Ezra 4:3

4:3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the leaders of Israel said to them, “You have no right ¹  to help us build the temple of our God. We will build it by ourselves for the Lord God of Israel, just as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.”

Ezra 4:13

4:13 Let the king also be aware that if this city is built and its walls are completed, no more tax, custom, or toll will be paid, and the royal treasury ²  will suffer loss.

Ezra 6:8-9

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,

Ezra 7:22

7:22 up to 100 talents of silver, 100 cors of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths of olive oil, ⁵  and unlimited ⁶  salt.

Ezra 7:24-26

7:24 Furthermore, be aware of the fact ⁷  that you have no authority to impose tax, tribute, or toll on any of the priests, the Levites, the musicians, the doorkeepers, the temple servants, or the attendants at the temple of this God.

7:25 “Now you, Ezra, in keeping with the wisdom of your God which you possess, ⁸  appoint judges ⁹  and court officials who can arbitrate cases on behalf of all the people who are in Trans-Euphrates who know the laws of your God. Those who do not know this law should be taught. 7:26 Everyone who does not observe both the law of your God and the law of the king will be completely ¹⁰  liable to the appropriate penalty, whether it is death or banishment or confiscation of property or detainment in prison.”

Ezra 9:1

A Prayer of Ezra

9:1 Now when these things had been completed, the leaders approached me and said, “The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the local residents ¹¹  who practice detestable things similar to those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.

Ezra 9:9

9:9 Although we are slaves, our God has not abandoned us in our servitude. He has extended kindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, in that he has revived us ¹²  to restore the temple of our God and to raise ¹³  up its ruins and to give us a protective wall in Judah and Jerusalem. ¹⁴ 

Ezra 10:13

10:13 However, the people are numerous and it is the rainy season. ¹⁵  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.

[4:3]  ¹ tn Heb “not to you and to us.”

[4:13]  ² tn Aram “the treasury of kings.” The plural “kings” is Hebrew, not Aramaic. If the plural is intended in a numerical sense the reference is not just to Artaxerxes but to his successors as well. Some scholars understand this to be the plural of majesty, referring to Artaxerxes. See F. C. Fensham, Ezra and Nehemiah (NICOT), 74.

[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.”

[7:22]  ⁵ tc The translation reads מְשַׁח בַּתִּין (mÿshakh battin) rather than מְשַׁח בַּתִּין (battin mÿshakh) of the MT.

[7:22]  ⁶ tn Aram “he did not write.”

[7:24]  ⁶ tn Aram “we are making known to you.”

[7:25]  ⁷ tn Aram “in your hand.”

[7:25]  ⁸ tc For the MT reading שָׁפְטִין (shoftim, “judges”) the LXX uses the noun γραμματεῖς (grammatei", “scribes”).

[7:26]  ⁸ tn On the meaning of this word see HALOT 1820-21 s.v. אָסְפַּרְנָא; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 14.

[9:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.” So also in v. 2.

[9:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “has granted us reviving.”

[9:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “to cause to stand.”

[9:9]  ¹² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[10:13]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the time [is] rain showers.”