Ezra 3

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Ezra 3

Ezra 3:1 When the seventh month arrived, and the Israelites were in their towns, the people gathered[1] as one in Jerusalem.

Ezra 3:2 The priests, Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers, along with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his brothers, began to build the altar of Israel’s God and offer ascending[2] offerings on it, as it is written in the instruction[3] of Moses, the man of God.

Ezra 3:3 They set up the altar on its foundation and offered ascending offerings for the morning and evening to Yahveh, even though they feared the people of the lands.

Ezra 3:4 They celebrated the Festival of Huts[4] as prescribed and offered ascending offerings each day, based on the number specified by the judgment[5] for each festival day.

Ezra 3:5 After that, they offered the continual[6] ascending offering, the offerings at the beginning of each month, and for all Yahveh’s appointed[7] holy occasions, and the spontaneous voluntary donations brought to Yahveh.

Ezra 3:6 On the first day of the seventh month, they began to offer ascending offerings to Yahveh, even though the foundation of Yahveh’s temple had not yet been laid.

Ezra 3:7 They gave money to the stonecutters and artisans. They gave food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre so they could bring cedar wood from Lebanon to Joppa by sea, according to the authorization given them by King Cyrus of Persia.

Ezra 3:8 In the second month of the second year after they arrived at God’s house in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, Jeshua, son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brothers, including the priests, the Levites, and all who had returned to Jerusalem from the captivity, began to build. They appointed the Levites, who were twenty years old or older, to supervise the work on Yahveh’s house.

Ezra 3:9 Jeshua with his sons and brothers, Kadmiel with his sons, and the sons of Judah and Henadad, with their sons and brothers, the Levites, joined together to supervise those working on the house of God.

Ezra 3:10 When the builders had laid the foundation of Yahveh’s temple, the priests, dressed in their robes and holding trumpets, and the Levites descended from Asaph, holding cymbals, took their positions to praise Yahveh, as King David of Israel had instructed.

Ezra 3:11 They sang with praise and thanksgiving to Yahveh: “For he is good; his covenant faithfulness[8] to Israel endures permanently.”[9] Then, all the people gave a great shout of praise to Yahveh because the foundation of Yahveh’s house had been laid.

Ezra 3:12 Many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads who had seen the first house wept loudly when they saw its foundation, but many others shouted joyfully.

Ezra 3:13 The people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shouting from that of the weeping because they were shouting so loudly, and the sound was heard far away.

[1] אָסַף = gather. Ezra 3:1; 9:4.

[2] עֹלָה = ascending (offering). Ezra 3:2, 3, 4, 5, 6; 8:35.

[3] תּוֹרָה = instruction. Ezra 3:2; 7:6, 10; 10:3.

[4] סֻכָּה = hut. Ezra 3:4.

[5] מִשְׁפָּט = judgment, justice. Ezra 3:4; 7:10.

[6] תָּמִיד = continual(ly). Ezra 3:5.

[7] מוֹעֵד = conference, appointed. Ezra 3:5.

[8] חֶסֶד = covenant faithfulness. Ezra 3:11; 7:28; 9:9.

[9] עוֹלָם = permanent/ly, ancient, future. Ezra 3:11; 9:12.

links:

God alone is Immortal
God is Different
shouting and weeping
they knew

The EZRA shelf in Jeff’s library

2 Samuel 16

2 Samuel 16

2 Samuel 16:1 When David had gone a little beyond the summit, Ziba, Mephibosheth’s boy, was right there to meet him. He had a pair of saddled donkeys loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred clusters of raisins, one hundred bunches of summer fruit, and a clay jar of wine.

2 Samuel 16:2 The king said to Ziba, “Why do you have these?” Ziba answered, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride, the bread and summer fruit are for the boys to eat, and the wine is for those to drink who become exhausted in the wilderness.”

2 Samuel 16:3 “Where is your master’s grandson?” the king asked. “Why, he’s staying in Jerusalem,” Ziba replied to the king, “for he said, ‘Today, the house of Israel will restore my grandfather’s kingdom to me.'”

