Ezra 2:1

The Names of the Returning Exiles

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

Ezra 3:3

3:3 They established the altar on its foundations, even though they were in terror of the local peoples, ⁵  and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and the evening offerings.

Ezra 3:5

3:5 Afterward they offered the continual burnt offerings and those for the new moons and those for all the holy assemblies of the Lord and all those that were being voluntarily offered to the Lord.

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 4:5

4:5 They were hiring advisers to oppose them, so as to frustrate their plans, throughout the time ⁹  of King Cyrus of Persia until the reign of King Darius ¹⁰  of Persia. ¹¹ 

Ezra 5:1-2

Tattenai Appeals to Darius

5:1 Then the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son ¹²  of Iddo ¹³  prophesied concerning the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem ¹⁴  in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. 5:2 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak began ¹⁵  to rebuild the temple of God in Jerusalem. The prophets of God were with them, supporting them.

Ezra 5:5-6

5:5 But God was watching over ¹⁶  the elders of Judah, and they were not stopped ¹⁷  until a report could be dispatched ¹⁸  to Darius and a letter could be sent back concerning this.

5:6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai governor of Trans-Euphrates, Shethar-Bozenai, and his colleagues who were the officials of Trans-Euphrates sent to King Darius.

Ezra 6:20-21

6:20 The priests and the Levites had purified themselves, every last one, ¹⁹  and they all were ceremonially pure. They sacrificed the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their colleagues ²⁰  the priests, and for themselves. 6:21 The Israelites who were returning from the exile ate it, along with all those who had joined them ²¹  in separating themselves from the uncleanness of the nations of the land to seek the Lord God of Israel.

Ezra 8:15

The Exiles Travel to Jerusalem

8:15 I had them assemble ²²  at the canal ²³  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 8:25

8:25 and I weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the vessels intended for the temple of our God – items that the king, his advisers, his officials, and all Israel who were present had contributed.

Ezra 10:16

10:16 So the exiles proceeded accordingly. Ezra the priest separated out ²⁴  by name men who were leaders in their family groups. ²⁵  They sat down to consider this matter on the first day of the tenth month,

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¹ 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.

² tn Heb “the sons of.”

³ 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.”

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 “the peoples of the lands.”

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 Heb “all the days of.”

¹⁰ sn Darius ruled Persia ca. 522-486 B.C.

¹¹ sn The purpose of the opening verses of this chapter is to summarize why the Jews returning from the exile were unable to complete the rebuilding of the temple more quickly than they did. The delay was due not to disinterest on their part but to the repeated obstacles that had been placed in their path by determined foes.

¹² tn Aram “son.” According to Zech 1:1 he was actually the grandson of Iddo.

¹³ tn Aram “and Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo the prophet.”

¹⁴ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

¹⁵ tn Aram “arose and began.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a single concept.

¹⁶ tn Aram “the eye of their God was on.” The idiom describes the attentive care that one exercises in behalf of the object of his concern.

¹⁷ tn Aram “they did not stop them.”

¹⁸ tn Aram “[could] go.” On this form see F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 58, §169.

¹⁹ tn Heb “as one.” The expression is best understood as referring to the unity shown by the religious leaders in preparing themselves for the observance of Passover. On the meaning of the Hebrew phrase see DCH 1:182 s.v. אֶחָד 3b. See also HALOT 30 s.v. אֶחָד 5.

²⁰ tn Heb “brothers.”

²¹ tn Heb “who had separated from the uncleanness of the nations of the land to them.”

²² tn Or “I gathered them.”

²³ tn Heb “river.” So also in vv. 21, 31.

²⁴ tc The translation reads the Hiphil singular וַיַּבְדֵּל לוֹ (vayyavdel lo, “separated for himself”) rather than the Niphal plural וַיִּבָּדְלוּ (vayyibbadÿlu, “were separated”) of the MT.

²⁵ tn Heb “the heads of the fathers, to the house of their fathers, and all of them by name.”