Ezra 4:15

4:15 so that he may initiate a search of the records ¹  of his predecessors ²  and discover in those records ³  that this city is rebellious ⁴  and injurious to both kings and provinces, producing internal revolts ⁵  from long ago. ⁶  It is for this very reason that this city was destroyed.

Ezra 7:25

7:25 “Now you, Ezra, in keeping with the wisdom of your God which you possess, ⁷  appoint judges ⁸  and court officials who can arbitrate cases on behalf of all the people who are in Trans-Euphrates who know the laws of your God. Those who do not know this law should be taught.

Ezra 3:12

3:12 Many of the priests, the Levites, and the leaders ⁹  – older people who had seen with their own eyes the former temple while it was still established ¹⁰  – were weeping loudly, ¹¹  and many others raised their voice in a joyous shout.

Ezra 5:11

5:11 They responded to us in the following way: ‘We are servants of the God of heaven and earth. We are rebuilding the temple which was previously built many years ago. A great king ¹²  of Israel built it and completed it.

Ezra 5:17

5:17 “Now if the king is so inclined, ¹³  let a search be conducted in the royal archives ¹⁴  there in Babylon in order to determine whether King Cyrus did in fact issue orders for this temple of God to be rebuilt in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us a decision concerning this matter.”

Ezra 7:6

7:6 This Ezra is the one who came up from Babylon. He was a scribe who was skilled in the law of Moses which the Lord God of Israel had given. The king supplied him with everything he requested, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.

Ezra 9:13

9:13 “Everything that has happened to us has come about because of our wicked actions and our great guilt. Even so, our God, you have exercised restraint ¹⁵  toward our iniquities and have given us a remnant such as this.

[4:15]  ¹ tn Aram “the book of the minutes.”

[4:15]  ² tn Aram “of your fathers.”

[4:15]  ³ tn Aram “discover…and learn.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a single concept.

[4:15]  ⁴ tn Aram “is a rebellious city.”

[4:15]  ⁵ tn Aram “revolts they are making in its midst.”

[4:15]  ⁶ tn Aram “from olden days.” So also in v. 19.

[7:25]  ⁷ tn Aram “in your hand.”

[7:25]  ⁸ tc For the MT reading שָׁפְטִין (shoftim, “judges”) the LXX uses the noun γραμματεῖς (grammatei", “scribes”).

[3:12]  ⁹ tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”

[3:12]  ¹⁰ sn The temple had been destroyed some fifty years earlier by the Babylonians in 586 b.c.

[3:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “with a great voice.”

[5:11]  ¹² sn This great king of Israel would, of course, be Solomon.

[5:17]  ¹³ tn Aram “if upon the king it is good.”

[5:17]  ¹⁴ tn Aram “the house of the treasures of the king.”

[9:13]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “held back downwards from”; KJV “hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve” (NIV, NRSV, NLT all similar).