Ezra 1:4

1:4 Anyone who survives in any of those places where he is a resident foreigner must be helped by his neighbors ¹  with silver, gold, equipment, and animals, along with voluntary offerings for the temple of God which is in Jerusalem.’”

Ezra 3:9

3:9 So Jeshua appointed both his sons and his relatives, ²  Kadmiel and his sons (the sons of Yehudah ³ ), to take charge of the workers in the temple of God, along with the sons of Henadad, their sons, and their relatives ⁴  the Levites.

Ezra 5:8

5:8 Let it be known to the king that we have gone to the province of Judah, to the temple of the great God. It is being built with large stones, ⁵  and timbers are being placed in the walls. This work is being done with all diligence and is prospering in their hands.

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 ⁶  of Israel built it and completed it. 5:12 But after our ancestors ⁷  angered the God of heaven, he delivered them into the hands ⁸  of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and exiled the people to Babylon. ⁹ 

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 ¹⁰  the priests who are in Jerusalem – must be given to them daily without any neglect,

Ezra 6:14

6:14 The elders of the Jews continued building and prospering, while at the same time ¹¹  Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo continued prophesying. They built and brought it to completion by the command of the God of Israel and by the command of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

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 7:9

7:9 On the first day of the first month he had determined to make ¹²  the ascent from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he arrived at Jerusalem, ¹³  for the good hand of his God was on him.

Ezra 7:21

7:21 “I, King Artaxerxes, hereby issue orders to all the treasurers of ¹⁴  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 7:24

7:24 Furthermore, be aware of the fact ¹⁵  that you have no authority to impose tax, tribute, or toll on any of the priests, the Levites, the musicians, the doorkeepers, the temple servants, or the attendants at the temple of this God.

Ezra 8:17-18

8:17 I sent them to Iddo, who was the leader in the place called Casiphia. I told them ¹⁶  what to say to Iddo and his relatives, ¹⁷  who were the temple servants in ¹⁸  Casiphia, so they would bring us attendants for the temple of our God.

8:18 Due to the fact that the good hand of our God was on us, they brought us a skilled man, from the descendants of Mahli the son of Levi son of Israel. This man was Sherebiah, ¹⁹  who was accompanied by his sons and brothers, ²⁰  18 men,

Ezra 8:21

8:21 I called for a fast there by the Ahava Canal, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and seek from him a safe journey ²¹  for us, our children, and all our property.

Ezra 8:31

8:31 On the twelfth day of the first month we began traveling from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from our enemy and from bandits ²²  along the way.

Ezra 9:15--10:2

9:15 O Lord God of Israel, you are righteous, for we are left as a remnant this day. Indeed, we stand before you in our guilt. However, because of this guilt ²³  no one can really stand before you.”

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. ²⁴  10:2 Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, from the descendants of Elam, ²⁵  addressed Ezra:

“We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying ²⁶  foreign women from the local peoples. ²⁷  Nonetheless, there is still hope for Israel in this regard. ²⁸ 

---

¹ tn Heb “the men of his place.”

² tn Heb “brothers.”

³ sn The name יְהוּדָה (Yehudah; cf. KJV, ASV, NASB “Judah”) is probably a variant of Hodaviah (see Ezra 2:40; cf. NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).

⁴ tn Heb “brothers.”

⁵ tn Aram “stones of rolling.” The reference is apparently to stones too large to carry.

⁶ sn This great king of Israel would, of course, be Solomon.

⁷ tn Aram “fathers.”

⁸ tn Aram “hand” (singular).

⁹ sn A reference to the catastrophic events of 586 b.c.

¹⁰ tn Aram “according to the word of.”

¹¹ tn Aram “in” or “by,” in the sense of accompaniment.

¹² tc The translation reads יִסַּד (yissad, “he appointed” [= determined]) rather than the reading יְסֻד (yÿsud, “foundation”) of the MT. (The words “to make” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.)

¹³ sn Apparently it took the caravan almost four months to make the five hundred mile journey.

¹⁴ tn Aram “who are in.”

¹⁵ tn Aram “we are making known to you.”

¹⁶ tn Heb “I placed in their mouth words.”

¹⁷ 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.

¹⁸ tn Heb “in the place called.” This phrase has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

¹⁹ tn Heb “and Sherebiah.” The words “this man was” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

²⁰ tn Or “relatives” (so CEV; NRSV “kin”); also in v. 19.

²¹ tn Heb “a straight way.”

²² tn Heb “from the hand of the enemy and the one who lies in wait.” Some modern English versions render the latter phrase as “ambushes” (cf. NASB, NRSV).

²³ tn Heb “this”; the referent (the guilt mentioned previously) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²⁴ tn Heb “with much weeping.”

²⁵ tc The translation reads with the Qere, many medieval Hebrew MSS, the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate עֵילָם (’elam, “Elam”) rather than the reading עוֹלָם (’olam, “eternity”) found in the MT.

²⁶ tn Heb “in that we have given a dwelling to.” So also in vv. 14, 17, 18.

²⁷ tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.”

²⁸ tn Heb “upon this.”