Ezra 7:11

Artaxerxes Gives Official Endorsement to Ezra’s Mission

7:11 What follows ¹  is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priestly scribe. ²  Ezra was ³  a scribe in matters pertaining to the commandments of the Lord and his statutes over Israel:

Ezra 6:22

6:22 They observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with joy, for the Lord had given them joy and had changed the opinion ⁴  of the king of Assyria ⁵  toward them, so that he assisted ⁶  them in the work on the temple of God, the God of Israel.

¹ tn Heb “this.”

² tn Heb “the priest, the scribe.” So also in v. 21.

³ tn The words “Ezra was” are not in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for clarity.

⁴ tn Heb “heart.”

⁵ sn The expression “king of Assyria” is anachronistic, since Assyria fell in 612 b.c., long before the events of this chapter. Perhaps the expression is intended subtly to contrast earlier kings of Assyria who were hostile toward Israel with this Persian king who showed them favor.

⁶ tn Heb “to strengthen their hands.”