Ezra 3:2

3:2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak ¹  and his priestly colleagues ²  and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his colleagues ³  started to build ⁴  the altar of the God of Israel so they could offer burnt offerings on it as required by ⁵  the law of Moses the man of God.

Ezra 4:2

4:2 they came to Zerubbabel and the leaders ⁶  and said to them, “Let us help you build, ⁷  for like you we seek your God and we have been sacrificing to him ⁸  from the time ⁹  of King Esarhaddon ¹⁰  of Assyria, who brought us here.” ¹¹ 

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 ¹²  the priests who are in Jerusalem – must be given to them daily without any neglect,

Ezra 6:17

6:17 For the dedication of this temple of God they offered one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and twelve male goats for the sin of all Israel, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

Ezra 7:17

7:17 With this money you should be sure to purchase bulls, rams, and lambs, along with the appropriate ¹³  meal offerings and libations. You should bring them to the altar of the temple of your God which is in Jerusalem.

[3:2]  ¹ sn Jozadak (also in 3:8) is a variant spelling of Jehozadak.

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

[3:2]  ³ tn Heb “his brothers.”

[3:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “arose and built.”

[3:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “written in.” Cf. v. 4.

[4:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.” So also in v. 3.

[4:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “Let us build with you.”

[4:2]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Heb “days.”

[4:2]  ¹⁰ sn Esarhaddon was king of Assyria ca. 681-669 b.c.

[4:2]  ¹¹ 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.

[6:9]  ¹² tn Aram “according to the word of.”

[7:17]  ¹³ tn Aram “their meal offerings and their libations.”