7:12 1 “Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, a scribe of the perfect law of the God of heaven:
10:8 Indeed, 2 he says:
“Are not my officials all kings?
2:37 “You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has granted you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor.
8:10 Even though they have hired lovers among the nations, 4
I will soon gather them together for judgment. 5
Then 6 they will begin to waste away
under the oppression of a mighty king. 7
1 sn Ezra 7:12-26 is written in Aramaic rather than Hebrew.
2 tn Or “For” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).
3 tn Heb “made his throne above the throne of
4 tn Or “they have hired themselves out to lovers”; cf. NASB “they hire allies among the nations.”
5 tn The Piel stem of קָבַץ (qavats) is often used in a positive sense, meaning “to regather” a dispersed people (HALOT 1063 s.v. קבץ 3.a; BDB 868 s.v. קָבַץ 1.α). However, in Hosea 8:10 it is used in a negative sense, meaning “to assemble (people) for judgment” (e.g., Ezek 20:34; Hos 9:6; HALOT 1063 s.v. 3.e.i). Cf. JPS “I will hold them fast” (in judgment, see the parallel in 9:6).
6 tn The vav consecutive + preterite וַיָּחֵלּוּ (vayyakhellu, Hiphil preterite 3rd person common plural from חָלַל, khalal, “to begin”]) denotes temporal subordination to the preceding clause: “then…” (so NLT); cf. TEV, CEV “Soon.”
7 tn Heb “a king of princes” (cf. KJV, NASB); TEV “the emperor of Assyria.”