Ezra 2:1

The Names of the Returning Exiles

2:1 ¹ These are the people ²  of the province who were going up, ³  from the captives of the exile whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had forced into exile in Babylon. They returned to Jerusalem ⁴  and Judah, each to his own city.

Ezra 3:5

3:5 Afterward they offered the continual burnt offerings and those for the new moons and those for all the holy assemblies of the Lord and all those that were being voluntarily offered to the Lord.

Ezra 3:13

3:13 People were unable to tell the difference between the sound of joyous shouting and the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people were shouting so loudly ⁵  that the sound was heard a long way off.

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 ⁶  of Israel built it and completed it.

Ezra 6:11

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 ⁷  on it, and his house is to be reduced ⁸  to a rubbish heap ⁹  for this indiscretion. ¹⁰ 

Ezra 6:20

6:20 The priests and the Levites had purified themselves, every last one, ¹¹  and they all were ceremonially pure. They sacrificed the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their colleagues ¹²  the priests, and for themselves.

Ezra 8:15

The Exiles Travel to Jerusalem

8:15 I had them assemble ¹³  at the canal ¹⁴  that flows toward Ahava, and we camped there for three days. I observed that the people and the priests were present, but I found no Levites there.

Ezra 8:18

8:18 Due to the fact that the good hand of our God was on us, they brought us a skilled man, from the descendants of Mahli the son of Levi son of Israel. This man was Sherebiah, ¹⁵  who was accompanied by his sons and brothers, ¹⁶  18 men,

Ezra 9:4

9:4 Everyone who held the words of the God of Israel in awe ¹⁷  gathered around me because of the unfaithful acts of the people of the exile. ¹⁸  Devastated, I continued to sit there until the evening offering.

Ezra 9:14

9:14 Shall we once again break your commandments and intermarry with these abominable peoples? Would you not be so angered by us that you would wipe us out, with no survivor or remnant?

[2:1]  ¹ sn The list of names and numbers in this chapter of Ezra has a parallel account in Neh 7:6-73. The fact that the two lists do not always agree in specific details suggests that various textual errors have crept into the accounts during the transmission process.

[2:1]  ² tn Heb “the sons of.”

[2:1]  ³ tn The Hebrew term הָעֹלִים (ha’olim, “those who were going up” [Qal active participle]) refers to continual action in the past. Most translations render this as a simple past: “went up” (KJV), “came up” (RSV, ASV, NASV, NIV), “came” (NRSV). CEV paraphrases: “were on their way back.”

[2:1]  ⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “a great shout.”

[5:11]  ⁹ sn This great king of Israel would, of course, be Solomon.

[6:11]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ tn Aram “made.”

[6:11]  ¹⁵ tn Aram “a dunghill.”

[6:11]  ¹⁶ tn Aram “for this.”

[6:20]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “as one.” The expression is best understood as referring to the unity shown by the religious leaders in preparing themselves for the observance of Passover. On the meaning of the Hebrew phrase see DCH 1:182 s.v. אֶחָד 3b. See also HALOT 30 s.v. אֶחָד 5.

[6:20]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “brothers.”

[8:15]  ²¹ tn Or “I gathered them.”

[8:15]  ²² tn Heb “river.” So also in vv. 21, 31.

[8:18]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and Sherebiah.” The words “this man was” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[8:18]  ²⁶ tn Or “relatives” (so CEV; NRSV “kin”); also in v. 19.

[9:4]  ²⁹ tn Heb “who trembled at the words of the God of Israel.”

[9:4]  ³⁰ tn Heb “the exile”; the words “the people” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.