Ezra 1:1

The Decree of Cyrus

1:1 ¹ In the first ²  year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the Lord’s message ³  spoken through ⁴  Jeremiah, ⁵  the Lord stirred the mind ⁶  of King Cyrus of Persia. He disseminated ⁷  a proclamation ⁸  throughout his entire kingdom, announcing in a written edict ⁹  the following: ¹⁰ 

Ezra 1:3

1:3 Anyone from ¹¹  his people among you (may his God be with him!) may go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and may build the temple of the Lord God of Israel – he is the God who is in Jerusalem.

Ezra 3:2

3:2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak ¹²  and his priestly colleagues ¹³  and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his colleagues ¹⁴  started to build ¹⁵  the altar of the God of Israel so they could offer burnt offerings on it as required by ¹⁶  the law of Moses the man of God.

Ezra 3:12

3:12 Many of the priests, the Levites, and the leaders ¹⁷  – older people who had seen with their own eyes the former temple while it was still established ¹⁸  – were weeping loudly, ¹⁹  and many others raised their voice in a joyous shout.

Ezra 4:2

4:2 they came to Zerubbabel and the leaders ²⁰  and said to them, “Let us help you build, ²¹  for like you we seek your God and we have been sacrificing to him ²²  from the time ²³  of King Esarhaddon ²⁴  of Assyria, who brought us here.” ²⁵ 

Ezra 8:17

8:17 I sent them to Iddo, who was the leader in the place called Casiphia. I told them ²⁶  what to say to Iddo and his relatives, ²⁷  who were the temple servants in ²⁸  Casiphia, so they would bring us attendants for the temple of our God.

Ezra 9:8

9:8 “But now briefly ²⁹  we have received mercy from the Lord our God, in that he has left us a remnant and has given us a secure position ³⁰  in his holy place. Thus our God has enlightened our eyes ³¹  and has given us a little relief in our time of servitude.

Ezra 9:12

9:12 Therefore do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons, and do not take their daughters in marriage for your sons. Do not ever seek their peace or welfare, so that you may be strong and may eat the good of the land and may leave it as an inheritance for your children ³²  forever.’

¹ sn In addition to the canonical books of Ezra and Nehemiah, there are two deuterocanonical books that are also called “Ezra.” Exactly how these books are designated varies in ancient literature. In the Septuagint (LXX) canonical Ezra is called Second Esdras, but in the Latin Vulgate it is called First Esdras. Our Nehemiah is called Third Esdras in some manuscripts of the LXX, but it is known as Second Esdras in the Latin Vulgate. (In the earliest LXX manuscripts Ezra and Nehemiah were regarded as one book, as they were in some Hebrew manuscripts.) The deuterocanonical books of Ezra are called First and Fourth Esdras in the LXX, but Third and Fourth Esdras in the Latin Vulgate. The titles for the so-called books of Ezra are thus rather confusing, a fact that one must keep in mind when consulting this material.

² sn The first year of Cyrus would be ca. 539 B.C. Cyrus reigned in Persia from ca. 539-530 B.C.

³ tn Heb “the word of the Lord.”

⁴ tc The MT reads מִפִּי (mippi, “from the mouth of”), but this should probably be emended to בְּפִי (bÿfi, “by the mouth of”), which is the way the parallel passage in 2 Chr 36:22 reads. This is also reflected in the LXX, which is either reflecting an alternate textual tradition of בְּפִי or is attempting to harmonize Ezra 1:1 in light of 2 Chronicles.

⁵ sn Cf. Jer 29:10; 25:11-14. Jeremiah had prophesied that after a time of seventy years the Jews would return “to this place.” How these seventy years are to be reckoned is a matter of debate among scholars. Some understand the period to refer to the approximate length of Babylon’s ascendancy as a world power, beginning either with the fall of Nineveh (612 b.c.) or with Nebuchadnezzar’s coronation (605 b.c.) and continuing till the fall of Babylon to the Persians in 539 b.c. Others take the seventy years to refer to the period from the destruction of the temple in 586 b.c. till its rebuilding in 516 b.c.

⁶ tn Heb “spirit.” The Hebrew noun רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) has a broad range of meanings (see BDB 924-26 s.v.). Here, it probably refers to (1) “mind” as the seat of mental acts (e.g., Exod 28:3; Deut 34:9; Isa 29:24; 40:13; Ezek 11:5; 20:32; 1 Chr 28:12; cf. BDB 925 s.v. 6) or (2) “will” as the seat of volitional decisions (e.g., Exod 35:5, 22; Pss 51:12, 14; 57:8; 2 Chr 29:31; cf. BDB 925 s.v. 7). So also in v. 5.

⁷ tn Heb “caused to pass.”

⁸ tn Heb “a voice.” The Hebrew noun קוֹל (qol, “voice, sound”) has a broad range of meanings, including the metonymical (cause – effect) nuance “proclamation” (e.g., Exod 36:6; 2 Chr 24:9; 30:5; 36:22; Ezra 1:1; 10:7; Neh 8:15). See BDB 877 s.v. 3.a.2.

⁹ sn For an interesting extrabiblical parallel to this edict see the Cyrus cylinder (ANET 315-16).

¹⁰ tn Heb “in writing, saying.”

¹¹ tn Heb “from all.”

²¹ sn Jozadak (also in 3:8) is a variant spelling of Jehozadak.

²² tn Heb “his brothers the priests.”

²³ tn Heb “his brothers.”

²⁴ tn Heb “arose and built.”

²⁵ tn Heb “written in.” Cf. v. 4.

³¹ tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”

³² sn The temple had been destroyed some fifty years earlier by the Babylonians in 586 b.c.

³³ tn Heb “with a great voice.”

⁴¹ tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.” So also in v. 3.

⁴² tn Heb “Let us build with you.”

⁴³ 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”).

⁴⁴ tn Heb “days.”

⁴⁵ sn Esarhaddon was king of Assyria ca. 681-669 b.c.

⁴⁶ 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.

⁵¹ tn Heb “I placed in their mouth words.”

⁵² tc The translation reads with the LXX and Vulgate וְאֶחָיו (vÿ’ekhayv, “and his brethren” = “relatives”; so NCV, NLT) rather than the reading אָחִיו (’akhiyv, “his brother”) of the MT.

⁵³ tn Heb “in the place called.” This phrase has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁶¹ tn Heb “according to a little moment.”

⁶² 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.

⁶³ 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.

⁷¹ tn Heb “sons”; cf. KJV, NAB, NIV, NLT “children”; NCV, TEV “descendants.”