2
son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub,
3
son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth,
4
son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki,
5
son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, priest at the beginning (the chief priest, or the High Priest), this Ezra was (serving God) in the realm of Artaxerxes, king of Persia;
6
that Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a swift writer in the law of Moses (this Ezra left Babylon, and he was a writer, or a teacher, learned in the Law of Moses), which the Lord God of Israel gave; and the king gave to him all his asking, by the good hand of his Lord God on him.
7
And in the seventh year of Artaxerxes (the) king, there went up into Jerusalem men of the sons of Israel, and of the sons of priests, and of the sons of deacons, and of singers, and of porters, and of Nethinims. (And in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes, some men of the Israelites, and of the sons of the priests, and of the sons of the Levites, and some of the singers, and the guards, or the doorkeepers, and the Temple workers, went up with Ezra to Jerusalem.)
8
And they came into Jerusalem in the fifth month; that is (in) the seventh year of the king('s) (reign).
9
And in the first day of the first month Ezra began to go up from Babylon, and in the first day of the fifth month he came into Jerusalem, by the good hand, or help, of the God of him. (Yea, on the first day of the first month Ezra left Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came into Jerusalem, by the good hand, or the help, of his God.)
10
And Ezra (had) made ready his heart to inquire (of) the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel the behest and doom of the Lord. (And Ezra had devoted his heart to inquire into the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach its rules and regulations in Israel/and to teach its rules and regulations to the Israelites.)
11
Soothly this is the exemplar of the epistle of the commandment, which the king Artaxerxes gave to Ezra, (the) priest, (a) writer learned in the words and commandments of the Lord, and in his ceremonies in Israel. (And this is the text of the letter of the decree, which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra, the priest, a writer learned in the Law of the Lord, and a teacher of its rules and regulations, to the people of Israel.)
12
(I,) Artaxerxes, king of kings, desireth health to Ezra, the priest (desireth good favour for Ezra, the priest), the most wise writer of the law of (the) God of heaven.