⁶ —came up from Babylon. He was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses,^(A) which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted him everything he requested^(B) because the hand of the Lord his God was on him.^(C)

Letter from Artaxerxes

¹¹ This is the text of the letter King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest and scribe, an expert in matters of the Lord’s commands and statutes for Israel:^[a]

¹² Artaxerxes, king of kings,^(A) to Ezra the priest, an expert in the law of the God of the heavens:

Greetings.

⁹ Nehemiah the governor,^(A) Ezra the priest and scribe,^(B) and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, “This day^(C) is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.”^(D) For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law.

Festival of Shelters Observed

¹³ On the second day, the family heads of all the people, along with the priests and Levites,^(A) assembled before the scribe Ezra^(B) to study the words of the law.