2 Samuel 16:4 The king said to Ziba, “All that belongs to Mephibosheth is now yours!” “I bow before you,” Ziba said. “May I find favor with you, my lord the king!”

2 Samuel 16:5 When King David got to Bahurim, a man belonging to the family of the house of Saul was just coming out. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he was yelling curses as he approached.

2 Samuel 16:6 He threw stones at David and at all the royal servants, the people and the warriors on David’s right and left.

2 Samuel 16:7 Shimei said as he cursed: “Get out, get out, you man of bloodshed, you wicked man!

2 Samuel 16:8 Yahveh has paid you back for all the blood of the house of Saul in whose place you became king, and Yahveh has handed the kingdom over to your son Absalom. Look, you are in trouble because you’re a man of bloodshed!”

2 Samuel 16:9 Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and remove his head!”

2 Samuel 16:10 The king replied, “Sons of Zeruiah, do we agree on anything? He curses me this way because Yahveh told him, ‘Curse David! ‘ Therefore, who can say, ‘Why did you do that? ‘”

2 Samuel 16:11 Then David said to Abishai and all his servants, “Look, my own son, my own flesh and blood, seeks my throat — how much more now this Benjaminite! Leave him alone and let him curse me; Yahveh has told him to.

2 Samuel 16:12 Perhaps Yahveh will see my affliction and restore goodness to me instead of Shimei’s curses today.”

2 Samuel 16:13 So David and his men proceeded along the road as Shimei was going along the ridge of the hill opposite him. As Shimei went, he cursed David, threw stones at him, and kicked up dust.

2 Samuel 16:14 Finally, the king and all the people with him arrived exhausted, so they rested there.

2 Samuel 16:15 Absalom and all the Israelites came to Jerusalem and Ahithophel was with him.

2 Samuel 16:16 When David’s friend Hushai the Archite came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”

2 Samuel 16:17 “Is this your loyalty to your friend?” Absalom asked Hushai. “Why didn’t you go with your friend?”

2 Samuel 16:18 “Not at all,” Hushai answered Absalom. “I am on the side of the one that Yahveh, this people, and all the men of Israel have chosen. I will stay with him.

2 Samuel 16:19 Furthermore, whom will I serve if not his son? As I served in your father’s presence, I will also serve in yours.”

2 Samuel 16:20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give me your advice. What should we do?”

2 Samuel 16:21 Ahithophel replied to Absalom, “Sleep with your father’s concubines whom he left to take care of the palace. When all Israel hears that you have become repulsive to your father, everyone with you will be encouraged.”

2 Samuel 16:22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he slept with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.

2 Samuel 16:23 Now the advice Ahithophel gave in those days was like someone asking about a word from God — such was the regard that both David and Absalom had for Ahithophel’s advice.

links:

Ahithophel’s advice
check the facts
responding kindly
transition
two counselors

The 2 SAMUEL shelf in Jeff’s library

Ezra 2

Ezra 2

Ezra 2:1 These are the people of the province who came from those captive exiles King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had deported to Babylon. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his town.

Ezra 2:2 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. The number of Israelite men included

Ezra 2:3 Parosh’s descendants: 2,172.

Ezra 2:4 Shephatiah’s descendants: 372.

Ezra 2:5 Arah’s descendants: 775.

Ezra 2:6 Pahath-moab’s descendants: Jeshua’s and Joab’s descendants 2,812.

Ezra 2:7 Elam’s descendants: 1,254.

Ezra 2:8 Zattu’s descendants: 945.

Ezra 2:9 Zaccai’s descendants: 760.

Ezra 2:10 Bani’s descendants: 642.

Ezra 2:11 Bebai’s descendants: 623.

Ezra 2:12 Azgad’s descendants: 1,222.

Ezra 2:13 Adonikam’s descendants: 666.

Ezra 2:14 Bigvai’s descendants: 2,056.

Ezra 2:15 Adin’s descendants: 454.

Ezra 2:16 Ater’s descendants of Hezekiah: 98.

Ezra 2:17 Bezai’s descendants: 323.

