Ezra 4:2

4:2 they came to Zerubbabel and the leaders ¹  and said to them, “Let us help you build, ²  for like you we seek your God and we have been sacrificing to him ³  from the time ⁴  of King Esarhaddon ⁵  of Assyria, who brought us here.” ⁶ 

Ezra 4:15

4:15 so that he may initiate a search of the records ⁷  of his predecessors ⁸  and discover in those records ⁹  that this city is rebellious ¹⁰  and injurious to both kings and provinces, producing internal revolts ¹¹  from long ago. ¹²  It is for this very reason that this city was destroyed.

[4:2]  ¹ tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.” So also in v. 3.

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

[4:2]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Heb “days.”

[4:2]  ⁵ sn Esarhaddon was king of Assyria ca. 681-669 b.c.

[4:2]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tn Aram “the book of the minutes.”

[4:15]  ⁸ tn Aram “of your fathers.”

[4:15]  ⁹ tn Aram “discover…and learn.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a single concept.

[4:15]  ¹⁰ tn Aram “is a rebellious city.”

[4:15]  ¹¹ tn Aram “revolts they are making in its midst.”

[4:15]  ¹² tn Aram “from olden days.” So also in v. 19.