Ezra 6:9-12

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 ¹  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. ² 

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 ³  on it, and his house is to be reduced ⁴  to a rubbish heap ⁵  for this indiscretion. ⁶  6:12 May God who makes his name to reside there overthrow any king or nation ⁷  who reaches out ⁸  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!”

[6:9]  ¹ tn Aram “according to the word of.”

[6:10]  ² tn Aram “for the life of the king and his sons.”

[6:11]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Aram “made.”

[6:11]  ⁵ tn Aram “a dunghill.”

[6:11]  ⁶ tn Aram “for this.”

[6:12]  ⁴ tn Aram “people.”

[6:12]  ⁵ tn Aram “who sends forth his hand.”