Ezra 2:18 Jorah’s descendants: 112.

Ezra 2:19 Hashum’s descendants: 223.

Ezra 2:20 Gibbar’s descendants: 95.

Ezra 2:21 Bethlehem’s people: 123.

Ezra 2:22 Netophah’s men: 56.

Ezra 2:23 Anathoth’s men: 128.

Ezra 2:24 Azmaveth’s people: 42.

Ezra 2:25 Kiriatharim’s, Chephirah’s, and Beeroth’s people: 743.

Ezra 2:26 Ramah’s and Geba’s people: 621.

Ezra 2:27 Michmas’s men: 122.

Ezra 2:28 Bethel’s and Ai’s men: 223.

Ezra 2:29 Nebo’s people: 52.

Ezra 2:30 Magbish’s people: 156.

Ezra 2:31 the other Elam’s people: 1,254.

Ezra 2:32 Harim’s people: 320.

Ezra 2:33 Lod’s, Hadid’s, and Ono’s people: 725.

Ezra 2:34 Jericho’s people: 345.

Ezra 2:35 Senaah’s people: 3,630.

Ezra 2:36 The priests included Jedaiah’s descendants of the house of Jeshua: 973.

Ezra 2:37 Immer’s descendants: 1,052.

Ezra 2:38 Pashhur’s descendants: 1,247.

Ezra 2:39 and Harim’s descendants: 1,017.

Ezra 2:40 The Levites included Jeshua’s and Kadmiel’s descendants from Hodaviah’s descendants: 74.

Ezra 2:41 The singers included Asaph’s descendants: 128.

Ezra 2:42 The gatekeepers’ descendants included Shallum’s descendants, Ater’s descendants, Talmon’s descendants, Akkub’s descendants, Hatita’s descendants, and Shobai’s descendants: in all 139.

Ezra 2:43 The temple servants included Ziha’s descendants, Hasupha’s descendants, Tabbaoth’s descendants,

Ezra 2:44 Keros’s descendants, Siaha’s descendants, Padon’s descendants,

Ezra 2:45 Lebanah’s descendants, Hagabah’s descendants, Akkub’s descendants,

Ezra 2:46 Hagab’s descendants, Shalmai’s descendants, Hanan’s descendants,

Ezra 2:47 Giddel’s descendants, Gahar’s descendants, Reaiah’s descendants,

Ezra 2:48 Rezin’s descendants, Nekoda’s descendants, Gazzam’s descendants,

Ezra 2:49 Uzza’s descendants, Paseah’s descendants, Besai’s descendants,

Ezra 2:50 Asnah’s descendants, Meunim’s descendants, Nephusim’s descendants,

Ezra 2:51 Bakbuk’s descendants, Hakupha’s descendants, Harhur’s descendants,

Ezra 2:52 Bazluth’s descendants, Mehida’s descendants, Harsha’s descendants,

Ezra 2:53 Barkos’s descendants, Sisera’s descendants, Temah’s descendants,

Ezra 2:54 Neziah’s descendants, and Hatipha’s descendants.

Ezra 2:55 The descendants of Solomon’s slaves[1] included Sotai’s descendants, Hassophereth’s descendants, Peruda’s descendants,

Ezra 2:56 Jaalah’s descendants, Darkon’s descendants, Giddel’s descendants,

Ezra 2:57 Shephatiah’s descendants, Hattil’s descendants, Pochereth-hazzebaim’s descendants, and Ami’s descendants.

Ezra 2:58 All the temple slaves and the descendants of Solomon’s slaves: 392.

Ezra 2:59 The following are those who came from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer but were unable to prove that their ancestral houses and their seed[2] were Israelite:

Ezra 2:60 Delaiah’s descendants, Tobiah’s descendants, Nekoda’s descendants: 652

Ezra 2:61 and from the descendants of the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, the descendants of Barzillai– who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and who bore their name.[3]

Ezra 2:62 These searched for their entries in the genealogical records but could not be found, so they were disqualified from the priesthood.

