The First Book of Esdras

⭑ King James Version :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 4 -

Then the second, that had spoken of the strength of the king, began to say,

O ye men, do not men excel in strength that bear rule over sea and land and all things in them?

But yet the king is more mighty: for he is lord of all these things, and hath dominion over them; and whatsoever he commandeth them they do.

If he bid them make war the one against the other, they do it: if he send them out against the enemies, they go, and break down mountains walls and towers.

They slay and are slain, and transgress not the king’s commandment: if they get the victory, they bring all to the king, as well the spoil, as all things else.

Likewise for those that are no soldiers, and have not to do with wars, but use husbandry, when they have reaped again that which they had sown, they bring it to the king, and compel one another to pay tribute unto the king.

And yet he is but one man: if he command to kill, they kill; if he command to spare, they spare;

If he command to smite, they smite; if he command to make desolate, they make desolate; if he command to build, they build;

If he command to cut down, they cut down; if he command to plant, they plant.

So all his people and his armies obey him: furthermore he lieth down, he eateth and drinketh, and taketh his rest:

And these keep watch round about him, neither may any one depart, and do his own business, neither disobey they him in any thing.

O ye men, how should not the king be mightiest, when in such sort he is obeyed? And he held his tongue.

Then the third, who had spoken of women, and of the truth, (this was Zorobabel) began to speak.

O ye men, it is not the great king, nor the multitude of men, neither is it wine, that excelleth; who is it then that ruleth them, or hath the lordship over them? are they not women?

Women have borne the king and all the people that bear rule by sea and land.

Even of them came they: and they nourished them up that planted the vineyards, from whence the wine cometh.

These also make garments for men; these bring glory unto men; and without women cannot men be.

Yea, and if men have gathered together gold and silver, or any other goodly thing, do they not love a woman which is comely in favour and beauty?

And letting all those things go, do they not gape, and even with open mouth fix their eyes fast on her; and have not all men more desire unto her than unto silver or gold, or any goodly thing whatsoever?

A man leaveth his own father that brought him up, and his own country, and cleaveth unto his wife.

He sticketh not to spend his life with his wife. and remembereth neither father, nor mother, nor country.

By this also ye must know that women have dominion over you: do ye not labour and toil, and give and bring all to the woman?

Yea, a man taketh his sword, and goeth his way to rob and to steal, to sail upon the sea and upon rivers;

And looketh upon a lion, and goeth in the darkness; and when he hath stolen, spoiled, and robbed, he bringeth it to his love.

Wherefore a man loveth his wife better than father or mother.

Yea, many there be that have run out of their wits for women, and become servants for their sakes.

Many also have perished, have erred, and sinned, for women.

And now do ye not believe me? is not the king great in his power? do not all regions fear to touch him?

Yet did I see him and Apame the king’s concubine, the daughter of the admirable Bartacus, sitting at the right hand of the king,

And taking the crown from the king’s head, and setting it upon her own head; she also struck the king with her left hand.

And yet for all this the king gaped and gazed upon her with open mouth: if she laughed upon him, he laughed also: but if she took any displeasure at him, the king was fain to flatter, that she might be reconciled to him again.

O ye men, how can it be but women should be strong, seeing they do thus?

Then the king and the princes looked one upon another: so he began to speak of the truth.

O ye men, are not women strong? great is the earth, high is the heaven, swift is the sun in his course, for he compasseth the heavens round about, and fetcheth his course again to his own place in one day.

Is he not great that maketh these things? therefore great is the truth, and stronger than all things.

All the earth crieth upon the truth, and the heaven blesseth it: all works shake and tremble at it, and with it is no unrighteous thing.

Wine is wicked, the king is wicked, women are wicked, all the children of men are wicked, and such are all their wicked works; and there is no truth in them; in their unrighteousness also they shall perish.

As for the truth, it endureth, and is always strong; it liveth and conquereth for evermore.

With her there is no accepting of persons or rewards; but she doeth the things that are just, and refraineth from all unjust and wicked things; and all men do well like of her works.

Neither in her judgment is any unrighteousness; and she is the strength, kingdom, power, and majesty, of all ages. Blessed be the God of truth.

And with that he held his peace. And all the people then shouted, and said, Great is Truth, and mighty above all things.

Then said the king unto him, Ask what thou wilt more than is appointed in the writing, and we will give it thee, because thou art found wisest; and thou shalt sit next me, and shalt be called my cousin.

