^e sonne of Azarias, the sonne of Boccus, y^e sonne of Abisu, y^e sonne of Phineas, the son¦ne of Eleazar, y^e sonne of Aaron y^e first prest. This Eszdras wēte vp from Babilon (for he had good vnderstondinge in y^e lawe of Mo¦ses, y^t was geuē of the LORDE God of Is∣rael, to be taught & done in dede.) And y^e kin¦ge fauoured him, & dyd him greate worshi∣pe and honoure, after all his desyres. There wente vp with him also certayne of y^e chil∣dren of Israel, of the prestes, of y^e Leuites, of the syngers, porters, and mynisters of y^e temple at Ierusalem.

In the vij. yeare of the raigne of kynge Artaxerses, in the v. moneth, y^t is in the vij. yeare of the raigne, they wente from Babi∣lon in the newmoone of the v. moneth, & ca∣me the hye waye to Ierusalē after his com∣maundement, like as the LORDE had pros∣pered their iourney. For in these Eszdras gat greate instruccion, y^t he shulde leaue none of y^e thinges behynde, which were in y^e lawe & cōmaundementes of God. And he taught whole Israel all righteousnes & iudgment.

Then came the Secretaries of kynge Ar¦taxerses, & delyuered y^e wrytinges (y^t were co¦me frō Artaxerses the kynge) to Eszdras the prest & reder of the lawe of the LORDE: And this is y^e copye of y^e letter: Kynge Artaxer∣ses sendeth his gretinge vnto Eszdras the prest & reder of the lawe of y^e LORDE: Of frendshipe & good will I haue ordeyned and charged, yf there be eny of the Iewes, of y^e prestes & Leuites in my realme, which desy∣reth & is contēt to go w^t the vnto Ierusalē, y^t he maye do it. Therfore yf eny be mynded to beare the cōpany, let thē come together, & go w^t the (like as I am contēt & my vij. fren∣des my coūcelers:) to se what they do at Ie∣rusalē & in Iewry, & kepe y^e thinges acordin¦ge as thou hast in y^e lawe of the LORDE: & to bringe the giftes vnto God the LORDE [ B] of Israel, y^t I & my frendes haue promysed to Ierusalē, & all the syluer & golde y^t is in y^e countre of Babilon, vnto y^e LORDE to Ie¦rusalē, w^t the thinge y^t is geuē for the people in the LORDES temple at Ierusalem: Yee that the same syluer & golde maye be gathe∣red, and oxen, rammes, shepe & goates and other that belōge to these thinges: and that they maye offer sacrifices vnto the LORDE, vpon the aulter of their LORDE, which is at Ierusalem.

And what so euer thou & thy brethrē wyl do w^t the syluer & golde, y^t do after y^e mynde, & after the cōmaundement of the LORDE thy God: & like wyse w^t all the holy vessels, y^t are geuē the for the seruyce of the house of the LORDE thy God: & other thinges what soe¦uer is necessary for the to the worke of the temple, y^t shalbe geuē the of the kynges trea¦sure: & loke what thou with thy brethrē wilt do with the golde and syluer, that do after y^e wil of the LORDE. And I kynge Artaxer∣ses haue commaunded the kepers of y^e trea¦sures in Syria and Phenices, that what soe¦uer Eszdras the prest and reder of the lawe of the LORDE doth wryte, it shalbe geue•• him: tyll an C. talentes of syluer, and of gol¦de in lyke maner: Of corne also an C. measu∣res, and tyll an hūdreth vessels of wyne, and other plenteous thinges without nombre. Let all thinges be done after the lawe of y^e hyest God, that the wrath of God aryse not in the realme of the kynge and of his son∣nes. I commaunde you also, that ye requy∣ne no taxinge ner tribute of the prestes, Le∣uites, syngers, and mynisters of the temple, ner of the wryters: and that no man haue auctorite to medle eny thinge against them. As for the (O Eszdras) set thou iudges and arbitrers in the whole lande of Syria and Phenices, after the wyszdome of God: and lerne all soch as are ignoraunt in the lawe of God thy LORDE, and let all them that of∣fende agaynst the lawe, be punyshed: whe∣ther it be with death, with payne, to be con∣demned in money, or to be banyshed.

Then sayde Eszdras y^e wryter: Blessed be y^e God of oure fathers, that hath geuen so good a mynde and wyll in to the hert of the kynge, to magnifie his house y^t is at Ierusa∣lem, and hath made me to be accepted in the

sight of y^e kynge, of his councell, of his frē¦des and of his nobles. And so I was sted∣fast in my mynde, acordinge as the LORDE my God helped me, and I chose out men of [ C] Israel, to go vp with me. And these are the heades (after their kynreds & houses of their fathers) that wente vp with me from Babi¦lon, out of the kyngdome of Artaxerses: Of the sonnes of Phares, Gersonius. Of y^e son¦nes of Siemarith, Amenus. Of the sonnes of Dauid, Accus, the sonne of Cecilia.

