Ezra 3:2

3:2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak ¹  and his priestly colleagues ²  and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his colleagues ³  started to build ⁴  the altar of the God of Israel so they could offer burnt offerings on it as required by ⁵  the law of Moses the man of God.

Ezra 6:12

6:12 May God who makes his name to reside there overthrow any king or nation ⁶  who reaches out ⁷  to cause such change so as to destroy this temple of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have given orders. Let them be carried out with precision!”

Ezra 9:8

9:8 “But now briefly ⁸  we have received mercy from the Lord our God, in that he has left us a remnant and has given us a secure position ⁹  in his holy place. Thus our God has enlightened our eyes ¹⁰  and has given us a little relief in our time of servitude.

Ezra 10:3

10:3 Therefore let us enact ¹¹  a covenant with our God to send away all these women and their offspring, in keeping with your counsel, my lord, ¹²  and that of those who respect ¹³  the commandments of our God. And let it be done according to the law.

Ezra 10:9

10:9 All the men of Judah and Benjamin were gathered in Jerusalem within the three days. (It was in the ninth month, on the twentieth day of that month.) All the people sat in the square at the temple of God, trembling because of this matter and because of the rains.

Ezra 10:13-14

10:13 However, the people are numerous and it is the rainy season. ¹⁴  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. 10:14 Let our leaders take steps ¹⁵  on behalf of all the assembly. Let all those in our towns who have married foreign women come at an appointed time, and with them the elders of each town and its judges, until the hot anger of our God is turned away from us in this matter.”

¹ sn Jozadak (also in 3:8) is a variant spelling of Jehozadak.

² tn Heb “his brothers the priests.”

³ tn Heb “his brothers.”

⁴ tn Heb “arose and built.”

⁵ tn Heb “written in.” Cf. v. 4.

⁶ tn Aram “people.”

⁷ tn Aram “who sends forth his hand.”

¹¹ tn Heb “according to a little moment.”

¹² 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.

¹³ 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.

¹⁶ tn Heb “cut.”

¹⁷ 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.

¹⁸ tn Heb “who tremble at”; NAB, NIV “who fear.”

²¹ tn Heb “the time [is] rain showers.”

²⁶ tn Heb “stand.”