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The First Book of Azrael in the Bible
This book is found in the Jewish Tanach, the K'tuvim, as the Book of Azra (Ezra). The Book of Ezra can also
be found in the Old Testament of the Christian bible. We do not begin this book at the first chapter because his story doesn't
actually begin until the seventh. We want you to have the opportunity to review his personal record and get to know him,
the things he thought, how he felt and the work he did. This is important because, no matter how corrupt his records became
later on, one can still identify him, if they know him well enough.
First Book of Azrael, Book of Azra (Ezra), Chapter 7
1. And after these incidents, in the kingdom of Artaxerxes, the 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 ascended from Babylon, and he was a fluent scholar in the Law of Moses, which the Lord God of
Israel had given, and the king granted him his entire request, according to the command of the Lord his God
upon him.
7. And there ascended from the Children of Israel, from the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the
gate-keepers, and the Nethinites to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.
8. And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.
9. For on the first of the first month was the commencement of the ascent from Babylon, and on the first of the
fifth month, he arrived 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 perform it, and teach in Israel the statutes and
judgments.
11. And this is the interpretation of the writ that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scholar, the scholar
of the words of the Lord's commandments and His statutes to Israel.
12. "Artaxerxes, king of the kings, to Ezra the priest, the scholar who has mastered the Book of the Law of the God
of heaven, and Ke'eneth.
13. An order is issued by me that whoever of my kingdom of the people of Israel, its priests and Levites, who
volunteers to go to Jerusalem with you, may go.
14. Because of this, before the king and his seven advisors you are sent to search out Judea and Jerusalem according
to the law of your God, which is in your hand.
15. And to bring silver and gold that the king and his advisors donated to the God of Israel, Whose habitation is in Jerusalem.
16. And all the silver and gold that you will find in the entire province of Babylon, with the donation of the people
and the priests, which they are donating to the House of their God, which is in Jerusalem.
17. Because of this, you shall quickly purchase with this money bulls, rams, lambs, and their meal-offerings, and their libations, and offer them up on the altar of the House of your God, which is in Jerusalem.
18. And what pleases you and your brethren to do with the rest of the silver and gold, as your God wishes, you shall do.
19. And the vessels that are given to you for the service of the House of your God, give in their entirety before the God [in] Jerusalem.
20. And the rest of the necessities of the House of your God, which will fall to you to give, you shall give from the royal treasury.
21. And from me-I, King Artaxerxes is issued forth an edict to all the treasurers who are on the other side of the river, that whatever
Ezra, the priest, the scholar of the Law of the God of heaven, requests of you shall be done quickly.
22. Until a hundred talents of silver, and until a hundred kors of wheat, and until a hundred baths of wine, and until a
hundred baths of oil, and salt, [whose amount] is not written.
23. Whatever is with the authorization of the God of heaven shall be done with a seal for the House of the God of heaven,
for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?
24. And we are making known to you that [as regards] all the priests, and the Levites, the musicians, the gate-keepers, the
Nethinites, and those who serve in this House of God ~ no one should be empowered to levy the king's due, the head tax, or
the meal tax upon them.
25. And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God, which is in your hand, appoint judges and magistrates who will judge
all the people beyond the river, all who know the laws of your God, and whoever does not know, you shall teach them.
26. And whoever does not fulfill the law of your God and the law of the king promptly - judgment shall be inflicted upon him;
whether it be execution, uprooted [exile], fine, or torture."
27. Blessed be the Lord, the God of our forefathers, Who put such a thought into the king's heart, to glorify the House of the
Lord, which is in Jerusalem.
28. And upon me He extended kindness before the king and his advisers, and to all the mighty officers of the king, and I
strengthened myself according to the hand of the Lord my God upon me, and I gathered from Israel chiefs to go up with me.
First Book of Azrael, Book of Azra (Ezra), Chapter 8
1. And these are the heads of their father's houses and the lineage of those who ascended with me in the kingdom of King Artaxerxes from Babylon.
2. Of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom: of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David, Hattush.
3. Of the sons of Shechaniah, of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him one hundred and fifty males traced their lineage.
4. Of the sons of Pahath-Moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males.
5. Of the sons of Shechaniah, the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males.
6. And of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males.
7. And of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males.
8. And of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him eighty males.
9. Of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males.
10. And of the sons of Shelomith, the son of Josephiah, and with him a hundred and sixty males.
11. And of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight males.
12. And of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him a hundred and ten males.
13. And of the sons of Adonikam the last ones, and these are their names: Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them were sixty males.
14. And of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zaccur, and with them were seventy males.
15. And I gathered them to the flowing river, to Ahavah, and we encamped there for three days, and I surveyed
the people and the priests, and of the sons of Levi I did not find there.
16. And I sent to Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, the heads,
and Joiarib and Elnathan, the wise men.
17. And I commanded them to [go to] Iddo, the head in the place Casiphia, and I put words into their mouth to speak
to Iddo [and] to Ahiv, who were settled in the place Casiphia to bring us servants for the House of our God.