Of the sonnes of Phares, Zachary: and with him there turned agayne an hundreth and fiftie men. Of the sonnes of the captay¦ne of Moabilon, Zaraei, and with him ij.C. and l. men. Of the sonnes of Zachnes, Iecho∣nias Zecholi, and with him ij.C. and l. men. Of the sonnes of Salamaasias, Gotholie, and lxx. with him. Of the sonnes of Zapha∣cia, Zarias Miheli, and with him lxxx. Of the sonnes of Iob, Abdias Ieheli, and with him ij.C. and xij. men. Of the sonnes of Ba∣nia, Salimoth the sonne of Iosaphia, and with him an C. and lx. men. Of the sonnes of Beer, Zachary Bebei, and with him ij.C. and viij. men. Of the sonnes of Esead, Iohan∣nes Ezechan, and with him Cx. men. Of the sonnes of Adonicā those that were the last, and these are their names: Eliphalam y^e son¦ne of Gebel and Semeias, & with him lxx. men. All these called I together by the wa∣ter Thia, where we pitched oure tentes thre dayes, and there I mustered them.

As for the sonnes of the prestes and Leui¦tes, I founde none there. Then sent I vnto Eleazar, & Eccelom, and Masman, & Malo¦bam, and Enaathan, and Samea, and Iori∣bimathan, Eunagan, Zachary, Mosollamū (these were the leders and men of experiēce) & I sent them worde, that they shulde come vnto Loddeus, which was by the place of the treasury, & commaunded them that they shulde speake vnto Loddeus and to his bre∣thren & to those that were in the treasury, to sende vs soch mē, as might execute the pres∣tes office in the house of the LORDE oure God. And w^t the mightie hāde of oure LOR¦DE God, they brought vnto vs mē of good experience, from amōge the sonnes of Moo∣lius, the sonne of Leui, y^e sonne of Israel, Se¦bebeiam & the sonnes & his brethrē Aszbin & Anim, of whom there were xviij. From amō¦ge the children of the sonnes of Cananeus, & their sonnes were xx. men. And of them y^t serued in the temple, whom Dauid had or∣deyned, and the pryncipall men that minis∣tred for the worke vnto the Leuites in the temple, ij.C. and xx. men: whose names are all tokened vp in wrytinge.

Then commaunded I a fastynge vnto [ D] y^e yonge men before the LORDE, y^t I might desyre of him a prosperous iourney & a good waye for vs, yee for vs, for oure children and for the catell, because of the layenges away¦te: & I durst not require of the kynge men of horse & of fote, to conveye vs safely agaynst oure enemies, for we had sayde vnto the kyn¦ge, that y^e power of the LORDE oure God shulde be with them, that seke him w^t their whole hert. And therfore we besought God oure LORDE earnestly because of these thin¦ges, and he was mercifull vnto vs, and her∣de oure prayer. And I separated from amon¦ge y^e rulers of the people, & from y^e prestes of y^e temple xij. men, & Sebeia & Asania, & ten men of their brethren with them. And I weied thē the golde & the syluer & all y^e prest¦ly ornamētes of the house of o^r God, which the kynge & his coūcell, & his prynces & who¦le Israel had geuē. And whan I had weyed it, I gaue thē an Cl. talētes in syluer, an C. ta¦lentes of syluer vessell, an C. talentes of gol¦de, & of goldē vessell seuē tymes twentie, and vessels of other metall (yee of good metall) xij. glisteringe as the golde, & saide vnto thē: ye also are holy vnto the LORDE, & the ves∣sels are holy, & the golde & the syluer is promi¦sed vnto the LORDE the God of o^r fathers. Be diligent now & kepe it, vntill the tyme y^t ye delyuer it to the rulers of the people, to y^t prestes, to the Leuites & to y^e pryncipall mē of the cities of Israel in Ierusalem, & in the chambre of the house of oure God.

