Ezra 3:8

3:8 In the second year after they had come to the temple of God in Jerusalem, ¹  in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak initiated the work, ²  along with the rest of their associates, ³  the priests and the Levites, and all those who were coming to Jerusalem from the exile. They appointed ⁴  the Levites who were at least twenty years old ⁵  to take charge of the work on the Lord’s temple.

Ezra 4:2

4:2 they came to Zerubbabel and the leaders ⁶  and said to them, “Let us help you build, ⁷  for like you we seek your God and we have been sacrificing to him ⁸  from the time ⁹  of King Esarhaddon ¹⁰  of Assyria, who brought us here.” ¹¹ 

Ezra 5:2

5:2 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak began ¹²  to rebuild the temple of God in Jerusalem. The prophets of God were with them, supporting them.

[3:8]  ¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:8]  ² tn Heb “began”; the phrase “the work” is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[3:8]  ³ tn Heb “their brothers.”

[3:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “stood.”

[3:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “from twenty years and upward.”

[4:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.” So also in v. 3.

[4:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “Let us build with you.”

[4:2]  ⁸ tc The translation reads with the Qere, a Qumran MS, the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Arabic version וְלוֹ (vÿlo, “and him”) rather than the Kethib of the MT, וְלֹא (vÿlo’, “and not”).

[4:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “days.”

[4:2]  ¹⁰ sn Esarhaddon was king of Assyria ca. 681-669 b.c.

[4:2]  ¹¹ sn The Assyrian policy had been to resettle Samaria with peoples from other areas (cf. 2 Kgs 17:24-34). These immigrants acknowledged Yahweh as well as other deities in some cases. The Jews who returned from the Exile regarded them with suspicion and were not hospitable to their offer of help in rebuilding the temple.

[5:2]  ¹² tn Aram “arose and began.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a single concept.