Ezra 8:27

8:27 20 gold bowls worth 1,000 darics, and two exquisite vessels of gleaming bronze, as valuable as gold.

Ezra 3:4

3:4 They observed the Festival of Temporary Shelters ¹  as required ²  and offered the proper number of ³  daily burnt offerings according to the requirement for each day.

Ezra 4:2

4:2 they came to Zerubbabel and the leaders ⁴  and said to them, “Let us help you build, ⁵  for like you we seek your God and we have been sacrificing to him ⁶  from the time ⁷  of King Esarhaddon ⁸  of Assyria, who brought us here.” ⁹ 

Ezra 10:12

10:12 All the assembly replied in a loud voice: “We will do just as you have said! ¹⁰ 

Ezra 9:7

9:7 From the days of our fathers until this very day our guilt has been great. Because of our iniquities we, along with our kings and ¹¹  priests, have been delivered over by the local kings ¹²  to sword, captivity, plunder, and embarrassment – right up to the present time.

Ezra 3:1

The Altar is Rebuilt

3:1 When the seventh month arrived and the Israelites ¹³  were living ¹⁴  in their ¹⁵  towns, the people assembled ¹⁶  in ¹⁷  Jerusalem. ¹⁸ 

Ezra 9:15

9:15 O Lord God of Israel, you are righteous, for we are left as a remnant this day. Indeed, we stand before you in our guilt. However, because of this guilt ¹⁹  no one can really stand before you.”

Ezra 6:18

6:18 They appointed the priests by their divisions and the Levites by their divisions over the worship of God at Jerusalem, ²⁰  in accord with ²¹  the book of Moses.

Ezra 10:5

10:5 So Ezra got up and made the leading priests and Levites and all Israel take an oath to carry out this plan. ²²  And they all took a solemn oath.

Ezra 3:2

3:2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak ²³  and his priestly colleagues ²⁴  and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his colleagues ²⁵  started to build ²⁶  the altar of the God of Israel so they could offer burnt offerings on it as required by ²⁷  the law of Moses the man of God.

Ezra 4:3

4:3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the leaders of Israel said to them, “You have no right ²⁸  to help us build the temple of our God. We will build it by ourselves for the Lord God of Israel, just as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.”

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 ²⁹  the priests who are in Jerusalem – must be given to them daily without any neglect,

Ezra 6:4

6:4 with three layers of large stones ³⁰  and one ³¹  layer of timber. The expense is to be subsidized ³²  by the royal treasury. ³³ 

Ezra 7:9

7:9 On the first day of the first month he had determined to make ³⁴  the ascent from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he arrived at Jerusalem, ³⁵  for the good hand of his God was on him.

Ezra 3:7

Preparations for Rebuilding the Temple

3:7 So they provided money ³⁶  for the masons and carpenters, and food, beverages, and olive oil for the people of Sidon ³⁷  and Tyre, ³⁸  so that they would bring cedar timber from Lebanon to the seaport ³⁹  at Joppa, in accord with the edict of King Cyrus of Persia.

Ezra 1:6

1:6 All their neighbors assisted ⁴⁰  them with silver utensils, ⁴¹  gold, equipment, animals, and expensive gifts, not to mention ⁴²  all the voluntary offerings.

Ezra 2:62

2:62 They ⁴³  searched for their records in the genealogical materials, but did not find them. ⁴⁴  They were therefore excluded ⁴⁵  from the priesthood.

Ezra 4:7

4:7 And during the reign ⁴⁶  of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, ⁴⁷  Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their colleagues ⁴⁸  wrote to King Artaxerxes ⁴⁹  of Persia. This letter ⁵⁰  was first written in Aramaic but then translated.

[Aramaic:] ⁵¹ 

Ezra 5:15

5:15 He said to him, “Take these vessels and go deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt in its proper location.” ⁵² 

Ezra 8:26

8:26 I weighed out to them ⁵³  650 talents of silver, silver vessels worth 100 talents, ⁵⁴  100 talents of gold,

Ezra 1:4

1:4 Anyone who survives in any of those places where he is a resident foreigner must be helped by his neighbors ⁵⁵  with silver, gold, equipment, and animals, along with voluntary offerings for the temple of God which is in Jerusalem.’”

