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.
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 5 along the way.
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. 6 10:2 Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, from the descendants of Elam, 7 addressed Ezra:
“We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying 8 foreign women from the local peoples. 9 Nonetheless, there is still hope for Israel in this regard. 10
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 “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).
6 tn Heb “with much weeping.”
7 tc The translation reads with the Qere, many medieval Hebrew
8 tn Heb “in that we have given a dwelling to.” So also in vv. 14, 17, 18.
9 tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.”
10 tn Heb “upon this.”