Ezra 1:5

The Exiles Prepare to Return to Jerusalem

1:5 Then the leaders ¹  of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and the Levites – all those whose mind God had stirred – got ready ²  to go up in order to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. ³ 

Ezra 2:2

2:2 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.

The number of Israelites ⁴  was as follows: ⁵ 

Ezra 3:2

3:2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak ⁶  and his priestly colleagues ⁷  and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his colleagues ⁸  started to build ⁹  the altar of the God of Israel so they could offer burnt offerings on it as required by ¹⁰  the law of Moses the man of God.

Ezra 3:12

3:12 Many of the priests, the Levites, and the leaders ¹¹  – older people who had seen with their own eyes the former temple while it was still established ¹²  – were weeping loudly, ¹³  and many others raised their voice in a joyous shout.

¹ tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”

² tn Heb “arose.”

³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

⁴ tn Heb “men of the people of Israel.”

⁵ tn The words “was as follows” are not in the Hebrew text but are used in the translation for clarity.

⁶ sn Jozadak (also in 3:8) is a variant spelling of Jehozadak.

⁷ tn Heb “his brothers the priests.”

⁸ tn Heb “his brothers.”

⁹ tn Heb “arose and built.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “written in.” Cf. v. 4.

¹¹ tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”

¹² sn The temple had been destroyed some fifty years earlier by the Babylonians in 586 b.c.

¹³ tn Heb “with a great voice.”