1 Esdras chapter 1
[This chapter is in Orthodox Bibles] Josiah celebrates the Passover. The end of Josiah’s reign. The last days of Josiah. The fall of Jerusalem.
Note 1. The Book of First Esdras is recognized as Deuterocanonical Scripture by the Orthodox Churches
Note 2. Many people find it morally objectionable that a religion requires the killing of innocent animals.
JOSIAH CELEBRATES THE PASSOVER
NOTE. This account of the reign of king Josiah is parallel to that in 2 Chronicles 35.
VERSE 1. Josias held the Passover in Jerusalem to his Lord, and offered the Passover the fourteenth day of the first month,
Josias. That is, Josiah. He was king of Judah from 640–609 BCE.
held the passover:
2 Kings 23:21. The king commanded all the people, saying, “Keep the Passover to the LORD your God, as it is written in this book of the covenant.”
2 Chronicles 35:1. Josiah kept a Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem. They killed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.
1 Esdras 1:1. Josias held the Passover in Jerusalem to his Lord, and offered the Passover the fourteenth day of the first month,
to his Lord. This Book of 1 Esdras is written in Greek. In Greek, the Divine Name, or Tetragrammaton, is written as “Lord.”
The Divine Name refers to the Hebrew word יהוה. Scholars call it the Tetragrammaton. They transliterate it as YHWH. Nobody knows how to pronounce it. Read more »
VERSE 2. having set the priests according to their daily courses, being arrayed in their vestments, in the Lord’s temple.
their daily courses. Or divisions. They are the teams of priests scheduled for service in the temple.
being arrayed in their vestments:
Ezra 3:10. When the builders laid the foundation of the LORD’s temple, they set the priests in their vestments with shofars, with the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the directions of David king of Israel.
VERSE 3. He spoke to the Levites, the temple servants of Israel, that they should make themselves holy to the Lord, to set the holy ark of the Lord in the house that King Solomon the son of David had built.
Numbers 3:9. You shall give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons. They are wholly given to him on the behalf of the children of Israel.
VERSE 4. He said, “You no longer need to carry it on your shoulders. Now therefore serve the Lord your God, and minister to his people Israel, and prepare yourselves by your fathers’ houses and kindred,
VERSE 5. according to the writing of King David of Israel, and according to the magnificence of Solomon his son. Stand in the holy place according to the divisions of your Levite families who minister in the presence of your kindred the descendants of Israel.
VERSE 6. Offer the Passover in order, prepare the sacrifices for your kindred, and keep the Passover according to the Lord’s commandment, which was given to Moses.
VERSE 7. To the people which were present, Josias gave thirty thousand lambs and kids, and three thousand calves. These things were given from the king’s possessions, as he promised, to the people and to the priests and Levites.
calves. Or young bulls.
VERSE 8. Helkias, Zacharias, and Esyelus, the rulers of the temple, gave to the priests for the Passover two thousand six hundred sheep, and three hundred calves.
Esyelus. Or Jehiel.
VERSE 9. Jeconias, Samaias, Nathanael his brother, Sabias, Ochielus, and Joram, captains over thousands, gave to the Levites for the Passover five thousand sheep and seven hundred calves.
VERSE 10. When these things were done, the priests and Levites, having the unleavened bread, stood in proper order according to the kindred,
VERSE 11. and according to the several divisions by fathers’ houses, before the people, to offer to the Lord as it is written in the book of Moses. They did this in the morning.
VERSE 12. They roasted the Passover lamb with fire, as required. They boiled the sacrifices in the brazen vessels and caldrons with a pleasing smell,
VERSE 13. and set them before all the people. Afterward they prepared for themselves and for their kindred the priests, the sons of Aaron.
VERSE 14. For the priests offered the fat until night. The Levites prepared for themselves and for their kindred the priests, the sons of Aaron.
VERSE 15. The holy singers also, the sons of Asaph, were in their order, according to the appointment of David: Asaph, Zacharias, and Eddinus, who represented the king.
VERSE 16. Moreover the gatekeepers were at every gate. No one needed to depart from his daily duties, for their kindred the Levites prepared for them.
VERSE 17. So the things that belonged to the Lord’s sacrifices were accomplished in that day, in holding the Passover,
VERSE 18. and offering sacrifices on the altar of the Lord, according to the commandment of King Josias.
VERSE 19. So the children of Israel which were present at that time held the Passover and the feast of unleavened bread seven days.
VERSE 20. Such a Passover had not been held in Israel since the time of the prophet Samuel.
VERSE 21. Indeed, none of the kings of Israel held such a Passover as Josias with the priests, the Levites, and the Jews, held with all Israel that were present in their dwelling place at Jerusalem.
VERSE 22. This Passover was held in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josias.
THE END OF JOSIAH’S REIGN
NOTE. This section parallels 2 Chronicles 35:20-27
VERSE 23. The works of Josias were upright before his Lord with a heart full of godliness.
