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Ezra 1:1-4
New English Translation

The Decree of Cyrus

1 [a] In the first[b] year of King Cyrus of Persia, in fulfillment of the Lord’s message spoken through[c] Jeremiah,[d] the Lord motivated[e] King Cyrus of Persia to issue[f] a proclamation[g] throughout his kingdom and also to put it in writing. It read:[h]

2 “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says:

“‘The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed[i] me to build a temple[j] for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 Anyone of[k] 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. 4 Anyone who survives in any of those places where he is a resident foreigner must be helped by his neighbors[l] with silver, gold, equipment, and animals, along with voluntary offerings for the temple of God which is in Jerusalem.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezra 1:1 sn In addition to the canonical books of Ezra and Nehemiah, there are two deuterocanonical books that are also called “Ezra.” Exactly how these books are designated varies in ancient literature. In the Septuagint (LXX) canonical Ezra is called Second Esdras, but in the Latin Vulgate it is called First Esdras. Our Nehemiah is called Third Esdras in some manuscripts of the LXX, but it is known as Second Esdras in the Latin Vulgate. (In the earliest LXX manuscripts Ezra and Nehemiah were regarded as one book, as they were in some Hebrew manuscripts.) The deuterocanonical books of Ezra are called First and Fourth Esdras in the LXX, but Third and Fourth Esdras in the Latin Vulgate. The titles for the so-called books of Ezra are thus rather confusing, a fact that one must keep in mind when consulting this material.
  2. Ezra 1:1 sn The first year of Cyrus would be ca. 539 b.c. Cyrus reigned in Persia from ca. 539-530 b.c.
  3. Ezra 1:1 tc The MT reads מִפִּי (mippi, “from the mouth of”), but this should probably be emended to בְּפִי (befi, “by the mouth of”), which is the way the parallel passage in 2 Chr 36:22 reads. This is also reflected in the LXX, which is either reflecting an alternate textual tradition of בְּפִי or is attempting to harmonize Ezra 1:1 in light of 2 Chronicles.tn Heb “from the mouth of.”
  4. Ezra 1:1 sn Cf. Jer 29:10; 25:11-14. Jeremiah had prophesied that after a time of seventy years the Jews would return “to this place.” How these seventy years are to be reckoned is a matter of debate among scholars. Some understand the period to refer to the approximate length of Babylon’s ascendancy as a world power, beginning either with the fall of Nineveh (612 b.c.) or with Nebuchadnezzar’s coronation (605 b.c.) and continuing till the fall of Babylon to the Persians in 539 b.c. Others take the seventy years to refer to the period from the destruction of the temple in 586 b.c. till its rebuilding in 516 b.c.
  5. Ezra 1:1 tn Heb “stirred the spirit of.” The Hebrew noun רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) has a broad range of meanings (see BDB 924-26 s.v.). Here, it probably refers to (1) “mind” as the seat of mental acts (e.g., Exod 28:3; Deut 34:9; Isa 29:24; 40:13; Ezek 11:5; 20:32; 1 Chr 28:12; cf. BDB 925 s.v. 6) or (2) “will” as the seat of volitional decisions (e.g., Exod 35:5, 22; Pss 51:12, 14; 57:8; 2 Chr 29:31; cf. BDB 925 s.v. 7). So also in v. 5. The entire phrase “stirred the spirit” has been rendered as “motivated” to better reflect normal English.
  6. Ezra 1:1 tn Heb “caused to pass.”
  7. Ezra 1:1 tn Heb “a voice.” The Hebrew noun קוֹל (qol, “voice, sound”) has a broad range of meanings, including the metonymical (cause—effect) nuance “proclamation” (e.g., Exod 36:6; 2 Chr 24:9; 30:5; 36:22; Ezra 1:1; 10:7; Neh 8:15). See BDB 877 s.v. 3.a.2.
  8. Ezra 1:1 tn Heb “in writing, saying.”sn For an interesting extrabiblical parallel to this edict see the Cyrus cylinder (ANET 315-16).
  9. Ezra 1:2 tn Or “instructed.”
  10. Ezra 1:2 tn Heb “house.” The Hebrew noun בַּיִת (bayit, “house”) is often used in reference to the temple of Yahweh (BDB 108 s.v. 1.a). This is also frequent elsewhere in Ezra and Nehemiah (e.g., Ezra 1:3, 4, 5, 7; 2:68; 3:8, 9, 11, 12; 4:3; 6:22; 7:27; 8:17, 25, 29, 30, 33, 36; 9:9; 10:1, 6, 9).
  11. Ezra 1:3 tn Heb “from all.”
  12. Ezra 1:4 tn Heb “the men of his place.”
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2 Chronicles 36
Ezra 2
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Daniel 6
New English Translation