Ezra 3:9

3:9 So Jeshua appointed both his sons and his relatives, ⁵⁶  Kadmiel and his sons (the sons of Yehudah ⁵⁷ ), to take charge of the workers in the temple of God, along with the sons of Henadad, their sons, and their relatives ⁵⁸  the Levites.

Ezra 5:17

5:17 “Now if the king is so inclined, ⁵⁹  let a search be conducted in the royal archives ⁶⁰  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 6:20

6:20 The priests and the Levites had purified themselves, every last one, ⁶¹  and they all were ceremonially pure. They sacrificed the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their colleagues ⁶²  the priests, and for themselves.

Ezra 7:6

7:6 This Ezra is the one who came up from Babylon. He was a scribe who was skilled in the law of Moses which the Lord God of Israel had given. The king supplied him with everything he requested, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.

Ezra 9:1

A Prayer of Ezra

9:1 Now when these things had been completed, the leaders approached me and said, “The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the local residents ⁶³  who practice detestable things similar to those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.

[3:4]  ¹ tn The Hebrew phrase אֶת חַג־הַסֻּכּוֹת (’et khag-hassukot, “festival of huts” [or “shelters”]) is traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles. The rendering “booths” (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV) is probably better than the traditional “tabernacles” in light of the meaning of the term סֻכָּה (sukkah, “hut; booth”), but “booths” are frequently associated with trade shows and craft fairs in contemporary American English. The nature of the celebration during this feast as a commemoration of the wanderings of the Israelites after they left Egypt suggests that a translation like “temporary shelters” is more appropriate.

[3:4]  ² tn Heb “according to what is written.”

[3:4]  ³ tn Heb “by number.”

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

[4:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “Let us build with you.”

[4:2]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tn Heb “days.”

[4:2]  ⁸ sn Esarhaddon was king of Assyria ca. 681-669 b.c.

[4:2]  ⁹ 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.

[10:12]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “thus according to your word [singular = Qere] concerning us, to do.”

[9:7]  ¹¹ tc The MT lacks “and” here, but see the LXX and Vulgate.

[9:7]  ¹² tn Heb “the kings of the lands.”

[3:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “the sons of Israel.”

[3:1]  ¹⁴ tn The word “living” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied. Some translations supply “settled” (cf. NAB, NIV, NLT).

[3:1]  ¹⁵ tc The translation reads with some medieval Hebrew MSS and ancient versions בְּעָרֵיהֶם (be’arehem, “in their towns”), rather than the reading בֶּעָרִים (be’arim, “in the towns”) found in the MT. Cf. Neh 7:72 HT [7:73 ET].

[3:1]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew text adds the phrase “like one man.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[3:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “to.”

[3:1]  ¹⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[9:15]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “this”; the referent (the guilt mentioned previously) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:18]  ²⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[6:18]  ²¹ tn Aram “according to the writing of.”

[10:5]  ²² tn Heb “to do according to this plan.”

[3:2]  ²³ sn Jozadak (also in 3:8) is a variant spelling of Jehozadak.

[3:2]  ²⁴ tn Heb “his brothers the priests.”

[3:2]  ²⁵ tn Heb “his brothers.”

[3:2]  ²⁶ tn Heb “arose and built.”

[3:2]  ²⁷ tn Heb “written in.” Cf. v. 4.

[4:3]  ²⁸ tn Heb “not to you and to us.”

[6:9]  ²⁹ tn Aram “according to the word of.”

[6:4]  ³⁰ tn Aram “stones of rolling.”

[6:4]  ³¹ tc The translation follows the LXX reading חַד (khad, “one”) rather than the MT חֲדַת (khadat, “new”). If the MT reading “new” is understood to mean freshly cut timber that has not yet been seasoned it would seem to be an odd choice for construction material.

[6:4]  ³² tn Aram “let be given.”

[6:4]  ³³ tn Aram “house.”

