Ezra 6; Ezra 7; Ezra 8; John 21

Ezra 6

1 King Darius gave the order, and they searched in the library of Babylon in the archives.

2 But it was in the fortress of Ecbatana in the province of Media that a scroll was found with this record written on it:

3 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 [original] foundations be retained. Its height is to be 90 feet and its width 90 feet,

4 with three layers of cut stones and one of timber. The cost is to be paid from the royal treasury.

5 The gold and silver articles of God's house that Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and carried to Babylon must also be returned. They are to be brought to the temple in Jerusalem, where they belong, and put into the house of God.

6 Therefore, you must stay away from that place, Tattenai governor of the region west of the Euphrates River, Shethar-bozenai, and your colleagues, the officials in the region.

7 Leave the construction of this house of God alone. Let the governor and elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its [original] site.

8 I hereby issue a decree concerning what you must do, so that the elders of the Jews can rebuild this house of God: The cost is to be paid in full to these men out of the royal revenues from the taxes of the region west of the Euphrates River, so that the [work] will not stop.

9 Whatever is needed-young bulls, rams, and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, or wheat, salt, wine, and oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem-let it be given to them every day without fail,

10 so that they can offer sacrifices of pleasing aroma to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons.

11 I also issue a decree concerning any man who interferes with this directive: Let a beam be torn from his house and raised up; he will be impaled on it, and his house will be made into a garbage dump because of this [offense].

12 May the God who caused His name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who dares to harm or interfere with this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued the decree. Let it be carried out diligently.

13 Then Tattenai governor of the region west of the Euphrates River, Shethar-bozenai, and their colleagues diligently carried out what King Darius had decreed.

14 So the Jewish elders continued successfully with the building under the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished the building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and King Artaxerxes of Persia.

15 This house was completed on the third day of the month of Adar in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

16 Then the Israelites, including the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the exiles, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.

17 For the dedication of God's house they offered 100 bulls, 200 rams, and 400 lambs, as well as 12 male goats as a sin offering for all Israel-one for each Israelite tribe.

18 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.

19 The exiles observed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.

20 All of the priests and Levites were ceremonially clean, because they had purified themselves. They killed the Passover lamb for themselves, their priestly brothers, and all the exiles.

21 The Israelites who had returned from exile ate [it], together with all who had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the Gentiles of the land in order to worship the Lord, the God of Israel.

22 They observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days with joy, because the Lord had made them joyful, having changed the Assyrian king's attitude toward them, so that he supported them in the work on the house of the God of Israel.

Ezra 7

1 After these events, during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, Ezra- Seraiah's son, Azariah's son, Hilkiah's son,

2 Shallum's son, Zadok's son, Ahitub's son,

3 Amariah's son, Azariah's son, Meraioth's son,

4 Zerahiah's son, Uzzi's son, Bukki's son,

5 Abishua's son, Phinehas's son, Eleazar's son, Aaron the chief priest's son

6 -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 him everything he requested because the hand of the Lord his God was on him.

7 Some of the Israelites, priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants accompanied [him] to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.

8 Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, during the seventh year of the king.

9 He began the journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month and arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month. The gracious hand of his God was on him,

10 because Ezra had determined in his heart to study the law of the Lord, obey [it], and teach [its] statutes and ordinances in Israel.

11 This is the text of the letter King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest and scribe, an expert in matters of the Lord's commandments and statutes for Israel:

12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, an expert in the law of the God of heaven: Greetings [to you].

13 I issue a decree that any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including their priests and Levites, who want to go to Jerusalem, may go with you.

14 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 possession.

15 [You are] also to bring the silver and gold the king and his counselors have willingly given to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,

16 and all the silver and gold you receive throughout the province of Babylon, together with the freewill offerings given by the people and the priests to the house of their God in Jerusalem.

17 Then, you are to buy with this money as many bulls, rams, and lambs as needed, along with their grain and drink offerings, and offer them on the altar at the house of your God in Jerusalem.

18 You may do whatever seems best to you and your brothers with the rest of the silver and gold, according to the will of your God.

19 You must deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles given to you for the service of the house of your God.

20 You may use the royal treasury to pay for anything else you have to supply [to meet] the needs of the house of your God.

21 I, King Artaxerxes, issue a decree to all the treasurers in the region west of the Euphrates River: Whatever Ezra the priest and expert in the law of the God of heaven asks of you must be provided promptly,

22 up to 7,500 pounds of silver, 500 bushels of wheat, 550 gallons of wine, 550 gallons of oil, and salt without limit.

23 Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven must be done diligently for the house of the God of heaven, so that wrath will not fall on the realm of the king and his sons.

24 Be advised that tribute, duty, and land tax must not be imposed on any priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple servants, or [other] servants of this house of God.

25 And you, Ezra, according to God's wisdom that you possess, appoint magistrates and judges to judge all the people in the region west of the Euphrates who know the laws of your God and to teach anyone who does not know [them].

26 Anyone who does not keep the law of your God and the law of the king, let a fair judgment be executed against him, whether death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.

27 Praise the Lord God of our fathers, who has put it into the king's mind to glorify the house of the Lord in Jerusalem,

28 and who has shown favor to me before the king, his counselors, and all his powerful officers. So I took courage because I was strengthened by the Lord my God, and I gathered Israelite leaders to return with me.