VERSE 24. Moreover the things that came to pass in his days have been written in times past, concerning those who sinned and did wickedly against the Lord more than any other people or kingdom, and how they grieved him †exceedingly, so that the Lord’s words were confirmed against Israel.
exceedingly. Or sensibly.
VERSE 25. Now after all these acts of Josias, it came to pass that Pharaoh the king of Egypt came to make war at Carchemish on the Euphrates; and Josias went out against him.
VERSE 26. But the king of Egypt sent to him, saying, “What do I have to do with you, O king of Judea?
VERSE 27. I wasn’t sent out from the Lord God against you, for my war is against the Euphrates. Now the Lord is with me, yes, the Lord is with me hastening me forward. Depart from me, and don’t be against the Lord.”
VERSE 28. However, Josias didn’t turn back to his chariot, but tried to fight with him, not regarding the words of the prophet Jeremy from the Lord’s mouth,
VERSE 29. but joined battle with him in the plain of Megiddo, and the commanders came down against King Josias.
VERSE 30. Then the king said to his servants, “Carry me away out of the battle, for I am very weak!” Immediately his servants carried him away out of the army.
VERSE 31. Then he got into his second chariot. After he was brought back to Jerusalem he died, and was buried in the tomb of his ancestors.
VERSE 32. All Judea mourned for Josias. Jeremy the prophet lamented for Josias, and the chief men with the women made lamentation for him to this day. This was given out for an ordinance to be done continually in all the nation of Israel.
VERSE 33. These things are written in the book of the histories of the kings of Judea, and every one of the acts that Josias did, and his glory, and his understanding in the law of the Lord, and the things that he had done before, and the things now told, are reported in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.
THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAH
NOTE. This section parallels 2 Chronicles 36
VERSE 34. The people took Joachaz the son of Josias, and made him king instead of Josias his father, when he was twenty-three years old.
Joachaz. Or Jeconias.
VERSE 35. He reigned in Judah and Jerusalem for three months. Then the king of Egypt deposed him from reigning in Jerusalem.
VERSE 36. He set a tax upon the people of one hundred talents of silver and one talent of gold.
VERSE 37. The king of Egypt also made King Joakim his brother king of Judea and Jerusalem.
VERSE 38. And Joakim imprisoned the nobles and apprehended his brother Zarakes, and brought him up out of Egypt.
VERSE 39. Joakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign in Judea and Jerusalem. He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.
VERSE 40. King Nabuchodonosor of Babylon came up against him, bound him with a chain of brass, and carried him to Babylon.
VERSE 41. Nabuchodonosor also took some of the Lord’s holy vessels, carried them away, and stored them in his own temple at Babylon.
VERSE 42. But those things that are reported of him, and of his uncleanness and impiety, are written in the chronicles of the kings.
VERSE 43. Then Joakim his son reigned in his place. When he was made king, he was eighteen years old.
VERSE 44. He reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did that which was evil before the Lord.
VERSE 45. So after a year Nabuchodonosor sent and caused him to be brought to Babylon with the holy vessels of the Lord,
VERSE 46a. and made Sedekias king of Judea and Jerusalem
THE FALL OF JERUSALEM
VERSE 46b. when he was twenty-one years old. He reigned eleven years.
VERSE 47. He also did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and didn’t heed the words that were spoken by Jeremy the prophet from the Lord’s mouth.
VERSE 48. After King Nabuchodonosor had made him to swear by the name of the Lord, he broke his oath and rebelled. Hardening his neck and his heart, he transgressed the laws of the Lord, the God of Israel.
VERSE 49. Moreover the governors of the people and of the priests did many things wickedly, exceeding all the defilements of all nations, and defiled the temple of the Lord, which was sanctified in Jerusalem.
VERSE 50. The God of their ancestors sent by his messenger to call them back, because he had compassion on them and on his dwelling place.
VERSE 51. But they mocked his messengers. In the day when the Lord spoke, they scoffed at his prophets
VERSE 52. until he, being angry with his people for their great ungodliness, commanded to bring up the kings of the Chaldeans against them.
VERSE 53. They killed their young men with the sword around their holy temple, and spared neither young man or young woman, old man or child; but he delivered all of them into their hands.
VERSE 54. They took all the holy vessels of the Lord, both great and small, with the treasure chests of the Lord’s ark and the king’s treasures, and carried them away to Babylon.
VERSE 55. They burned the Lord’s house, broke down Jerusalem’s walls, and burned its towers with fire.
VERSE 56. As for her glorious things, they didn’t stop until they had brought them all to nothing. He carried the people who weren’t slain with the sword to Babylon.
VERSE 57. They were servants to him and to his children until the Persians reigned, to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremy:
VERSE 58. “Until the land has enjoyed its Sabbaths, the whole time of her desolation shall she keep Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.
« previous chapter
(Prayer of Manasses)
1 ESDRAS
CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09
RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.