7:6 These are the people 1 of the province who returned 2 from the captivity of the exiles, whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had forced into exile. 3 They returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, each to his own city.
8:7 Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah – all of whom were Levites 4 – were teaching the people the law, as the people remained standing.
1 tn Heb “the sons of”; KJV, ASV “the children of”; NAB “the inhabitants of.”
2 tn Heb “who were going up.”
3 tc One medieval Hebrew manuscript has “to Babylon.” Cf. Ezra 2:1.
4 tc The MT reads “and the Levites.” The conjunction (“and”) should be deleted, following the LXX, Aquila, and the Vulgate. That the vav (ו) of the MT is the vav explicativum (“even the Levites”) is unlikely here.