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 8:35

8:35 The exiles who were returning from the captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel – twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven male lambs, along with twelve male goats as a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering to the Lord.

Ezra 9:7

9:7 From the days of our fathers until this very day our guilt has been great. Because of our iniquities we, along with our kings and ⁵  priests, have been delivered over by the local kings ⁶  to sword, captivity, plunder, and embarrassment – right up to the present time.

Ezra 3:8

3:8 In the second year after they had come to the temple of God in Jerusalem, ⁷  in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak initiated the work, ⁸  along with the rest of their associates, ⁹  the priests and the Levites, and all those who were coming to Jerusalem from the exile. They appointed ¹⁰  the Levites who were at least twenty years old ¹¹  to take charge of the work on the Lord’s temple.

[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.

[9:7]  ⁵ tc The MT lacks “and” here, but see the LXX and Vulgate.

[9:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “the kings of the lands.”

[3:8]  ⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:8]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “began”; the phrase “the work” is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[3:8]  ¹¹ tn Heb “their brothers.”

[3:8]  ¹² tn Heb “stood.”

[3:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “from twenty years and upward.”