Ezra 7:18

7:18 You may do whatever seems appropriate to you and your colleagues¹ with the rest of the silver and the gold, in keeping with the will of your God.

Ezra 4:22

4:22 Exercise appropriate caution so that there is no negligence in this matter. Why should danger increase to the point that kings sustain damage?”

Ezra 7:26

7:26 Everyone who does not observe both the law of your God and the law of the king will be completely² liable to the appropriate penalty, whether it is death or banishment or confiscation of property or detainment in prison.”

Ezra 4:19

4:19 So I gave orders,³ and it was determined⁴ that this city from long ago has been engaging in insurrection against kings. It has continually engaged in⁵ rebellion and revolt.

Ezra 6:13

The Temple Is Finally Dedicated

6:13 Then Tattenai governor of Trans-Euphrates, Shethar-Bozenai, and their colleagues acted accordingly – with precision, just as Darius the king had given instructions.⁶

Ezra 6:16

6:16 The people⁷ of Israel – the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the exiles⁸ – observed the dedication of this temple of God with joy.

Ezra 4:15

4:15 so that he may initiate a search of the records⁹ of his predecessors¹⁰ and discover in those records¹¹ that this city is rebellious¹² and injurious to both kings and provinces, producing internal revolts¹³ from long ago.¹⁴ It is for this very reason that this city was destroyed.

Ezra 5:8

5:8 Let it be known to the king that we have gone to the province of Judah, to the temple of the great God. It is being built with large stones,¹⁵ and timbers are being placed in the walls. This work is being done with all diligence and is prospering in their hands.

Ezra 6:8

6:8 “I also hereby issue orders as to what you are to do with those elders of the Jews in order to rebuild this temple of God. From the royal treasury, from the taxes of Trans-Euphrates the complete costs are to be given to these men, so that there may be no interruption of the work.¹⁶

Ezra 6:11-12

6:11 “I hereby give orders that if anyone changes this directive a beam is to be pulled out from his house and he is to be raised up and impaled¹⁷ on it, and his house is to be reduced¹⁸ to a rubbish heap¹⁹ for this indiscretion.²⁰ 6:12 May God who makes his name to reside there overthrow any king or nation²¹ who reaches out²² 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 7:21

7:21 “I, King Artaxerxes, hereby issue orders to all the treasurers of²³ Trans-Euphrates, that you precisely execute all that Ezra the priestly scribe of the law of the God of heaven may request of you –

Ezra 7:23

7:23 Everything that the God of heaven has required should be precisely done for the temple of the God of heaven. Why should there be wrath²⁴ against the empire of the king and his sons?

¹tn Aram “brothers.”

²tn On the meaning of this word see HALOT 1820-21 s.v. אָסְפַּרְנָא; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 14.

³tn Aram “from me was placed a decree.”

⁴tn Aram “and they searched and found.”

⁵tn Aram “are being done.”

⁴tn Aram “sent.”

⁵tn Aram “sons of.”

⁶tn Aram “sons of the exile.”

⁶tn Aram “the book of the minutes.”

⁷tn Aram “of your fathers.”

⁸tn Aram “discover…and learn.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a single concept.

⁹tn Aram “is a rebellious city.”

¹⁰tn Aram “revolts they are making in its midst.”

¹¹tn Aram “from olden days.” So also in v. 19.

⁷tn Aram “stones of rolling.” The reference is apparently to stones too large to carry.

⁸tn The words “of the work” are not in the Aramaic, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

⁹sn The practice referred to in v. 11 has been understood in various ways: hanging (cf. 1 Esd 6:32 and KJV); flogging (cf. NEB, NLT); impalement (BDB 1091 s.v. זְקַף; HALOT 1914 s.v. מחא hitpe; cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV). The latter seems the most likely.

¹⁰tn Aram “made.”

¹¹tn Aram “a dunghill.”

¹²tn Aram “for this.”

¹⁰tn Aram “people.”

¹¹tn Aram “who sends forth his hand.”

¹¹tn Aram “who are in.”

¹²tn The Aramaic word used here for “wrath” (קְצַף, qÿtsaf; cf. Heb קָצַף, qatsaf) is usually used in the Hebrew Bible for God’s anger as opposed to human anger (but contra Eccl 5:17 [MT 5:16]; Esth 1:18; 2 Kgs 3:27). The fact that this word is used in v. 23 may have theological significance, pointing to the possibility of divine judgment if the responsible parties should fail to make available these provisions for the temple.