18. And they brought us according to the hand of our God, which was good over us, a man of intellect, of the sons of Mahli,
the son of Levi, the son of Israel, and Sherebiah and his sons and his brothers, eighteen.
19. And Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brothers and their sons, twenty.
20. And of the Nethinites, whom King David had appointed, and the chiefs, for the service of the Levites, Nethinites [were] two
hundred and twenty-all of them specified by name.
21. And I proclaimed there a fast by the river Ahava, to fast before our God, to beseech Him for a straight way for us and for
our children and for all our belongings.
22. For I was ashamed to request of the king an army and horsemen to aid us from enemies on the way, for we had said
to the king, "The hand of our God is upon all who seek Him for good, and His power and His wrath are upon all who forsake Him."
23. And we fasted and beseeched our God concerning this, and He accepted our prayer.
24. And I separated twelve of the chiefs of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and with them, ten of their brothers.
25. And I weighed out for them the silver and the gold and the vessels, the offering for the House of our God,
which the king, his advisers, his chiefs, and all Israel who were present, had offered.
26. And I weighed out upon their hands six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and one hundred silver vessels by talents,
[and] one hundred talents of gold.
27. And twenty sprinkling bowls of gold of one thousand darics, and two vessels of fine golden copper, precious as gold.
28. And I said to them, "You are holy to the Lord, and the vessels are holy, and the silver and the gold are a donation to the
Lord God of your forefathers.
29. Hasten and guard [them] until you weigh [them] out before the chiefs of the priests and the Levites, and the chiefs of the
fathers' [houses] of Israel in Jerusalem, [to deposit in] the chambers of the House of the Lord."
30. And the priests and the Levites received by weight the silver, the gold, and the vessels, to bring to Jerusalem for the House of our God.
31. Then we traveled from the river Ahava on the twelfth of the first month to go to Jerusalem, and the hand of our
God was upon us, and He saved us from the clutches of the enemy and those who lie in wait on the way.
32. And we came to Jerusalem and stayed there three days.
33. And on the fourth day, the silver, the gold, and the vessels were weighed in the House of our God onto the hand of Meremoth
the son of Uriah the priest, and with him Eleazar the son of Phinehas, and with them Josebad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son
of Binnui, the Levites.
34. Everything was counted and weighed and the entire weight was written at that time.
35. Those coming from captivity, the people of the exile, offered up burnt offerings to the God of Israel, twelve bulls
for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and twelve he-goats for sin-offerings, all this was a burnt offering to the Lord.
36. And they gave the king's decrees to the satraps of the king and the governors of the land beyond the river, and they
exalted the people and the House of God.
First Book of Azrael, Book of Azra (Ezra), Chapter 9
1. And when these were completed, the chiefs approached me, saying "The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites
were not separated from the peoples of the lands, like the abominations of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites,
the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
2. For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, and the holy seed has become mingled with the
peoples of the lands, and the hand of the chiefs and the deputies was first in this treachery."
3. And when I heard [of] this matter, I rent my garment and my robe, and I tore the hair of my head and my beard, and I sat bewildered.
4. And all those who hastened at the words of the God of Israel gathered to me on account of the treachery of the
community of the exiles, and I sat bewildered until the evening offering.
5. And at the [time of] the evening offering, I arose from my fast with the rent condition of my garment and my robe, and I
kneeled on my knees and spread my palms to the Lord, my God.
6. And I said, "O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have increased
over our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens.
7. Since the days of our forefathers, we are in great guilt until this day, and because of our iniquities, we were delivered-we,
our kings, our priests-into the hands of the kings of the lands by the sword, in captivity, and with plunder and with
shame-facedness as of this day.
8. And now, for a short moment, favor has been granted by the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a peg
in His holy place, so that our God may enlighten our eyes and grant us a little life in our servitude.
9. For we are slaves, and in our servitude our God has not forsaken us, and He has extended loving-kindness upon us before
the kings of Persia, to give us life, to exalt the House of our God and to erect its ruins, and to give us a fence in Judea and in Jerusalem.
10. And now, what shall we say, O God, after this, for we have forsaken Your commandments,
11. Which You have commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, 'The land that you are coming to inherit is an unclean
land because of the uncleanliness of the peoples of the lands, by their abominations with which they filled it from end to end
with their uncleanliness.
12. And now, you shall not give your daughters to their sons, neither shall you take their daughters for your sons, and you shall
not seek their peace nor their prosperity to eternity, in order that you become strong and eat the goodness of the land, and you
shall cause your children to inherit it to eternity.'
13. And after all that has come upon us because of our evil deeds and because of our great guilt, because You our God, have
punished us less than our inquities deserve, and You have given us a remnant such as this.
14. If we revert to breaking Your commandments to intermarrying with these abominable peoples, will You not be wroth with
us until destruction without remnant or escape?
15. O Lord God of Israel, You are righteous, for we are left a remnant as of this day; behold we are before You in our guilt, for
we cannot stand before You because of this."
