Ezra 2:68

2:68 When they came to the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem, some of the family leaders ¹  offered voluntary offerings for the temple of God in order to rebuild ²  it on its site.

Ezra 3:3

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

Ezra 4:13

4:13 Let the king also be aware that if this city is built and its walls are completed, no more tax, custom, or toll will be paid, and the royal treasury ⁴  will suffer loss.

Ezra 4:16

4:16 We therefore are informing the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, you will not retain control ⁵  of this portion of Trans-Euphrates.”

Ezra 6:7

6:7 Leave the work on this temple of God alone. ⁶  Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this temple of God in its proper place.

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¹ tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”

² tn Heb “cause it to stand.”

³ tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.”

⁴ tn Aram “the treasury of kings.” The plural “kings” is Hebrew, not Aramaic. If the plural is intended in a numerical sense the reference is not just to Artaxerxes but to his successors as well. Some scholars understand this to be the plural of majesty, referring to Artaxerxes. See F. C. Fensham, Ezra and Nehemiah (NICOT), 74.

⁵ tn Aram “will not be to you.”

⁶ tc For the MT reading “the work on this temple of God” the LXX reads “the servant of the Lord Zurababel” [= Zerubbabel].