[7:9]  ³⁴ tc The translation reads יִסַּד (yissad, “he appointed” [= determined]) rather than the reading יְסֻד (yÿsud, “foundation”) of the MT. (The words “to make” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.)

[7:9]  ³⁵ sn Apparently it took the caravan almost four months to make the five hundred mile journey.

[3:7]  ³⁶ tn Heb “silver.”

[3:7]  ³⁷ map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[3:7]  ³⁸ map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[3:7]  ³⁹ tn Heb “to the sea”

[1:6]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “strengthened their hands.”

[1:6]  ⁴¹ tc The MT reads בִּכְלֵי־כֶסֶף (bikhley khesef, “with silver vessels”). However, part of the LXX manuscript tradition reads ἐν πᾶσιν ἀργυρίῳ (en pasin arguriw), which reflects an alternate Hebrew reading of בַּכֹּל־בַּכֶּסֶף (bakkol-bakkesef, “everywhere, with silver”). The textual variant involves (1) simple omission of yod (י) between two words, a common scribal mistake; (2) haplography of the preposition bet (בּ); and (3) an alternate vocalization tradition of the first term.

[1:6]  ⁴² tn Heb “besides” or “in addition to.”

[2:62]  ⁴³ tn Heb “these.”

[2:62]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “their records were searched for in the genealogical materials, but were not found.” This passive construction has been translated as active for stylistic reasons.

[2:62]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “they were desecrated.”

[4:7]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “And in the days.”

[4:7]  ⁴⁷ tn The LXX understands this word as a prepositional phrase (“in peace”) rather than as a proper name (“Bishlam”). Taken this way it would suggest that Mithredath was “in agreement with” the contents of Tabeel’s letter. Some scholars regard the word in the MT to be a corruption of either “in Jerusalem” (i.e., “in the matter of Jerusalem”) or “in the name of Jerusalem.” The translation adopted above follows the traditional understanding of the word as a name.

[4:7]  ⁴⁸ tc The translation reads the plural with the Qere rather than the singular found in the MT Kethib.

[4:7]  ⁴⁹ sn Artaxerxes I ruled in Persia from ca. 465–425 b.c.

[4:7]  ⁵⁰ tc It is preferable to delete the MT’s וּכְתָב (ukhÿtav) here.

[4:7]  ⁵¹ sn The double reference in v. 7 to the Aramaic language is difficult. It would not make sense to say that the letter was written in Aramaic and then translated into Aramaic. Some interpreters understand the verse to mean that the letter was written in the Aramaic script and in the Aramaic language, but this does not seem to give sufficient attention to the participle “translated” at the end of the verse. The second reference to Aramaic in the verse is more probably a gloss that calls attention to the fact that the following verses retain the Aramaic language of the letter in its original linguistic form. A similar reference to Aramaic occurs in Dan 2:4b, where the language of that book shifts from Hebrew to Aramaic. Ezra 4:8–6:18 and 7:12-26 are written in Aramaic, whereas the rest of the book is written in Hebrew.

[5:15]  ⁵² tn Aram “upon its place.”

[8:26]  ⁵³ tn Heb “upon their hand.”

[8:26]  ⁵⁴ tn Possibly “100 silver vessels worth [?] talents” or “silver vessels weighing 100 talents.”

[1:4]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “the men of his place.”

[3:9]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “brothers.”

[3:9]  ⁵⁷ sn The name יְהוּדָה (Yehudah; cf. KJV, ASV, NASB “Judah”) is probably a variant of Hodaviah (see Ezra 2:40; cf. NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).

[3:9]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “brothers.”

[5:17]  ⁵⁹ tn Aram “if upon the king it is good.”

[5:17]  ⁶⁰ tn Aram “the house of the treasures of the king.”

[6:20]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “as one.” The expression is best understood as referring to the unity shown by the religious leaders in preparing themselves for the observance of Passover. On the meaning of the Hebrew phrase see DCH 1:182 s.v. אֶחָד 3b. See also HALOT 30 s.v. אֶחָד 5.

[6:20]  ⁶² tn Heb “brothers.”

[9:1]  ⁶³ tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.” So also in v. 2.