Daniel is Thrown into a Lions’ Den

6 It seemed like a good idea to Darius[a] to appoint over the kingdom 120 satraps[b] who would be in charge of the entire kingdom. 2 Over them would be three supervisors, one of whom was Daniel. These satraps were accountable[c] to them, so that the king’s interests might not incur damage. 3 Now this Daniel was distinguishing himself above the other supervisors and the satraps, for he had an extraordinary spirit. In fact, the king intended to appoint him over the entire kingdom. 4 Consequently the supervisors and satraps were trying to find[d] some pretext against Daniel in connection with administrative matters.[e] But they were unable to find any such damaging evidence,[f] because he was trustworthy and guilty of no negligence or corruption.[g] 5 So these men concluded,[h] “We won’t find any pretext against this man Daniel unless it is[i] in connection with the law of his God.”

6 So these supervisors and satraps came by collusion[j] to the king and said[k] to him, “O King Darius, live forever! 7 To all the supervisors of the kingdom, the prefects, satraps, counselors, and governors it seemed like a good idea for a royal edict to be issued and an interdict to be enforced. For the next thirty days anyone who prays[l] to any god or human other than you, O king, should be thrown into a den of lions. 8 Now let the king issue a written interdict[m] so that it cannot be altered, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed.”[n] 9 So King Darius issued the written interdict.

10 When Daniel realized[o] that a written decree had been issued, he entered his home, where the windows[p] in his upper room opened toward Jerusalem. Three[q] times daily he was[r] kneeling[s] and offering prayers and thanks to his God just as he had been accustomed to do previously. 11 Then those officials who had gone to the king[t] came by collusion and found Daniel praying and asking for help before his God. 12 So they approached the king and said to him,[u] “Did you not issue an edict to the effect that for the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human other than to you, O king, would be thrown into a den of lions?” The king replied, “That is correct,[v] according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed.” 13 Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the captives[w] from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the edict that you issued. Three times daily he offers his prayer.”[x]

14 When the king heard this,[y] he was very upset and began thinking about[z] how he might rescue Daniel. Until late afternoon[aa] he was struggling to find a way to rescue him. 15 Then those men came by collusion to the king and[ab] said to him,[ac] “Recall,[ad] O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no edict or decree that the king issues can be changed.” 16 So the king gave the order,[ae] and Daniel was brought and thrown into a den[af] of lions. The king consoled[ag] Daniel by saying, “Your God whom you continually serve will rescue you!” 17 Then a stone was brought and placed over the opening[ah] to the den. The king sealed[ai] it with his signet ring and with those[aj] of his nobles so that nothing could be changed with regard to Daniel. 18 Then the king departed to his palace. But he spent the night without eating, and no diversions[ak] were brought to him. He was unable to sleep.[al]

God Rescues Daniel from the Lions

19 In the morning, at the earliest sign of daylight, the king got up and rushed to the lions’ den. 20 As he approached the den, he called out to Daniel in a worried voice,[am] “Daniel, servant of the living God, was your God whom you continually serve able to rescue you from the lions?”

21 Then Daniel spoke to[an] the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent his angel and closed the lions’ mouths so that they have not harmed me, because I was found to be innocent before him. Nor have I done any harm to you, O king.”

23 Then the king was delighted and gave an order to haul Daniel up from the den. So Daniel was hauled up out of the den. He had no injury of any kind, because he had trusted in his God. 24 The king gave another order,[ao] and those men who had maliciously accused[ap] Daniel were brought and thrown[aq] into the lions’ den—they, their children, and their wives.[ar] They did not even reach the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and language groups who were living in all the land: “Peace and prosperity![as] 26 I have issued an edict that throughout all the dominion of my kingdom people are to revere and fear the God of Daniel.

“For he is the living God;
he endures forever.
His kingdom will not be destroyed;
his authority is forever.[at]
27 He rescues and delivers
and performs signs and wonders
in the heavens and on the earth.
He has rescued Daniel from the power[au] of the lions!”

