Daniel 3:29

3:29 I hereby decree ¹  that any people, nation, or language group that blasphemes ²  the god of Shadrach, Meshach, or Abednego will be dismembered and his home reduced to rubble! For there exists no other god who can deliver in this way.”

Ezra 6:8-12

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. ³  6:9 Whatever is needed – whether oxen or rams or lambs or burnt offerings for the God of heaven or wheat or salt or wine or oil, as required by ⁴  the priests who are in Jerusalem – must be given to them daily without any neglect, 6:10 so that they may be offering incense to the God of heaven and may be praying for the good fortune of the king and his family. ⁵ 

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 impaled ⁶  on it, and his house is to be reduced ⁷  to a rubbish heap ⁸  for this indiscretion. ⁹  6:12 May God who makes his name to reside there overthrow any king or nation ¹⁰  who reaches out ¹¹  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 7:12-13

7:12 ¹² “Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, a scribe of the perfect law of the God of heaven: 7:13 I have now issued a decree ¹³  that anyone in my kingdom from the people of Israel – even the priests and Levites – who wishes to do so may go up with you to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ 

[3:29]  ¹ tn Aram “from me is placed an edict.”

[3:29]  ² tn Aram “speaks negligence.”

[6:8]  ³ tn The words “of the work” are not in the Aramaic, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[6:9]  ⁴ tn Aram “according to the word of.”

[6:10]  ⁵ tn Aram “for the life of the king and his sons.”

[6:11]  ⁶ sn 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.

[6:11]  ⁷ tn Aram “made.”

[6:11]  ⁸ tn Aram “a dunghill.”

[6:11]  ⁹ tn Aram “for this.”

[6:12]  ¹⁰ tn Aram “people.”

[6:12]  ¹¹ tn Aram “who sends forth his hand.”

[7:12]  ¹² sn Ezra 7:12-26 is written in Aramaic rather than Hebrew.

[7:13]  ¹³ tn Heb “from me is placed a decree.” So also in v. 21.

[7:13]  ¹⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.