5:17 “Now if the king is so inclined, 1 let a search be conducted in the royal archives 2 there in Babylon in order to determine whether King Cyrus did in fact issue orders for this temple of God to be rebuilt in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us a decision concerning this matter.”
6:11 “I hereby give orders that if anyone changes this directive a beam is to be pulled out from his house and he is to be raised up and impaled 3 on it, and his house is to be reduced 4 to a rubbish heap 5 for this indiscretion. 6
1 tn Aram “if upon the king it is good.”
2 tn Aram “the house of the treasures of the king.”
3 sn The practice referred to in v. 11 has been understood in various ways: hanging (cf. 1 Esd 6:32 and KJV); flogging (cf. NEB, NLT); impalement (BDB 1091 s.v. זְקַף; HALOT 1914 s.v. מחא hitpe; cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV). The latter seems the most likely.
4 tn Aram “made.”
5 tn Aram “a dunghill.”
6 tn Aram “for this.”