Ezra 1:3

1:3 Anyone from ¹  his people among you (may his God be with him!) may go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and may build the temple of the Lord God of Israel – he is the God who is in Jerusalem.

Ezra 2:1

The Names of the Returning Exiles

2:1 ² These are the people ³  of the province who were going up, ⁴  from the captives of the exile whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had forced into exile in Babylon. They returned to Jerusalem ⁵  and Judah, each to his own city.

Ezra 2:70

2:70 The priests, the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their towns, and all the rest of Israel lived in their towns.

Ezra 3:12

3:12 Many of the priests, the Levites, and the leaders ⁶  – older people who had seen with their own eyes the former temple while it was still established ⁷  – were weeping loudly, ⁸  and many others raised their voice in a joyous shout.

Ezra 4:9

4:9 From ⁹  Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues – the judges, the rulers, the officials, the secretaries, the Erechites, the Babylonians, the people of Susa (that is, ¹⁰  the Elamites),

Ezra 5:12

5:12 But after our ancestors ¹¹  angered the God of heaven, he delivered them into the hands ¹²  of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and exiled the people to Babylon. ¹³ 

Ezra 7:13

7:13 I have now issued a decree ¹⁴  that anyone in my kingdom from the people of Israel – even the priests and Levites – who wishes to do so may go up with you to Jerusalem. ¹⁵ 

Ezra 7:16

7:16 along with all the silver and gold that you may collect ¹⁶  throughout all the province of Babylon and the contributions of the people and the priests for the temple of their God which is in Jerusalem.

Ezra 8:15

The Exiles Travel to Jerusalem

8:15 I had them assemble ¹⁷  at the canal ¹⁸  that flows toward Ahava, and we camped there for three days. I observed that the people and the priests were present, but I found no Levites there.

Ezra 8:36

8:36 Then they presented the decrees of the king to the king’s satraps and to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, who gave help to the people and to the temple of God.

Ezra 9:4

9:4 Everyone who held the words of the God of Israel in awe ¹⁹  gathered around me because of the unfaithful acts of the people of the exile. ²⁰  Devastated, I continued to sit there until the evening offering.

Ezra 10:1

The People Confess Their Sins

10:1 While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself to the ground before the temple of God, a very large crowd of Israelites – men, women, and children alike – gathered around him. The people wept loudly. ²¹ 

Ezra 10:13

10:13 However, the people are numerous and it is the rainy season. ²²  We are unable to stand here outside. Furthermore, this business cannot be resolved in a day or two, for we have sinned greatly in this matter.

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¹ tn Heb “from all.”

² sn The list of names and numbers in this chapter of Ezra has a parallel account in Neh 7:6-73. The fact that the two lists do not always agree in specific details suggests that various textual errors have crept into the accounts during the transmission process.

³ tn Heb “the sons of.”

⁴ tn The Hebrew term הָעֹלִים (ha’olim, “those who were going up” [Qal active participle]) refers to continual action in the past. Most translations render this as a simple past: “went up” (KJV), “came up” (RSV, ASV, NASV, NIV), “came” (NRSV). CEV paraphrases: “were on their way back.”

⁵ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁶ tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”

⁷ sn The temple had been destroyed some fifty years earlier by the Babylonians in 586 b.c.

⁸ tn Heb “with a great voice.”

⁹ tn Aram “then.” What follows in v. 9 seems to be the preface of the letter, serving to identify the senders of the letter. The word “from” is not in the Aramaic text but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

¹⁰ tn For the qere of the MT (דֶּהָיֵא, dehaye’, a proper name) it seems better to retain the Kethib דִּהוּא (dihu’, “that is”). See F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 25, §35; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 36.

¹¹ tn Aram “fathers.”

¹² tn Aram “hand” (singular).

¹³ sn A reference to the catastrophic events of 586 b.c.

¹⁴ tn Heb “from me is placed a decree.” So also in v. 21.

¹⁵ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

¹⁶ tn Aram “find.”

¹⁷ tn Or “I gathered them.”

¹⁸ tn Heb “river.” So also in vv. 21, 31.

¹⁹ tn Heb “who trembled at the words of the God of Israel.”

²⁰ tn Heb “the exile”; the words “the people” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

²¹ tn Heb “with much weeping.”

²² tn Heb “the time [is] rain showers.”