So y^e prestes & the Leuites which recea¦ued [ E] of me the golde, the syluer & the vessell, brought it to Ierusalē in to the tēple of the LORDE. And from Thia we brake vp the xij. daye of the first moneth, tyll we came to Ie∣rusalē. And whan the thirde daye was past, the weyed golde & syluer was delyuered in y^e house of the LORDE the fourth daye, vnto Marimoth the sonne of Ior the prest, & w^t him was Eleazar y^e sonne of Phineas, and with thē were Iosabdus y^e sonne of Iesnet, Medias & the sonne of Banus, & certayne of the Leuites to the nombre & to the waighte: & the waight of them was writtē vp the sa∣me tyme. As for those that were come out of captiuyte, they offred sacrifice vnto the LORDE the God of Israel: euē xij. oxen for all Israel, lxxxvj. rammes, lxxij. shepe, xij. goa¦tes for synne, xij. kyne for a thankofferinge, all to the sacrifice of the LORDE. And y^e kin¦ges cōmission delyuered they vnto y^e stewar¦des

and debytes of the kynge, and to the vn¦dershreues in Celosyria and Phenices.

Now whan these thinges were done, the rulers came vnto me, and sayde: The genera¦cion of Israel, the prynces, y^e prestes and Le¦uites, the straunge people and indwellers of the londe, haue not put awaye their vnclen∣nesse, from the Cananites, Hethites, Pheresi¦tes, from the Moabites, Egipcians & Edo¦mites. For both they and their sonnes haue mengled them selues with the daughters of them, & the holy sede is mixte with the out¦landish Heithen, & sens the begynnynge of their raigne haue the rulers and heades be∣ne partakers of their wickednesse.

As soone as I had herde these thinges, immediatly I rent my holy garmentes, and pulled out y^e hayre of my heade & my beerd, & sat me downe soroufull & heuy. So all they that were moued thorow the worde of the God of Israel, came vnto me: and I sat still full of heuines vntill the euenynge sacrifice. Then stode I vp frō fastinge, hauynge ren∣te clothes & the holy garmēt, kneled downe vpon my knees, helde out my hādes vnto y^e [ F] LORDE, & sayde: O LORDE, I am confoun¦ded & ashamed before thy face, for oure syn∣nes are become many vpon oure heades, & o^r wickednesses are exalted vnto the heauē: for sens y^e tyme of o^r fathers we are in greate sin¦ne vnto this daye. And for the synnes of vs & o^r fathers, we w^t oure brethren & w^t oure prestes haue bene deliuered vnto the kinges of the earth, in to the swerde, & in to captiui¦te, & became a spoyle with confucion & sha∣me vnto this daie. And now O LORDE God, how greate is the mercy y^t we haue gottē of the? in y^t thou hast left vs a rote & a name in the place of thy Sanctuary, to discouer oure light in the house of y^e LORDE o^r God, & geuē vs meate at all tymes of o^r ministra∣cion. And whan we were in captiuyte, we were not forsaken of the LORDE oure God: but he made the kynges of Persia gracious & fauourable vnto vs, so y^t they gaue vs vy∣tayles & meate, yee & leue to buylde vp the tē¦ple of oure LORDE God agayne, to repayre the waisted places of Sion, and to dwell in Iewry & Ierusalem. And now O LORDE, what shall we saye, hauynge all these thin∣ges in possession? For we haue broken thy cō¦maundementes, which thou gauest vnto vs by the handes of thy seruauntes the prophe¦tes, sayenge: The londe y^t ye go vnto, & y^t is geuen you for an heretage to haue in posses∣sion, is defyled with the vnclennes & fylthy∣nes of the Heithen, & with their abhomina∣cion haue they poluted it alltogether. Ther∣fore shal ye not ioyne youre daughters vnto their sonnes, ner mary yo^r sonnes vnto their daughters: Morouer, ye shall neuer seke to make peace w^t them, y^t ye maye increase & ea¦te the best in the lande, & y^t ye maye denyde y^e inheritaunce of the lande vnto yo^r children for euermore. As for the thinge y^t now hap∣peneth vnto vs, it commeth all for o^r wicked workes & greate synnes. yet hast thou geuen vs soch a rote, y^t we are come againe in to o^r owne londe: and we are so wicked, y^t we haue brokē thy statutes & cōmaundementes agay¦ne, & mengled o^r selues w^t the vnclēnes of the outlandish Heithen. O LORDE, art thou an¦grie with vs? wilt thou rote vs cleane out? y^t oure rote & name remayne nomore? O LOR¦DE God of Israel, thou art true, for oure rote endureth yet vnto this present daye. And be∣holde, now are we before y^e in o^r synnes, now can we not stonde before the in them.

