Ezra 2:2

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

The number of Israelites ¹  was as follows: ² 

Ezra 3:2

3:2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak ³  and his priestly colleagues ⁴  and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his colleagues ⁵  started to build ⁶  the altar of the God of Israel so they could offer burnt offerings on it as required by ⁷  the law of Moses the man of God.

Ezra 3:8

3:8 In the second year after they had come to the temple of God in Jerusalem, ⁸  in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak initiated the work, ⁹  along with the rest of their associates, ¹⁰  the priests and the Levites, and all those who were coming to Jerusalem from the exile. They appointed ¹¹  the Levites who were at least twenty years old ¹²  to take charge of the work on the Lord’s temple.

Ezra 4:2-3

4:2 they came to Zerubbabel and the leaders ¹³  and said to them, “Let us help you build, ¹⁴  for like you we seek your God and we have been sacrificing to him ¹⁵  from the time ¹⁶  of King Esarhaddon ¹⁷  of Assyria, who brought us here.” ¹⁸  4:3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the leaders of Israel said to them, “You have no right ¹⁹  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 5:1-2

Tattenai Appeals to Darius

5:1 Then the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son ²⁰  of Iddo ²¹  prophesied concerning the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem ²²  in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. 5:2 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak began ²³  to rebuild the temple of God in Jerusalem. The prophets of God were with them, supporting them.

[2:2]  ¹ tn Heb “men of the people of Israel.”

[2:2]  ² tn The words “was as follows” are not in the Hebrew text but are used in the translation for clarity.

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

[3:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “his brothers the priests.”

[3:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “his brothers.”

[3:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “arose and built.”

[3:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “written in.” Cf. v. 4.

[3:8]  ⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “began”; the phrase “the work” is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[3:8]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “their brothers.”

[3:8]  ¹¹ tn Heb “stood.”

[3:8]  ¹² tn Heb “from twenty years and upward.”

[4:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.” So also in v. 3.

[4:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Let us build with you.”

[4:2]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “days.”

[4:2]  ¹⁷ sn Esarhaddon was king of Assyria ca. 681-669 b.c.

[4:2]  ¹⁸ 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.

[4:3]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “not to you and to us.”

[5:1]  ²⁰ tn Aram “son.” According to Zech 1:1 he was actually the grandson of Iddo.

[5:1]  ²¹ tn Aram “and Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo the prophet.”

[5:1]  ²² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[5:2]  ²³ tn Aram “arose and began.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a single concept.