First Book of Azrael, Book of Azra (Ezra), Chapter 10
1. And when Ezra prayed and confessed, weeping and prostrating himself before the House, a very large assemblage
of Israel, men, women, and children, gathered to him, for the people wept with much weeping.
2. And Shechaniah, the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, raised his voice and said to Ezra, "We have betrayed our God,
and we have taken in foreign wives of the peoples of the land, but now there is hope for Israel concerning this.
3. And now, let us make a covenant with our God to cast out all the wives and their offspring, by the counsel of
the Lord and those who hasten to [perform] the commandment of our God, and according to the Law it shall be done.
4. Rise, for the matter is incumbent upon you, and we are with you; be strong and do!"
5. Then Ezra rose and adjured the chiefs of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel to do according to this matter, and they swore.
6. Then Ezra rose from before the House of God, and he went to the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib.
[When] he went there, he neither ate bread nor drank water, because he was mourning over the treachery of the community of the exiles.
7. And they issued a proclamation in Judea and Jerusalem to all the people of the community of the exiles to assemble to Jerusalem.
8. And whoever does not come by three days according to the counsel of the chiefs and the elders all his property shall be confiscated, and he shall be separated from the congregation of the exile.
9. And all the people of Judah and Benjamin assembled to Jerusalem by three days; that is the ninth month, on the twentieth of the month, and all the people stayed in the broad plaza of the House of God, quaking over the matter and because of the rains.
10. And Ezra the priest arose and said to them, "You have dealt treacherously, and you have taken in foreign wives to add to Israel's guilt.
11. And now, confess to the Lord, the God of your forefathers, and do His will, and separate from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives."
12. Then the entire congregation replied and said in a loud voice: "Yes! We must do as you say!
13. But the people are many, and it is the rainy season, and there is no strength to remain outside, and the work is not for one day and not for two, for we have sinned very much in this matter.
14. Let our chiefs remain now with the entire congregation, and whoever is in our cities who took in foreign wives shall come at appointed times and with them the elders of every city and its judges, until we avert the burning anger of our God from us until this matter [is concluded]."
15. Only Jonathan, the son of Asahel, and Jahzeiah, the son of Tikvah, stood up against this, and Meshullam and Shabbathai the Levite supported them.
16. The people of the exile did so. Ezra the priest [and certain] men, heads of the fathers' houses after the house of their fathers, separated themselves, all of them [known] by name, and they convened on the first day of the tenth month to investigate the matter.
17. And they completed everything concerning the men who had brought in foreign women, until the first day of the first month.
18. And it was found of the sons of the priests who brought in foreign women, of the sons of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.
19. And they advised them to cast out their wives, and the guilty ones [to bring] a ram for their guilt.
20. And of the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah.
21. And of the sons of Harim: Maasiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah.
22. And of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nathaniel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
23. And of the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, and Kelajah-he is Kelita-Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.
24. And of the singers: Eliashib; and of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
25. And of Israel, of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah.
26. And of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah.
27. And of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza.
28. And of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, [and] Athlai.
29. And of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Ramoth.
30. And of the sons of Pahath-Moab: Adna and Chelal; Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh.
31. And of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Simeon.
32. Benjamin, Malluch, [and] Shemariah.
33. Of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, [and] Shimei.
34. Of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, and Uel.
35. Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhu.
36. Vaniah, Meremoth, Elyashib.
37. Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasai.
38. Bani, Binnui, Shimei.
39. Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah.
40. Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai.
41. Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah.
42. Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.
43. Of the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Banaiah.
44. All these had taken foreign wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.
Song of Azrael Commentary
We confess that for women and for free souls, this is a very hard read. One would think that Azrael was both sexist and racist,
but you have to fully understand the position he was in. According to the legal records he had collected and reviewed during his
time, inter-marriage between the tribes of Israel itself was unlawful, much less any foreign ones. This wasn't so much because
the other people were evil, even though this is what had been taught, but because it was a known cause of war, especially when
children were born into these mixed unions. Parental conflicts involving how the children would be raised, what language they would
speak and which God they would serve can be traced all the way back to the days of Genesis. These parental squabbles would spread
from the families into entire neighborhoods, creating dissention among the people of the lands. The children who were raised in
these conflicts would often reject both Gods when they came of age. They became an ungodly race, and without respect for law or
tradition, the cared only for themselves. These are the Nephilim of then and now.
Some points can be made clear about Azrael, regardless of how one feels about his work. He was very modest. Unlike other records we
read, his is without the grand embellishments we often find in biblical literature, before and after his time. There are no miracles. He
considered the king's permission to return to Jerusalem and teach law, a miracle in itself. He does not call himself a prophet. He is
content with being a scribe, and he did write many lists that contained the names of men. If I were to pick just one passage of his book
to remember him by, it would be this one:
First Book of Azrael, Book of Azra (Ezra), Chapter 7 verse 10:
For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord and to perform it, and teach in Israel the statutes and
judgments.
It might help to think of him as a lawyer but keep in mind that, back in his time, there was no separation from church and state and even
today it is said but rarely enforced in both the Congress and the White House. This is mainly because the law, as we know it, came from
religion.
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