And whan Eszdras with this prayer had [ G] knowleged the synne, wepinge, & lyēge flatt vpon the grounde before the tēple, there ga∣thered vnto him from Ierusalem a greate multitude of men & wemen, of yonge men & maydens, for there was a very greate wepin¦ge and mournynge in the cōgregacion. So whan Iechonias the sonne Ieheli one of the children of Israel cried, he sayde vnto Esz∣dras: we haue synned agaynst the LORDE, because we haue maried outlandish women of the Heithē. Now art thou ouer all Israel. We wil sweare an ooth therfore vnto y^e LOR¦DE, y^t we shal put awaye all o^r wyues which we haue takē of the Heithē, w^t their childrē: like as it is appoynted the by o^r fore elders. Stonde vp then, open thou it and declare it playnely vnto vs acordīge to the lawe of y^e LORDE: for the matter belongeth vnto y^e, & we wyll helpe the, quyte thy self manly. So Eszdras arose, and toke an ooth of the rulers of y^e prestes & of y^e Leuites & of all Israel, to do after these thinges, and they sware.

The IX. Chapter.

THen Eszdras stode vp from the cour¦te [ A] of the tēple without, & wente in to the chāber of Ionathas the sonne of Nasabus, & remayned there, & ate no meate ner dronke drynke, for the multitude of the wickednes of the people. And there was ma¦de a proclamacion in all Iewry & at Ierusa¦lem, for all soch as were gathered at Ierusa¦lē out of captiuyte, y^t who so ouer came not to Ierusalē within two or thre dayes (acor∣dinge to the iudgment of the olde lordes of councell) his goodes shulde be taken from

him, & he excluded from the cōgregacion of the captiuyte. And in thre dayes were all they of the trybe of Iuda & Ben Iamin ga¦thered together at Ierusalem, the xx. daye of y^e ix. moneth. And y^e whole multitude sat trē¦blinge in the courte of the temple, for it was wynter. So Eszdras arose vp, & sayde vnto them: ye haue done vnrighteously, in that ye haue taken outlandish wyues to mariage, & so to increase the synnes of Israel. And now knowlege the same, & geue prayse vnto the LORDE God of oure fathers, & perfourme his wil, departinge from the Heithen of the londe, & from the outlandish wyues. Then cried the whole multitude with loude voy∣ce, & sayde: like as thou hast spokē, so wil we [ B] do: But for so moch as the people are many, & y^e wynter here, we maie not stōde without y^e house: agayne, this worke is not a thinge, y^t can be fynished in a daye or two, for we be many y^t haue synned in these thinges: Orde¦ne therfore, y^t the rulers of the multitude and all they that dwell with vs, and as many as haue outlandish wyues, the prestes also and iudges of euery place, maye stonde in the ty¦me appoynted, tyll they lowse vp the wrath of the LORDE in this busynes.

Then Ionathas the sonne of Ezeli, & Ozi¦as and Thecam receaued y^e charge of this matter, & Bozoramus, & Leius and Saba∣theus helped thē therto. After this, all they stode vp y^t were come out of captiuyte. And Eszdras the prest chose vnto him the prynci¦pall men from amonge the fathers acordin¦ge to their names, & in the new moone of the tenth moneth they sat together, to examen this matter. And so the matter was a deter∣mynge (concernynge the men y^t had outlan¦dish wyues) vntill the new moone of the first moneth. And of the prestes y^t had mixte thē selues w^t outlandish wyues, there were foun¦de: Of the sonnes of Iesu the sonne of Iose¦dec & his brethren, Mazeas, Eleazer, Iori∣bus & Ioadeus, which offred them selues to put awaye their wyues, & to offre a ramme for their ignoraunce. And of the sonnes of Semmeri, Masseas, & Esses & Ieelech Aza¦rias. Of y^e sonnes of Fosera, Limosias, His∣maen, Nathanea, Iussio, Ieddus, & Talsas. And of the Leuites, Iosabdus, Semeis and Colnis, Caletas, Facteas, Colnas and Elio¦nas. [ C] Of the syngers of the Sāctuary, Elia¦rib, Zackarus. Of the porters, Sallumus & Tolbanes. And of Israel, of the children of Foro, Osi & Remias, & Geddias, & Melchi∣as, Michelus, Eleazarus, Iēmebias & Ban∣nas. And of the childrē of Iolaman, Chani∣as, Zachary, Ietzrelus, Ioddius, Erimoth & Elias. And of y^e sonnes of Iathoim. Elia∣das, Liasamus, & Zochias, Larimoth, Sab∣dis & Tebedias. And of y^e sonnes of Zebes, Iohānes Amanias, Zabdias, & Emeus. And of the sonnes of Bannus, Olammus, Malu¦chus, Ieddus, Iasub, Asabus & Ierimoth. And of y^e sonnes of Addin, Naatus & Moo¦sias & Caleus & Raanas Maasuas, Matha¦thias, Besel, Bannus, and Manasses.