Ezra 2:63 The governor ordered them not to consume[4] the most sacred[5] things until a priest could consult the Lights[6] and Darks.[7]

Ezra 2:64 The whole combined congregation[8] numbered 42,360,

Ezra 2:65 which did not include their 7,337 male and female slaves[9] and 200 male and female singers.

Ezra 2:66 They had 736 horses, 245 mules,

Ezra 2:67 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.

Ezra 2:68 After they arrived at Yahveh’s house in Jerusalem, some of the family heads donated money to rebuild the house of God on its original site.

Ezra 2:69 Based on what they could give, they gave 61,000 gold coins, 6,250 pounds of silver, and 100 priestly garments to the treasury for the project.

Ezra 2:70 The priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants, and some people settled in their towns, and the rest of Israel settled in their towns.

[1] עֶבֶד = slave. Ezra 2:55, 58, 65; 9:9, 11.

[2] זֶרָע = seed. Ezra 2:59; 9:2.

[3] קָרָא = invite, cry out, convene, name. Ezra 2:61; 8:21.

[4] אָכַל = consume. Ezra 2:63; 6:21; 9:12; 10:6.

[5] קֹדֶשׁ = sacred. Ezra 2:63; 8:28; 9:2, 8.

[6] אוּרִים = lights. Ezra 2:63.

[7] תֻּמִּים = darks. Ezra 2:63.

[8] קָהָל = congregation. Ezra 2:64; 10:1, 8, 12, 14.

[9] אָמָה = female slave. Ezra 2:65.

links:

significant times
unmistakably significant

The EZRA shelf in Jeff’s library

Ezra 1

Ezra 1

Ezra 1:1 In the first year of Cyrus King of Persia, to fulfill the word of Yahveh^[1] by Jeremiah’s mouth, Yahveh^[2] stirred up the breath^[3] of King Cyrus to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and to put it in writing:

Ezra 1:2 King Cyrus of Persia says: ” Yahveh, the god of the sky^[4], has given me all the kingdoms of the land^[5] and has appointed me to build him a house^[6] at Jerusalem in Judah.

Ezra 1:3 If any of his people are among you, let his god be with him, and let him go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of Yahveh, the god of Israel, who is in Jerusalem.

Ezra 1:4 Let every survivor, wherever he resides,^[7] be assisted by the men of that region with silver, gold, goods, and animals,^[8] along with a spontaneous voluntary^[9] donation for the house of God in Jerusalem.”

Ezra 1:5 Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites—everyone whose breath God had stirred up —prepared to rebuild Yahveh’s house in Jerusalem.

Ezra 1:6 All their neighbors strengthened^[10] their hands with silver articles, gold, goods, animals, valuables, and all that was given as a donation.^[11]

Ezra 1:7 King Cyrus also brought out the articles of Yahveh’s house that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and had placed in the house of his gods.

Ezra 1:8 King Cyrus of Persia had them brought out under Mithredath’s treasurer’s hand, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar, the leader^[12] of Judah.

Ezra 1:9 This was their number: 30 gold basins, 1,000 silver basins, 29 silver knives,

Ezra 1:10 30 gold bowls, 410 silver bowls, and 1,000 other articles.

Ezra 1:11 The gold and silver articles totaled 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought all of them when the exiles went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

[1] יָהְוֶה = Yahveh. Ezra 1:1, 2, 3, 5, 7; 2:68; 3:3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11; 4:1, 3; 6:21, 22; 7:6, 10, 11, 27, 28; 8:28, 29, 35; 9:5, 8, 15; 10:11.

[2] יָהְוֶה = Yahveh (God’s name). Ezra 1:1, 2, 3, 5, 7; 2:68; 3:3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11; 4:1, 3; 6:21, 22; 7:6, 10, 11, 27, 28; 8:28, 29, 35; 9:5, 8, 15; 10:11.

[3] רוּחַ= breath. Ezra 1:1, 5.

[4] שָׁמַיִם = sky. Ezra 1:2; 9:6.

[5] אֶרֶץ = land. Ezra 1:2; 3:3; 4:4; 6:21; 9:1, 2, 7, 11, 12; 10:2, 11.

