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 ¹  of Israel built it and completed it.

Ezra 5:4

5:4 They ²  also asked them, “What are the names of the men who are building this edifice?”

Ezra 6:14

6:14 The elders of the Jews continued building and prospering, while at the same time ³  Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo continued prophesying. They built and brought it to completion by the command of the God of Israel and by the command of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

Ezra 4:16

4:16 We therefore are informing the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, you will not retain control ⁴  of this portion of Trans-Euphrates.”

Ezra 4:21

4:21 Now give orders that these men cease their work and that this city not be rebuilt until such time as I so instruct. ⁵ 

Ezra 5:9

5:9 We inquired of those elders, asking them, ‘Who gave you the authority to rebuild this temple and to complete this structure?’

Ezra 5:13

5:13 But in the first year of King Cyrus of Babylon, ⁶  King Cyrus enacted a decree to rebuild this temple of God.

Ezra 5:15-16

5:15 He said to him, “Take these vessels and go deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt in its proper location.” ⁷  5:16 Then this Sheshbazzar went and laid the foundations of the temple of God in Jerusalem. From that time to the present moment ⁸  it has been in the process of being rebuilt, although it is not yet finished.’

Ezra 6:7

6:7 Leave the work on this temple of God alone. ⁹  Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this temple of God in its proper place.

¹ sn This great king of Israel would, of course, be Solomon.

² tc The translation reads with one medieval Hebrew MS, the LXX, and the Syriac Peshitta אֲמַרוּ (’amaru, “they said”) rather than the reading אֲמַרְנָא (’amarna’, “we said”) of the MT.

³ tn Aram “in” or “by,” in the sense of accompaniment.

⁴ tn Aram “will not be to you.”

⁵ tn Aram “until a command is issued from me.”

⁶ sn Cyrus was actually a Persian king, but when he conquered Babylon in 539 b.c. he apparently appropriated to himself the additional title “king of Babylon.” The Syriac Peshitta substitutes “Persia” for “Babylon” here, but this is probably a hyper-correction.

⁷ tn Aram “upon its place.”

⁸ tn Aram “from then and until now.”

⁹ tc For the MT reading “the work on this temple of God” the LXX reads “the servant of the Lord Zurababel” [= Zerubbabel].