Ezra 1:4-6

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.’”

The Exiles Prepare to Return to Jerusalem

1:5 Then the leaders ²  of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and the Levites – all those whose mind God had stirred – got ready ³  to go up in order to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. ⁴  1:6 All their neighbors assisted ⁵  them with silver utensils, ⁶  gold, equipment, animals, and expensive gifts, not to mention ⁷  all the voluntary offerings.

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¹ tn Heb “the men of his place.”

² tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”

³ tn Heb “arose.”

⁴ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁵ tn Heb “strengthened their hands.”

⁶ tc The MT reads בִּכְלֵי־כֶסֶף (bikhley khesef, “with silver vessels”). However, part of the LXX manuscript tradition reads ἐν πᾶσιν ἀργυρίῳ (en pasin arguriw), which reflects an alternate Hebrew reading of בַּכֹּל־בַּכֶּסֶף (bakkol-bakkesef, “everywhere, with silver”). The textual variant involves (1) simple omission of yod (י) between two words, a common scribal mistake; (2) haplography of the preposition bet (בּ); and (3) an alternate vocalization tradition of the first term.

⁷ tn Heb “besides” or “in addition to.”