Ezra 1:3

1:3 Anyone from ¹  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 3:11

3:11 With antiphonal response they sang, ²  praising and glorifying the Lord:

“For he is good;

his loyal love toward Israel is forever.”

All the people gave a loud ³  shout as they praised the Lord when the temple of the Lord was established.

Ezra 9:11

9:11 which you commanded us through your servants the prophets with these words: ⁴  ‘The land that you are entering to possess is a land defiled by the impurities of the local residents! ⁵  With their abominations they have filled it from one end to the other with their filthiness.

Ezra 10:1-2

The People Confess Their Sins

10:1 While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself to the ground before the temple of God, a very large crowd of Israelites – men, women, and children alike – gathered around him. The people wept loudly. ⁶  10:2 Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, from the descendants of Elam, ⁷  addressed Ezra:

“We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying ⁸  foreign women from the local peoples. ⁹  Nonetheless, there is still hope for Israel in this regard. ¹⁰ 

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

10:13 However, the people are numerous and it is the rainy season. ¹¹  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.

[1:3]  ¹ tn Heb “from all.”

[3:11]  ² tn Heb “they answered.”

[3:11]  ³ tn Heb “great.”

[9:11]  ³ tn Heb “through your servants the prophets, saying.”

[9:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.”

[10:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “with much weeping.”

[10:2]  ⁵ tc The translation reads with the Qere, many medieval Hebrew MSS, the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate עֵילָם (’elam, “Elam”) rather than the reading עוֹלָם (’olam, “eternity”) found in the MT.

[10:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “in that we have given a dwelling to.” So also in vv. 14, 17, 18.

[10:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.”

[10:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “upon this.”

[10:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “the time [is] rain showers.”