28 So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and[av] the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

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Footnotes

  1. Daniel 6:1 tn Aram “It was pleasing before Darius.”
  2. Daniel 6:1 tn This is a technical term for an official placed in charge of a region of the empire (cf. KJV, NLT “prince[s]”; NCV, TEV “governors”). These satraps were answerable to a supervisor, who in turn answered to Darius.
  3. Daniel 6:2 tn Aram “giving an account.”
  4. Daniel 6:4 tn Aram “looking to find.”
  5. Daniel 6:4 tn Aram “from the side of the kingdom.”
  6. Daniel 6:4 tn Aram “pretext and corruption.”
  7. Daniel 6:4 tn Aram “no negligence or corruption was found in him.” The Greek version of Theodotion lacks the phrase “and no negligence or corruption was found in him.”
  8. Daniel 6:5 tn Aram “were saying.”
  9. Daniel 6:5 tn Aram “unless we find [it] against him.”
  10. Daniel 6:6 tn The Aramaic verb רְגַשׁ (regash) occurs three times in this chapter (vv. 7, 12, 16). Its meaning is widely disputed by commentators, and the versions vary considerably in how they render the word. The suggestion that it means “to come thronging” (BDB 1112 s.v.; cf. NAB) seems inappropriate, since it is unlikely that subordinates would enter a royal court in such a reckless fashion. The ancient versions struggled with the word and are not in agreement in their understanding of its meaning. In this chapter the word apparently means to act in agreement with other parties in the pursuit of a duplicitous goal, namely the entrapment of Daniel; cf. NIV, NCV “went as a group”; NRSV “conspired and came to the king.”
  11. Daniel 6:6 tn Aram “thus they were saying.”
  12. Daniel 6:7 tn Aram “prays a prayer.”
  13. Daniel 6:8 tn Aram “establish a written interdict and inscribe a written decree.”
  14. Daniel 6:8 tn Or “removed.”
  15. Daniel 6:10 tn Aram “knew.”
  16. Daniel 6:10 sn In later rabbinic thought this verse was sometimes cited as a proof text for the notion that one should pray only in a house with windows (see b. Berakhot 34b).
  17. Daniel 6:10 sn This is apparently the only specific mention in the OT of prayer being regularly offered three times a day. The practice was probably not unique to Daniel, however.
  18. Daniel 6:10 tc Read with several medieval Hebrew mss and printed editions הֲוָה (havah, “he was”) rather than the MT הוּא (huʾ, “he”).
  19. Daniel 6:10 tn Aram “kneeling on his knees” (so NASB).sn No specific posture for offering prayers is prescribed in the OT. Kneeling, as here, and standing were both practiced.
  20. Daniel 6:11 tn Aram “those men”; the referent (the administrative officials who had earlier approached the king about the edict) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  21. Daniel 6:12 tc The MT also has “about the edict of the king,” but this phrase is absent in the LXX and the Syriac. The present translation deletes the expression.tn Aram “before the king.”
  22. Daniel 6:12 tn Aram “the word is true.”
  23. Daniel 6:13 tn Aram “from the sons of the captivity [of].”
  24. Daniel 6:13 tn Aram “prays his prayer.”
  25. Daniel 6:14 tn Aram “the word.”
  26. Daniel 6:14 tn Aram “placed his mind on.”
  27. Daniel 6:14 tn Aram “the entrances of the sun.”
  28. Daniel 6:15 tc Theodotion lacks the words “came by collusion to the king and.”
  29. Daniel 6:15 tn Aram “the king.”
  30. Daniel 6:15 tn Aram “know”; NAB “Keep in mind”; NASB “Recognize”; NIV, NCV “Remember.”
  31. Daniel 6:16 tn Aram “said,” as also in vv. 24, 25.
  32. Daniel 6:16 sn The den was perhaps a pit below ground level that could be safely observed from above.
  33. Daniel 6:16 tn Aram “answered and said [to Daniel].”
  34. Daniel 6:17 tn Aram “mouth.”
  35. Daniel 6:17 sn The purpose of the den being sealed was to prevent unauthorized tampering with the opening of the den. Any disturbance of the seal would immediately alert the officials to improper activity of this sort.
  36. Daniel 6:17 tn Aram “the signet rings.”
  37. Daniel 6:18 tn The meaning of Aramaic דַּחֲוָה (dakhavah) is a crux interpretum. Suggestions include “music,” “dancing girls,” “concubines,” “table,” “food”—all of which are uncertain. The translation employed here, suggested by earlier scholars, is deliberately vague. A number of recent English versions follow a similar approach with “entertainment” (e.g., NASB, NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT). On this word see further, HALOT 1849-50 s.v.; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 37.
  38. Daniel 6:18 tn Aram “his sleep fled from him.”
  39. Daniel 6:20 tn Aram “The king answered and said to Daniel.” This phrase has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons; it is redundant in English.
  40. Daniel 6:21 tn Aram “with.”
  41. Daniel 6:24 tn Aram “said.”
  42. Daniel 6:24 tn Aram “had eaten the pieces of.” The Aramaic expression is ironic, in that the accusers who had figuratively “eaten the pieces of Daniel” are themselves literally devoured by the lions.
  43. Daniel 6:24 tn The Aramaic active impersonal verb is often used as a substitute for the passive.
  44. Daniel 6:24 tc The LXX specifies only the two overseers, together with their families, as those who were cast into the lions’ den.
  45. Daniel 6:25 tn Aram “May your peace be increased!”
  46. Daniel 6:26 tn Aram “until the end.”
  47. Daniel 6:27 tn Aram “hand.”
  48. Daniel 6:28 tn Or perhaps “in the reign of Darius, even in the reign of Cyrus.” The identity of this Darius is disputed. Some take the name as referring to Cyrus, understanding the following ו (vav “and”) in an epexegetical sense (“even”). Others identify Darius with a governor of Babylon known from extra-biblical records as Gubaru, or with Cambyses, son of Cyrus. Many scholars maintain that the reference is historically inaccurate.
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Daniel 5
Daniel 7
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Ezra 1:5-2:20
New English Translation

