Ezra 3:9

3:9 So Jeshua appointed both his sons and his relatives, ¹  Kadmiel and his sons (the sons of Yehudah ² ), to take charge of the workers in the temple of God, along with the sons of Henadad, their sons, and their relatives ³  the Levites.

Ezra 3:12

3:12 Many of the priests, the Levites, and the leaders ⁴  – older people who had seen with their own eyes the former temple while it was still established ⁵  – were weeping loudly, ⁶  and many others raised their voice in a joyous shout.

Ezra 5:8

5:8 Let it be known to the king that we have gone to the province of Judah, to the temple of the great God. It is being built with large stones, ⁷  and timbers are being placed in the walls. This work is being done with all diligence and is prospering in their hands.

Ezra 6:20

6:20 The priests and the Levites had purified themselves, every last one, ⁸  and they all were ceremonially pure. They sacrificed the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their colleagues ⁹  the priests, and for themselves.

Ezra 8:22

8:22 I was embarrassed to request soldiers and horsemen from the king to protect us from the enemy ¹⁰  along the way, because we had said to the king, “The good hand of our God is on everyone who is seeking him, but his great anger ¹¹  is against everyone who forsakes him.”

Ezra 9:8

9:8 “But now briefly ¹²  we have received mercy from the Lord our God, in that he has left us a remnant and has given us a secure position ¹³  in his holy place. Thus our God has enlightened our eyes ¹⁴  and has given us a little relief in our time of servitude.

Ezra 9:11

9:11 which you commanded us through your servants the prophets with these words: ¹⁵  ‘The land that you are entering to possess is a land defiled by the impurities of the local residents! ¹⁶  With their abominations they have filled it from one end to the other with their filthiness.

Ezra 10:2-3

10:2 Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, from the descendants of Elam, ¹⁷  addressed Ezra:

“We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying ¹⁸  foreign women from the local peoples. ¹⁹  Nonetheless, there is still hope for Israel in this regard. ²⁰  10:3 Therefore let us enact ²¹  a covenant with our God to send away all these women and their offspring, in keeping with your counsel, my lord, ²²  and that of those who respect ²³  the commandments of our God. And let it be done according to the law.

Ezra 10:6

10:6 Then Ezra got up from in front of the temple of God and went to the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. While he stayed ²⁴  there, he did not eat food or drink water, for he was in mourning over the infidelity of the exiles.

Ezra 10:13

10:13 However, the people are numerous and it is the rainy season. ²⁵  We are unable to stand here outside. Furthermore, this business cannot be resolved in a day or two, for we have sinned greatly in this matter.

Ezra 10:16

10:16 So the exiles proceeded accordingly. Ezra the priest separated out ²⁶  by name men who were leaders in their family groups. ²⁷  They sat down to consider this matter on the first day of the tenth month,

[3:9]  ¹ tn Heb “brothers.”

[3:9]  ² sn The name יְהוּדָה (Yehudah; cf. KJV, ASV, NASB “Judah”) is probably a variant of Hodaviah (see Ezra 2:40; cf. NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).

[3:9]  ³ tn Heb “brothers.”

[3:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”

[3:12]  ⁵ sn The temple had been destroyed some fifty years earlier by the Babylonians in 586 b.c.

[3:12]  ⁶ tn Heb “with a great voice.”

[5:8]  ⁷ tn Aram “stones of rolling.” The reference is apparently to stones too large to carry.

[6:20]  ⁸ tn Heb “as one.” The expression is best understood as referring to the unity shown by the religious leaders in preparing themselves for the observance of Passover. On the meaning of the Hebrew phrase see DCH 1:182 s.v. אֶחָד 3b. See also HALOT 30 s.v. אֶחָד 5.

[6:20]  ⁹ tn Heb “brothers.”

[8:22]  ¹⁰ tn A number of modern translations regard this as a collective singular and translate “from enemies” (also in v. 31).

[8:22]  ¹¹ tn Heb “his strength and his anger.” The expression is a hendiadys (one concept expressed through two terms).

[9:8]  ¹² tn Heb “according to a little moment.”

[9:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “a peg” or “tent peg.” The imagery behind this word is drawn from the experience of nomads who put down pegs as they pitched their tents and made camp after times of travel.

[9:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “to cause our eyes to shine.” The expression is a figure of speech for “to revive.” See DCH 1:160 s.v. אור Hi.7.

[9:11]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “through your servants the prophets, saying.”

[9:11]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.”

[10:2]  ¹⁷ tc The translation reads with the Qere, many medieval Hebrew MSS, the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate עֵילָם (’elam, “Elam”) rather than the reading עוֹלָם (’olam, “eternity”) found in the MT.

[10:2]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “in that we have given a dwelling to.” So also in vv. 14, 17, 18.

[10:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.”

[10:2]  ²⁰ tn Heb “upon this.”

[10:3]  ²¹ tn Heb “cut.”

[10:3]  ²² tn The MT vocalizes this word as a plural, which could be understood as a reference to God. But the context seems to suggest that a human lord is intended. The apparatus of BHS suggests repointing the word as a singular (“my lord”), but this is unnecessary. The plural (“my lords”) can be understood in an honorific sense even when a human being is in view. Most English versions regard this as a reference to Ezra, so the present translation supplies “your” before “counsel” to make this clear.

[10:3]  ²³ tn Heb “who tremble at”; NAB, NIV “who fear.”

[10:6]  ²⁴ tc The translation reads וַיָּלֶן (vayyalen, “and he stayed”) rather than the reading וַיֵּלֶךְ (vayyelekh, “and he went”) of the MT. Cf. the LXX.

[10:13]  ²⁵ tn Heb “the time [is] rain showers.”

[10:16]  ²⁶ tc The translation reads the Hiphil singular וַיַּבְדֵּל לוֹ (vayyavdel lo, “separated for himself”) rather than the Niphal plural וַיִּבָּדְלוּ (vayyibbadÿlu, “were separated”) of the MT.

[10:16]  ²⁷ tn Heb “the heads of the fathers, to the house of their fathers, and all of them by name.”