Ezra 8

1 These are the family leaders and the genealogical records of those who returned with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:

2 Gershom, from Phinehas's descendants; Daniel, from Ithamar's descendants; Hattush, from David's descendants,

3 who was of Shecaniah's descendants; Zechariah, from Parosh's descendants, and 150 men with him who were registered by genealogy;

4 Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah from Pahath-moab's descendants, and 200 men with him;

5 Shecaniah son of Jahaziel from Zattu's descendants, and 300 men with him;

6 Ebed son of Jonathan from Adin's descendants, and 50 men with him;

7 Jeshaiah son of Athaliah from Elam's descendants, and 70 men with him;

8 Zebadiah son of Michael from Shephatiah's descendants, and 80 men with him;

9 Obadiah son of Jehiel from Joab's descendants, and 218 men with him;

10 Shelomith son of Josiphiah from Bani's descendants, and 160 men with him;

11 Zechariah son of Bebai from Bebai's descendants, and 28 men with him;

12 Johanan son of Hakkatan from Azgad's descendants, and 110 men with him;

13 these are the last ones, from Adonikam's descendants, and their names are: Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, and 60 men with them;

14 Uthai and Zaccur from Bigvai's descendants, and 70 men with them.

15 I gathered them at the river that flows to Ahava, and we camped there for three days. I searched among the people and priests, but found no Levites there.

16 Then I summoned the leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, as well as the teachers Joiarib and Elnathan.

17 I sent them to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, with a message for him and his brothers, the temple servants at Casiphia, that they should bring us ministers for the house of our God.

18 Since the gracious hand of our God was on us, they brought us Sherebiah-a man of insight from the descendants of Mahli, a descendant of Levi son of Israel-along with his sons and brothers, 18 men,

19 plus Hashabiah, along with Jeshaiah, from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and their sons, 20 men.

20 There were also 220 of the temple servants, who had been appointed by David and the leaders for the work of the Levites. All were identified by name.

21 I proclaimed a fast by the Ahava River, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us, our children, and all our possessions.

22 [I did this] because I was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry to protect us from enemies during the journey, 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 abandon Him."

23 So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and He granted our request.

24 I selected 12 of the leading priests, along with Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and 10 of their brothers.

25 I weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the articles-the contribution for the house of our God that the king, his counselors, his leaders, and all the Israelites who were present had offered.

26 I weighed out to them 24 tons of silver, silver articles weighing 7,500 pounds, 7,500 pounds of gold,

27 20 gold bowls worth 1,000 gold coins, and two articles of fine gleaming bronze, as valuable as gold.

28 Then I said to them, "You are holy to the Lord, and the articles are holy. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the Lord God of your fathers.

29 Guard [them] carefully until you weigh [them] out in the chambers of the Lord's house before the leading priests, Levites, and heads of the Israelite families in Jerusalem."

30 So the priests and Levites took charge of the silver, the gold, and the articles that had been weighed out, to bring [them] to the house of our God in Jerusalem.

31 We set out from the Ahava River on the twelfth [day] of the first month to go to Jerusalem. We were strengthened by our God, and He protected us from the power of the enemy and from ambush along the way.

32 So we arrived at Jerusalem and rested there for three days.

33 On the fourth day the silver, the gold, and the articles were weighed out in the house of our God into the care of Meremoth the priest, son of Uriah. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him. The Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui were also with them.

34 Everything was [verified] by number and weight, and the total weight was recorded at that time.

35 The exiles who had returned from the captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, and 77 lambs, along with 12 male goats as a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering for the Lord.

36 They also delivered the king's edicts to the royal satraps and governors of the region west of the Euphrates, so that they would support the people and the house of God.

John 21

1 After this, Jesus revealed Himself again to His disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed Himself in this way:

2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called "Twin"), Nathanael from Cana of Galilee, Zebedee's sons, and two others of His disciples were together.

3 "I'm going fishing," Simon Peter said to them. "We're coming with you," they told him. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

4 When daybreak came, Jesus stood on the shore. However, the disciples did not know it was Jesus.

5 "Men," Jesus called to them, "you don't have any fish, do you?" "No," they answered.

6 "Cast the net on the right side of the boat," He told them, "and you'll find some." So they did, and they were unable to haul it in because of the large number of fish.

7 Therefore the disciple, the one Jesus loved, said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tied his outer garment around him (for he was stripped) and plunged into the sea.

8 But since they were not far from land (about 100 yards away), the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish.

9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread.

10 "Bring some of the fish you've just caught," Jesus told them.

11 So Simon Peter got up and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish-153 of them. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.

12 "Come and have breakfast," Jesus told them. None of the disciples dared ask Him, "Who are You?" because they knew it was the Lord.

13 Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish.

14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to the disciples after He was raised from the dead.

15 When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love , the first 2 times by Jesus (vv. 15-16 ); and phileo , the last time by Jesus (v. 17 ) and all 3 times by Peter (vv. 15-17 ). Peter's threefold confession of love for Jesus corresponds to his earlier threefold denial of Jesus; Jn 18:15-18 , 25-27 . Me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said to Him, "You know that I love You." "Feed My lambs," He told him.

16 A second time He asked him, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" "Yes, Lord," he said to Him, "You know that I love You." "Shepherd My sheep," He told him.

17 He asked him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved that He asked him the third time, "Do you love Me?" He said, "Lord, You know everything! You know that I love You." "Feed My sheep," Jesus said.

18 "I assure you: When you were young, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don't want to go."

19 He said this to signify by what kind of death he would glorify God. After saying this, He told him, "Follow Me!"

20 So Peter turned around and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them. [That disciple] was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and asked, "Lord, who is the one that's going to betray You?"

21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord-what about him?"

22 "If I want him to remain until I come," Jesus answered, "what is that to you? As for you, follow Me."

23 So this report spread to the brothers that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not tell him that he would not die, but, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?"

24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.

25 And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if they were written one by one, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written.