Chapter-A-Day Audio Bible - Ezra 7

0:00We say we believe every person is made in God's image, but belief becomes powerful when it becomes action. Through this moment matters, we are responding to hunger, displacement, and fragile health systems with compassion and courage. Not someday, now. Your generosity becomes medicine. It becomes food. It becomes hope. Right now, your gift can help a family in need. Visit www.givemcmission.org slash future and join the ministry because this moment and every life matters. Life Audio For more resources to help you in your walk with Christ, please visit us at BibleStudyHeadquarters.com. Inspire kids creativity, Bible reading, and love for God with a new Inspire Bible for kids. It's the latest Bible in the best-selling Inspire Bible line, and it's packed with activities for boys and girls ages 7 to 12.

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3:09Ezra came up from Babylon. Ezra was the son of Saraya, who was the son of Azaraya, who was the son of Hylkaya, who was the son of Shalom, who was the son of Zadok, who was the son of a high tub, who was the son of Amaraya, who was the son of Azaraya, who was the son of Maryoth, who was the son of Zeraaya, who was the son of Uzzi, who was the son of Booki, who was the son of Abeshua, who was the son of Phineas, who was the son of Eliezer, who was the son of Aaron, the chief priest. This Ezra is the one who came up from Babylon. He was a scribe who was skilled in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given. The King supplied him with everything he requested, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him. In the seventh year of King Arduzirksis, Ezra brought up to Jerusalem some of the Israelites

4:09and some of the priests, the Levites, the attendants, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants. He entered Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the King. On the first day of the first month he had determined to make the Ascent from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he arrived at Jerusalem, for the good hand of his God was on him. Now Ezra had dedicated himself to the study of the law of the Lord, to its observance, and to teaching its statutes and judgments in Israel. What follows is a copy of the letter that King Arduzirksis gave to Ezra the priestly scribe. Ezra was a scribe and matters pertaining to the commandments of the Lord and his statutes over Israel. I have now issued a decree that anyone in my kingdom from the people of Israel, even

5:12the priests and Levites, who wishes to do so, may go up with you to Jerusalem. You are authorized by the King and his seven advisors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God which is in your possession, and to bring silver and gold which the King and his advisors have freely contributed to the God of Israel who resides in Jerusalem, along with all the silver and gold that you may collect throughout all the province of Babylon and the contributions of the people and the priests for the temple of their God which is in Jerusalem. With this money, you should be sure to purchase bulls, rams, and lambs along with the appropriate meal offerings and libations. You should bring them to the altar of the temple of your God which is in Jerusalem. You may do whatever seems appropriate to you and your colleagues with the rest of the silver and the gold in keeping with the will of your God.

6:15Deliver to the God of Jerusalem the vessels that are given to you for the service of the temple of your God. The rest of the needs for the temple of your God that you may have to supply. You may do so from the royal treasury. I, King Artisercsies, hereby issue orders to all the treasurers of trans-Ufradies that you precisely execute all that Ezra the priestly scribe of the law of the God of Heaven may request of you. Talk to one hundred talents of silver, one hundred cores of wheat, one hundred baths of wine, one hundred baths of olive oil, an unlimited salt. Everything that the God of Heaven has required should be precisely done for the temple of the God of Heaven. Why should there be wrath against the empire of the king and his sons? Furthermore, be aware of the fact that you have no authority to impose tax, tribute, or toll on any of the priests, the Levites, the musicians, the doorkeepers, the temple servants,

7:21or the attendants at the temple of this God. Now you Ezra, in keeping with the wisdom of your God which you possess, appoint judges and court officials who can arbitrate cases on behalf of all the people who are in trans-Ufradies who know the laws of your God. Those who do not know this law should be taught. Everyone who does not observe both the law of your God and the law of the king will be completely liable to the appropriate penalty, whether it is death or banishment or confiscation of property or detainment in prison. This would be the Lord God of our fathers who so moved in the heart of the king to so honor the temple of the Lord which is in Jerusalem. He has also conferred his favor on me before the king, his advisors, and all the influential leaders of the king. I gained strength as the hand of the Lord my God was on me, and I gathered leaders from

8:24Israel to go up with me. Lord, we thank you for your word, and we thank you for the privilege of being able to look at this portion of Scripture today, and we thank you that as this progress is taking place in Jerusalem as the temple is being built, that now you are seen to it, that one who knows your will, one who knows your word, is sent to Jerusalem. You raise up Ezra, and you make the king favorably disposed to ward him, and he sent to Jerusalem so that he could teach the Word of God to the people of Judah. Lord, we are grateful for the privilege of being able to see this transpire, because we know that ultimately your word, all of it, whether it be in the Old Covenant or the New Covenant, it is all pointing to your Son Jesus Christ, and we are grateful to see someone in that generation raised up to make your word known. And likewise, Lord, in the context that we live in, we are grateful for opportunities

9:27for us to learn your word and grow from it, and ingest it in our minds and in our hearts, so that we can be people who understand your will, who practice what you have taught us, and that we can understand more about what it means to bring glory to your name through faith and your Son Jesus Christ. Oh, we are grateful for this reality, we are grateful for the ways that you have blessed us, we are grateful that we have the opportunity each day to share in these recordings, we are grateful that we can sit down with printed copies of your word, and we are grateful, Lord, for all sorts of resources that you have made available to us during this particular era of history that enable us to understand your word and know it and grow and be pointed directly to your Son Jesus Christ. Well, we are grateful for all these things, and we are grateful for your presence with us today. We commit this day to your care, and we just thank you for all of this in Jesus' name. Amen. In times like these, we all need a word of encouragement. From pastor and bestselling author Max Lucato, comes the Max Lucato Encouraging Word Podcast

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