[6] בַּיִת = house, (family, home, temple) inside. Ezra 1:2, 3, 4, 5, 7; 2:36, 59, 68; 3:8, 9, 11, 12; 4:3; 6:22; 7:27; 8:17, 25, 29, 30, 33, 36; 9:9; 10:1, 6, 9, 16.

[7] גּוּר = reside as a guest. Ezra 1:4.

[8] בְּהֵמָה = animal. Ezra 1:4, 6.

[9] נְדָבָה = spontaneous voluntary. Ezra 1:4; 3:5; 8:28.

[10] חָזָק = be strong, strongly, catch. Ezra 1:6; 6:22; 7:28; 9:12; 10:4.

[11] נָדָב = donation. Ezra 1:6; 2:68; 3:5.

[12] נָשִׂיא = leader, general. Ezra 1:8.

links:

ACST 2 The Promise
getting it done
he will get it done

The EZRA shelf in Jeff’s library

2 Chronicles 36

2 Chronicles 36

2 Chronicles 36:1 Then the familiar people took Jehoahaz, son of Josiah, and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father.

2 Chronicles 36:2 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 36:3 The king of Egypt deposed him in Jerusalem and fined the land seventy-five hundred pounds of silver and seventy-five pounds of gold.

2 Chronicles 36:4 Then King Neco of Egypt made Jehoahaz’s brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem and changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took his brother Jehoahaz and brought him to Egypt.

2 Chronicles 36:5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of Yahvehhis God.

2 Chronicles 36:6 Now King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked him and bound him in bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.

2 Chronicles 36:7 Also, Nebuchadnezzar took some of the articles of Yahveh’s house to Babylon and put them in his temple there.

2 Chronicles 36:8 Notice, the rest of the deeds of Jehoiakim, the repulsive actions he committed, and what was found against him, are written in the Book of Israel’s Kings. His son Jehoiachin became king in his place.

2 Chronicles 36:9 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in Yahveh’s sight.

2 Chronicles 36:10 In the spring, Nebuchadnezzar sent for him and brought him to Babylon along with the valuable articles of Yahveh’s house. Then he made Jehoiachin’s brother Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 36:11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 36:12 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahveh his God and did not humble himself before the prophet Jeremiah at Yahveh’s command.

2 Chronicles 36:13 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear allegiance by God. He stiffened his neck and toughened his heart against returning to Yahveh, the God of Israel.

2 Chronicles 36:14 All the captains of the priests and the people multiplied their unfaithful deeds, imitating all the repulsive practices of the nations, and they defiled Yahveh’s house that he had consecrated in Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 36:15 But Yahveh, the God of their ancestors, sent word against them by the hand of his agents, sending them time and time again, for he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place.

2 Chronicles 36:16 But they kept ridiculing God’s agents, despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets, until Yahveh’s wrath was so stirred up against his people that there was no remedy.

2 Chronicles 36:17 So he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their fit young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary. He did not pity young men or young women, elderly or aged; he handed them all over to him.

2 Chronicles 36:18 He took everything to Babylon– all the articles of God’s house, large and small, the treasures of Yahveh’s house, and the treasures of the king and his captains.

2 Chronicles 36:19 Then the Chaldeans burned God’s house. They tore down Jerusalem’s wall, burned all its palaces, and spoiled all its valuable articles.

2 Chronicles 36:20 He deported those who escaped from the sword to Babylon, and they became slaves to him and his sons until the rise of the Persian kingdom.

2 Chronicles 36:21 This fulfilled the word of Yahveh through Jeremiah, and the land enjoyed its Sabbath rest all the days of the desolation until seventy years were fulfilled.

2 Chronicles 36:22 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of Yahveh spoken through Jeremiah, Yahveh roused the breath of King Cyrus of Persia to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and also to put it in writing:

2 Chronicles 36:23 This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: Yahveh, the God of the sky, has given me all the kingdoms of the land and has appointed me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up and may Yahveh his God be with him.

links:

right choices
the right choices
until there was no remedy

The 2 Chronicles shelf in Jeff’s library