(Now the Jewish feast of the Passover ¹  was near.) ² 

Now the Jewish feast of Tabernacles ¹  was near. ² 

to have them observe the fourteenth and the fifteenth day of the month of Adar each year

You and your household must eat them annually before the Lord your God in the place he ¹  chooses.

We also accept responsibility for ¹  bringing the first fruits of our land and the first fruits of every fruit tree year by year to the temple of the LORD.

But in those sacrifices ¹  there is a reminder of sins year after year.

Solomon received 666 talents ¹  of gold per year, ² 

Solomon received 666 talents ¹  of gold per year, ² 

Year after year he used to travel the circuit of Bethel, ¹  Gilgal, and Mizpah; he used to judge Israel in all of these places.

Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the Lord’s house. I noticed ¹  women sitting there weeping for Tammuz. ² 

He assembled the priests and Levites and ordered them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect the annual quota of silver from all Israel for repairs on the temple of your God. Be quick about it!” But the Levites delayed.

and Solomon supplied Hiram annually with 20,000 cors ¹  of wheat as provision for his royal court, ²  as well as 20,000 baths ³  of pure ⁴  olive oil. ⁵ 

Now King Mesha of Moab was a sheep breeder. ¹  He would send as tribute ²  to the king of Israel 100,000 male lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams.

Then all who survive from all the nations that came to attack Jerusalem will go up annually to worship the King, the Lord who rules over all, and to observe the Feast of Tabernacles. ¹ 

“We – the priests, the Levites, and the people – have cast lots concerning the wood offerings, to bring them to the temple of our God according to our families ¹  at the designated times year by year to burn on the altar of the LORD our God, as is written in the law.

Therefore, because of the account found in this letter and what they had faced in this regard and what had happened to them, the Jews established as binding on themselves, their descendants, and all who joined their company that they should observe these two days without fail, just as written and at the appropriate time on an annual basis.