Then said he unto the king, Remember thy vow, which thou hast vowed to build Jerusalem, in the day when thou camest to thy kingdom,

And to send away all the vessels that were taken away out of Jerusalem, which Cyrus set apart, when he vowed to destroy Babylon, and to send them again thither.

Thou also hast vowed to build up the temple, which the Edomites burned when Judea was made desolate by the Chaldees.

And now, O lord the king, this is that which I require, and which I desire of thee, and this is the princely liberality proceeding from thyself: I desire therefore that thou make good the vow, the performance whereof with thine own mouth thou hast vowed to the King of heaven.

Then Darius the king stood up, and kissed him, and wrote letters for him unto all the treasurers and lieutenants and captains and governors, that they should safely convey on their way both him, and all those that go up with him to build Jerusalem.

He wrote letters also unto the lieutenants that were in Celosyria and Phenice, and unto them in Libanus, that they should bring cedar wood from Libanus unto Jerusalem, and that they should build the city with him.

Moreover he wrote for all the Jews that went out of his realm up into Jewry, concerning their freedom, that no officer, no ruler, no lieutenant, nor treasurer, should forcibly enter into their doors;

And that all the country which they hold should be free without tribute; and that the Edomites should give over the villages of the Jews which then they held:

Yea, that there should be yearly given twenty talents to the building of the temple, until the time that it were built;

And other ten talents yearly, to maintain the burnt offerings upon the altar every day, as they had a commandment to offer seventeen:

And that all they that went from Babylon to build the city should have free liberty, as well they as their posterity, and all the priests that went away.

He wrote also concerning. the charges, and the priests’ vestments wherein they minister;

And likewise for the charges of the Levites, to be given them until the day that the house were finished, and Jerusalem builded up.

And he commanded to give to all that kept the city pensions and wages.

He sent away also all the vessels from Babylon, that Cyrus had set apart; and all that Cyrus had given in commandment, the same charged he also to be done, and sent unto Jerusalem.

Now when this young man was gone forth, he lifted up his face to heaven toward Jerusalem, and praised the King of heaven,

And said, From thee cometh victory, from thee cometh wisdom, and thine is the glory, and I am thy servant.

Blessed art thou, who hast given me wisdom: for to thee I give thanks, O Lord of our fathers.

And so he took the letters, and went out, and came unto Babylon, and told it all his brethren.

And they praised the God of their fathers, because he had given them freedom and liberty

To go up, and to build Jerusalem, and the temple which is called by his name: and they feasted with instruments of musick and gladness seven days.

Then the second, who had spoken of the strength of the king, began to say,

“O sirs, don’t men excel in strength who rule over the sea and land, and all things in them?

But yet the king is stronger. He is their lord and has dominion over them. In whatever he commands them, they obey him.

If he tells them to make war the one against the other, they do it. If he sends them out against the enemies, they go, and conquer mountains, walls, and towers.

They kill and are killed, and don’t disobey the king’s commandment. If they win the victory, they bring everything to the king—all the plunder and everything else.

Likewise for those who are not soldiers, and don’t have anything to do with wars, but farm, when they have reaped again that which they had sown, they bring some to the king and compel one another to pay tribute to the king.

He is just one man! If he commands people to kill, they kill. If he commands them to spare, they spare.

If he commands them to strike, they strike. If he commands them to make desolate, they make desolate. If he commands to build, they build.

If he commands them to cut down, they cut down. If he commands them to plant, they plant.

So all his people and his armies obey him. Furthermore, he lies down, he eats and drinks, and takes his rest;

and these keep watch around him. None of them may depart and do his own business. They don’t disobey him in anything.

O sirs, how could the king not be the strongest, seeing that he is obeyed like this?” Then he stopped talking.

Then the third, who had spoken of women, and of truth, (this was Zorobabel) began to speak:

“O sirs, isn’t the king great, and men are many, and isn’t wine strong? Who is it then who rules them, or has the lordship over them? Aren’t they women?

Women have given birth to the king and all the people who rule over sea and land.

They came from women. Women nourished up those who planted the vineyards, from where the wine comes.

Women also make garments for men. These bring glory to men. Without women, men can’t exist.

Yes, and if men have gathered together gold and silver and any other beautiful thing, and see a woman who is lovely in appearance and beauty,

they let all those things go and gape at her, and with open mouth stare at her. They all have more desire for her than for gold, or silver, or any other beautiful thing.

A man leaves his own father who brought him up, leaves his own country, and joins with his wife.

With his wife he ends his days, with no thought for his father, mother, or country.

By this also you must know that women have dominion over you. Don’t you labor and toil, and bring it all to give to women?

