11th November

¹ Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,² The son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,³ The son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,⁴ The son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,⁵ The son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest:⁶ This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.⁷ And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.⁸ And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.⁹ For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.¹⁰ For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.¹¹ Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of his statutes to Israel.¹² Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time.¹³ I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee.¹⁴ Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors, to enquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand;¹⁵ And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem,¹⁶ And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem:¹⁷ That thou mayest buy speedily with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meat offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.¹⁸ And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God.¹⁹ The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, those deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem.²⁰ And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king's treasure house.²¹ And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily,²² Unto an hundred talents of silver, and to an hundred measures of wheat, and to an hundred baths of wine, and to an hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much.²³ Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?²⁴ Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them.²⁵ And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know them not.²⁶ And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.²⁷ Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem:²⁸ And hath extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the king's mighty princes. And I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.

¹ Set the trumpet to thy mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the LORD, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law.² Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee.³ Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him.⁴ They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off.⁵ Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast thee off; mine anger is kindled against them: how long will it be ere they attain to innocency?⁶ For from Israel was it also: the workman made it; therefore it is not God: but the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.⁷ For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk; the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.⁸ Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.⁹ For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers.¹⁰ Yea, though they have hired among the nations, now will I gather them, and they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king of princes.¹¹ Because Ephraim hath made many altars to sin, altars shall be unto him to sin.¹² I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing.¹³ They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat it; but the LORD accepteth them not; now will he remember their iniquity, and visit their sins: they shall return to Egypt.¹⁴ For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples; and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.

¹ And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion of Augustus' band.² And entering into a ship of Adramyttium, we launched, meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia; one Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us.³ And the next day we touched at Sidon. And Julius courteously entreated Paul, and gave him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself.⁴ And when we had launched from thence, we sailed under Cyprus, because the winds were contrary.⁵ And when we had sailed over the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia.⁶ And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy; and he put us therein.⁷ And when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce were come over against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete, over against Salmone;⁸ And, hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called The fair havens; nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea.⁹ Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them,¹⁰ And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.¹¹ Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.¹² And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and there to winter; which is an haven of Crete, and lieth toward the south west and north west.¹³ And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.¹⁴ But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.¹⁵ And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive.¹⁶ And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat:¹⁷ Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven.¹⁸ And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship;¹⁹ And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.²⁰ And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.²¹ But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.²² And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.²³ For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,²⁴ Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.²⁵ Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.²⁶ Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island.²⁷ But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country;²⁸ And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms.²⁹ Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.³⁰ And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship,³¹ Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.³² Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.³³ And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.³⁴ Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.³⁵ And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.³⁶ Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.³⁷ And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls.³⁸ And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea.³⁹ And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship.⁴⁰ And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore.⁴¹ And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves.⁴² And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.⁴³ But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land:⁴⁴ And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.