Ezra 5:11-12

5:11 They responded to us in the following way: ‘We are servants of the God of heaven and earth. We are rebuilding the temple which was previously built many years ago. A great king ¹  of Israel built it and completed it. 5:12 But after our ancestors ²  angered the God of heaven, he delivered them into the hands ³  of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and exiled the people to Babylon. ⁴ 

Ezra 6:8-9

6:8 “I also hereby issue orders as to what you are to do with those elders of the Jews in order to rebuild this temple of God. From the royal treasury, from the taxes of Trans-Euphrates the complete costs are to be given to these men, so that there may be no interruption of the work. ⁵  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 ⁶  the priests who are in Jerusalem – must be given to them daily without any neglect,

Ezra 7:21

7:21 “I, King Artaxerxes, hereby issue orders to all the treasurers of ⁷  Trans-Euphrates, that you precisely execute all that Ezra the priestly scribe of the law of the God of heaven may request of you –

Ezra 7:25

7:25 “Now you, Ezra, in keeping with the wisdom of your God which you possess, ⁸  appoint judges ⁹  and court officials who can arbitrate cases on behalf of all the people who are in Trans-Euphrates who know the laws of your God. Those who do not know this law should be taught.

[5:11]  ¹ sn This great king of Israel would, of course, be Solomon.

[5:12]  ² tn Aram “fathers.”

[5:12]  ³ tn Aram “hand” (singular).

[5:12]  ⁴ sn A reference to the catastrophic events of 586 b.c.

[6:8]  ⁵ tn The words “of the work” are not in the Aramaic, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

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

[7:21]  ⁷ tn Aram “who are in.”

[7:25]  ⁸ tn Aram “in your hand.”

[7:25]  ⁹ tc For the MT reading שָׁפְטִין (shoftim, “judges”) the LXX uses the noun γραμματεῖς (grammatei", “scribes”).