Yes, a man takes his sword and goes out to travel, to rob, to steal, and to sail on the sea and on rivers.

He sees a lion and walks in the darkness. When he has stolen, plundered, and robbed, he brings it to the woman he loves.

Therefore a man loves his wife better than father or mother.

Yes, there are many who have lost their minds for women, and become slaves for their sakes.

Many also have perished, have stumbled, and sinned, for women.

Now don’t you believe me? Isn’t the king great in his power? Don’t all regions fear to touch him?

Yet I saw him and Apame the king’s concubine, the daughter of the illustrious Barticus, sitting at the right hand of the king,

and taking the crown from the king’s head, and setting it upon her own head. Yes, she struck the king with her left hand.

At this, the king gaped and gazed at her with open mouth. If she smiles at him, he laughs. But if she takes any displeasure at him, he flatters her, that she might be reconciled to him again.

O sirs, how can it not be that women are strong, seeing they do this?”

Then the king and the nobles looked at one another. So he began to speak concerning truth.

“O sirs, aren’t women strong? The earth is great. The sky is high. The sun is swift in its course, for it circles around the sky, and returns on its course again in one day.

Isn’t he who makes these things great? Therefore the truth is great, and stronger than all things.

All the earth calls upon truth, and the sky blesses truth. All works shake and tremble, but with truth there is no unrighteous thing.

Wine is unrighteous. The king is unrighteous. Women are unrighteous. All the children of men are unrighteous, and all their works are unrighteous. There is no truth in them. They shall also perish in their unrighteousness.

But truth remains, and is strong forever. Truth lives and conquers forevermore.

With truth there is no partiality toward persons or rewards, but truth does the things that are just, instead of any unrighteous or wicked things. All men approve truth’s works.

In truth’s judgment is not any unrighteousness. Truth is the strength, the kingdom, the power, and the majesty of all ages. Blessed be the God of truth!”

With that, he stopped speaking. Then all the people shouted and said, “Great is truth, and strong above all things!”

Then the king said to him, “Ask what you wish, even more than is appointed in writing, and we will give it to you, because you are found wisest. You shall sit next me, and shall be called my cousin.”

Then he said to the king, “Remember your vow, which you vowed to build Jerusalem, in the day when you came to your kingdom,

and to send back all the vessels that were taken out of Jerusalem, which Cyrus set apart when he vowed to destroy Babylon, and vowed to send them back there.

You also vowed to build the temple which the Edomites burned when Judea was made desolate by the Chaldeans.

Now, O lord the king, this is what I request, and what I desire of you, and this is the princely generosity that may proceed from you: I ask therefore that you make good the vow, the performance of which you have vowed to the King of Heaven with your own mouth.”

Then King Darius stood up, kissed him, and wrote letters for him to all the treasurers and governors and captains and local governors, that they should safely bring on their way both him, and all those who would go up with him to build Jerusalem.

He wrote letters also to all the governors who were in Coelesyria and Phoenicia, and to them in Libanus, that they should bring cedar wood from Libanus to Jerusalem, and that they should help him build the city.

Moreover he wrote for all the Jews who would go out of his realm up into Judea concerning their freedom, that no officer, no governor, no local governor, nor treasurer, should forcibly enter into their doors,

and that all the country which they occupied should be free to them without tribute, and that the Edomites should give up the villages of the Jews which they held at that time,

and that there should be given twenty talents yearly toward the building of the temple, until the time that it was built,

and another ten talents yearly for burnt offerings to be presented upon the altar every day, as they had a commandment to make seventeen offerings,

and that all those who would come from Babylonia to build the city should have their freedom—they and their descendants, and all the priests that came.

He wrote also to give them their support and the priests’ vestments in which they minister.

For the Levites he wrote that their support should be given them until the day that the house was finished and Jerusalem built up.

He commanded that land and wages should be given to all who guarded the city.

He also sent away all the vessels from Babylon that Cyrus had set apart, and all that Cyrus had given in commandment, he commanded also to be done and to be sent to Jerusalem.

Now when this young man had gone out, he lifted up his face to heaven toward Jerusalem, and praised the King of heaven,

and said, “From you comes victory. From you comes wisdom. Yours is the glory, and I am your servant.

Blessed are you, who have given me wisdom. I give thanks to you, O Lord of our fathers.

So he took the letters, went out, came to Babylon, and told it all his kindred.

They praised the God of their ancestors, because he had given them freedom and liberty

to go up and to build Jerusalem and the temple which is called by his name. They feasted with instruments of music and gladness seven days.