Ezra 1:2

1:2 “Thus says King Cyrus of Persia:

“‘The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has instructed me to build a temple ¹  for him in Jerusalem, ²  which is in Judah.

Ezra 2:1

The Names of the Returning Exiles

2:1 ³ These are the people ⁴  of the province who were going up, ⁵  from the captives of the exile whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had forced into exile in Babylon. They returned to Jerusalem ⁶  and Judah, each to his own city.

Ezra 4:2

4:2 they came to Zerubbabel and the leaders ⁷  and said to them, “Let us help you build, ⁸  for like you we seek your God and we have been sacrificing to him ⁹  from the time ¹⁰  of King Esarhaddon ¹¹  of Assyria, who brought us here.” ¹² 

Ezra 4:15

4:15 so that he may initiate a search of the records ¹³  of his predecessors ¹⁴  and discover in those records ¹⁵  that this city is rebellious ¹⁶  and injurious to both kings and provinces, producing internal revolts ¹⁷  from long ago. ¹⁸  It is for this very reason that this city was destroyed.

Ezra 5:17

5:17 “Now if the king is so inclined, ¹⁹  let a search be conducted in the royal archives ²⁰  there in Babylon in order to determine whether King Cyrus did in fact issue orders for this temple of God to be rebuilt in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us a decision concerning this matter.”

Ezra 6:9

6:9 Whatever is needed – whether oxen or rams or lambs or burnt offerings for the God of heaven or wheat or salt or wine or oil, as required by ²¹  the priests who are in Jerusalem – must be given to them daily without any neglect,

Ezra 7:25

7:25 “Now you, Ezra, in keeping with the wisdom of your God which you possess, ²²  appoint judges ²³  and court officials who can arbitrate cases on behalf of all the people who are in Trans-Euphrates who know the laws of your God. Those who do not know this law should be taught.

Ezra 8:21-22

8:21 I called for a fast there by the Ahava Canal, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and seek from him a safe journey ²⁴  for us, our children, and all our property. 8:22 I was embarrassed to request soldiers and horsemen from the king to protect us from the enemy ²⁵  along the way, because we had said to the king, “The good hand of our God is on everyone who is seeking him, but his great anger ²⁶  is against everyone who forsakes him.”

Ezra 8:33

8:33 On the fourth day we weighed out the silver, the gold, and the vessels in the house of our God into the care ²⁷  of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest, and Eleazar son of Phinehas, who were accompanied by Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui, who were Levites.

Ezra 10:6

10:6 Then Ezra got up from in front of the temple of God and went to the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. While he stayed ²⁸  there, he did not eat food or drink water, for he was in mourning over the infidelity of the exiles.

[1:2]  ¹ tn Heb “house.” The Hebrew noun בַּיִת (bayit, “house”) is often used in reference to the temple of Yahweh (BDB 108 s.v. 1.a). This is also frequent elsewhere in Ezra and Nehemiah (e.g., Ezra 1:3, 4, 5, 7; 2:68; 3:8, 9, 11, 12; 4:3; 6:22; 7:27; 8:17, 25, 29, 30, 33, 36; 9:9; 10:1, 6, 9).

[1:2]  ² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[2:1]  ³ sn The list of names and numbers in this chapter of Ezra has a parallel account in Neh 7:6-73. The fact that the two lists do not always agree in specific details suggests that various textual errors have crept into the accounts during the transmission process.

[2:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “the sons of.”

[2:1]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew term הָעֹלִים (ha’olim, “those who were going up” [Qal active participle]) refers to continual action in the past. Most translations render this as a simple past: “went up” (KJV), “came up” (RSV, ASV, NASV, NIV), “came” (NRSV). CEV paraphrases: “were on their way back.”

[2:1]  ⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[4:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.” So also in v. 3.

[4:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “Let us build with you.”

[4:2]  ⁹ tc The translation reads with the Qere, a Qumran MS, the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Arabic version וְלוֹ (vÿlo, “and him”) rather than the Kethib of the MT, וְלֹא (vÿlo’, “and not”).

[4:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “days.”

[4:2]  ¹¹ sn Esarhaddon was king of Assyria ca. 681-669 b.c.

[4:2]  ¹² sn The Assyrian policy had been to resettle Samaria with peoples from other areas (cf. 2 Kgs 17:24-34). These immigrants acknowledged Yahweh as well as other deities in some cases. The Jews who returned from the Exile regarded them with suspicion and were not hospitable to their offer of help in rebuilding the temple.

[4:15]  ¹³ tn Aram “the book of the minutes.”

[4:15]  ¹⁴ tn Aram “of your fathers.”

[4:15]  ¹⁵ tn Aram “discover…and learn.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a single concept.

[4:15]  ¹⁶ tn Aram “is a rebellious city.”

[4:15]  ¹⁷ tn Aram “revolts they are making in its midst.”

[4:15]  ¹⁸ tn Aram “from olden days.” So also in v. 19.

[5:17]  ¹⁹ tn Aram “if upon the king it is good.”

[5:17]  ²⁰ tn Aram “the house of the treasures of the king.”

[6:9]  ²¹ tn Aram “according to the word of.”

[7:25]  ²² tn Aram “in your hand.”

[7:25]  ²³ tc For the MT reading שָׁפְטִין (shoftim, “judges”) the LXX uses the noun γραμματεῖς (grammatei", “scribes”).

[8:21]  ²⁴ tn Heb “a straight way.”

[8:22]  ²⁵ tn A number of modern translations regard this as a collective singular and translate “from enemies” (also in v. 31).

[8:22]  ²⁶ tn Heb “his strength and his anger.” The expression is a hendiadys (one concept expressed through two terms).

[8:33]  ²⁷ tn Heb “upon the hand of.”

[10:6]  ²⁸ tc The translation reads וַיָּלֶן (vayyalen, “and he stayed”) rather than the reading וַיֵּלֶךְ (vayyelekh, “and he went”) of the MT. Cf. the LXX.