Discovery BoxEzra 3:1 
Context3:1 When the seventh month arrived and the Israelites 1 were living 2 in their 3 towns, the people assembled 4 in 5 Jerusalem. 6
Ezra 3:8
Context3:8 In the second year after they had come to the temple of God in Jerusalem, 7 in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak initiated the work, 8 along with the rest of their associates, 9 the priests and the Levites, and all those who were coming to Jerusalem from the exile. They appointed 10 the Levites who were at least twenty years old 11 to take charge of the work on the Lord’s temple.
Ezra 3:12
Context3:12 Many of the priests, the Levites, and the leaders 12 – older people who had seen with their own eyes the former temple while it was still established 13 – were weeping loudly, 14 and many others raised their voice in a joyous shout.
1 tn Heb “the sons of Israel.”
2 tn The word “living” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied. Some translations supply “settled” (cf. NAB, NIV, NLT).
3 tc The translation reads with some medieval Hebrew
4 tn The Hebrew text adds the phrase “like one man.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
5 tn Heb “to.”
6 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
7 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
8 tn Heb “began”; the phrase “the work” is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
9 tn Heb “their brothers.”
10 tn Heb “stood.”
11 tn Heb “from twenty years and upward.”
12 tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”
13 sn The temple had been destroyed some fifty years earlier by the Babylonians in 586
14 tn Heb “with a great voice.”
