Ezra 6:20

6:20 The priests and the Levites had purified themselves, every last one, ¹  and they all were ceremonially pure. They sacrificed the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their colleagues ²  the priests, and for themselves.

Ezra 8:17

8:17 I sent them to Iddo, who was the leader in the place called Casiphia. I told them ³  what to say to Iddo and his relatives, ⁴  who were the temple servants in ⁵  Casiphia, so they would bring us attendants for the temple of our God.

[6:20]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Heb “brothers.”

[8:17]  ³ tn Heb “I placed in their mouth words.”

[8:17]  ⁴ tc The translation reads with the LXX and Vulgate וְאֶחָיו (vÿ’ekhayv, “and his brethren” = “relatives”; so NCV, NLT) rather than the reading אָחִיו (’akhiyv, “his brother”) of the MT.

[8:17]  ⁵ tn Heb “in the place called.” This phrase has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.