And of the sonnes of Naue, Nones, Afe¦as, Melchias, Sameas, Simō, Ben Iamin, Malchus & Marras. And of the sonnes of Asom, Carianeus, Mathathias, Bannus, Eliphalach, Manasses, Semei. Of the son∣nes of Bannus, Ieremy, Moodias, Abra∣mas, Iohel, Baneas, Peliaas, Iona, Mari∣moth, Eliasib, Mathaneus, Eliasis, Orizas, Dielus, Semedius. Zambris & Ioseph. Of y^e sonnes of Nobeus, Idelus, Mathathias, Sabadus, Zecheda, Sedmi, Iesseus, & Bane¦as. All these had takē outlādish wemē to ma¦riage, & they put thē awaye w^t their childrē.

The prestes & Leuites, & all they y^t were of Israel, dwelt at Ierusalem & thorow out all y^e londe, in the new moone of the seuenth moneth, & the childrē of Israel were in their dwellynges. And y^e whole multitude came [ D] together vpon y^e floore at y^e east syde of the holy porte of y^e tēple. And they spake vnto Eszdras y^e hie prest & reder, y^t he wolde bryn¦ge y^e lawe of Moses, which was geuē of y^e LORDE God of Israel. So Eszdras the hie prest brought the lawe vnto the whole mul∣titude, to man and woman, & to all prestes, y^t they might heare the lawe, in the new moone of the seuenth moneth. And he red in y^e floo¦re y^t is before y^e holy porte of y^e tēple, from the mornynge early vntill the euenynge, be∣fore men & wemen. And they applied their mynde all vnto the lawe.

And Eszdras the prest & reder of y^e lawe stode vp vpon a scaffolde of wodd, which was made therfore: & vpon his right hande there stode by him Mathathias, Samus, Ananias, Azarias, Vrias, Ozechias, & Bal∣samus: Vpon his lefte hāde stode Faldeus, Misael, Malachias, Abuschas, Sabus, Na¦badias, & Zachary. Then toke Eszdras y^e bo∣ke before the whole multitude, for he was y^e pryncipall and had in most hono^r of thē all. And whā he had red out y^e lawe, they stode all straight vp vpon their fete. So Eszdras praysed the LORDE the most hye God, the Allmightie God of hoostes. And all y^e peo¦ple [ E] answered, Amen: & helde vp their hādes, fell downe flat vpon the earth, & praysed y^e

LORDE: Iesus, Beneas, Sarebias, Iaddi∣mus, Accubus, Sabbatheus, Calithes, Aza¦rias, Ioradus, Ananias, & Philias the Leui¦tes which taught the lawe of the LORDE, & red the lawe of the LORDE in the cōgrega¦cion, & euery man sett those before y^t vnder∣stode the lawe. Then spake Atharathes vn∣to Eszdras the hye prest & reder, & to the Le¦uites y^t taught the multitude, sayenge: This daye is holy vnto the LORDE: & all they y^t had herde the lawe, wepte▪ So Eszdras say∣de: Departe yo^r waye then, & eate the best, & drynke the swetest, & sende giftes vnto them y^t haue nothinge: for this daye is holy vnto the LORDE, and be not ye sory. Then wente they their waye euerychone, ate and dronke and were mery, & sent rewardes vnto thē y^t had nothinge, y^t they also might eate with gladnesse: for they were exceadingly reioy∣sed, thorow the wordes that were red vnto them in the lawe: And so they were all ga∣thered together at Ierusalem to holde the feast, acordinge to the couenaunt of y^e LOR¦DE God of Israel.

The ende of the thirde boke of Eszdras.

Notes

• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 23. a Re. 23. c
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 12· d
• Exo. 12▪
• 4. Re. 2•• ••. Par. 25.
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 2••. f
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 23. f 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 36. a
• Reg. ••. c
• Iere. 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• ••ro. 20. a
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 1. a
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 40. a 〈◊〉〈◊〉 116. a
• 2. Esd. 2 •• 3. Esd. 6. ••
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 1. a
• ••att. 1. b
• Esd. 4. b
• 1. Esd. ••. a
• Leu••. 23. f
• 1. Esd. 3. b
• Eccl••. 49. and c
• 1. Par. 17. b
• Psal. 135. a
• ••. Esd. 4. a
• Esd. ••. a
• Es. 5. a
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 1. Esd. 7. a
• Esd. ••. a
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 1. Esd. 8. ••
• 1. Esd. 8. d
• 1. Esd. 9. a
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 10. d
• 2. Esd. 8. a
• ••. Esd. 8. c