<n id="1" /><p class="bodytext">&#8220;Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, a scribe of the perfect law of the God of heaven:

<t /><p class="bodytext">These are the leaders<n id="1" /> and those enrolled with them by genealogy who were coming up with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now after these things had happened, during the reign of King Artaxerxes<n id="1" /> of Persia, Ezra came up from Babylon.<n id="2" /> Ezra was the son of Seraiah, who was the son of Azariah, who was the son of Hilkiah,

<t /><p class="bodytext">What follows<n id="1" /> is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priestly scribe.<n id="2" /> Ezra was<n id="3" /> a scribe in matters pertaining to the commandments of the <sc>Lordsc> and his statutes over Israel:p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;I, King Artaxerxes, hereby issue orders to all the treasurers of<n id="1" /> Trans-Euphrates, that you precisely execute all that Ezra the priestly scribe of the law of the God of heaven may request of you &#8211;