The Exiles Prepare to Return to Jerusalem

5 Then the leaders[a] of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and the Levites—all those whose mind God had stirred—got ready[b] to go up in order to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. 6 All their neighbors assisted them[c] with silver utensils,[d] gold, equipment, animals, and expensive gifts, not to mention[e] all the voluntary offerings.

7 Then King Cyrus brought out the vessels of the Lord’s temple which Nebuchadnezzar had brought from Jerusalem and had displayed[f] in the temple of his gods. 8 King Cyrus of Persia entrusted[g] them to[h] Mithredath[i] the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar[j] the leader of the Judahite exiles.[k]

9 The inventory[l] of these items was as follows:

30 gold basins,[m]
1,000 silver basins,
29 silver utensils,[n]
10 30 gold bowls,
410 other[o] silver bowls,
and 1,000 other vessels.

11 All these gold and silver vessels totaled 5,400.[p] Sheshbazzar brought them all along when the captives were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

The Names of the Returning Exiles

2 [q] These are the people[r] of the province who were going up,[s] from the captives of the exile whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had forced into exile in Babylon. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own city. 2 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.

The number of Israelites[t] was as follows:[u]

3 the descendants[v] of Parosh: 2,172;

4 the descendants of Shephatiah: 372;

5 the descendants of Arah: 775;

6 the descendants of Pahath Moab (from the line[w] of Jeshua and[x] Joab): 2,812;

7 the descendants of Elam: 1,254;

8 the descendants of Zattu: 945;

9 the descendants of Zaccai: 760;

10 the descendants of Bani: 642;

11 the descendants of Bebai: 623;

12 the descendants of Azgad: 1,222;

13 the descendants of Adonikam: 666;

14 the descendants of Bigvai: 2,056;

15 the descendants of Adin: 454;

16 the descendants of Ater (through[y] Hezekiah): 98;

17 the descendants of Bezai: 323;

18 the descendants of Jorah: 112;

19 the descendants of Hashum: 223;

20 the descendants of Gibbar: 95.

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 1:5 tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”
  2. Ezra 1:5 tn Heb “arose.”
  3. Ezra 1:6 tn Heb “strengthened their hands.”
  4. Ezra 1:6 tc The MT reads בִּכְלֵי־כֶסֶף (bikhle khesef, “with silver vessels”). However, part of the LXX manuscript tradition reads ἐν πᾶσιν ἀργυρίῳ (en pasin arguriō), which reflects an alternate Hebrew reading of בַּכֹּל־בַּכֶּסֶף (bakkol bakkesef, “everywhere, with silver”). The textual variant involves (1) simple omission of yod (י) between two words, a common scribal mistake; (2) haplography of the preposition bet (ב); and (3) an alternate vocalization tradition of the first term.
  5. Ezra 1:6 tn Heb “besides” or “in addition to.”
  6. Ezra 1:7 tn Heb “and he gave them.”
  7. Ezra 1:8 tn Heb “brought them forth.”
  8. Ezra 1:8 tn Heb “upon the hand of.”
  9. Ezra 1:8 sn A Persian name meaning “gift of Mithras.” See HALOT 656 s.v. מִתְרְדָת.
  10. Ezra 1:8 sn A Babylonian name with the probable meaning “Shamash protect the father.” See HALOT 1664-65 s.v. שֵׁשְׁבַּצַּר.
  11. Ezra 1:8 tn Heb “Sheshbazzar the prince to Judah”; TEV, CEV “the governor of Judah.”
  12. Ezra 1:9 tn Heb “these are their number.”
  13. Ezra 1:9 tn The exact meaning of the Hebrew noun אֲגַרְטָל (ʾagartal, which occurs twice in this verse) is somewhat uncertain. The lexicons suggest that it is related to a common Semitic root (the Hebrew derivative has a prosthetic prefixed א [aleph] and interchange between ג [gimel] and ק [kof]): Judean Aramaic and Syriac qartalla, Arabic qirtallat, Ethiopic qartalo, all meaning “basket” (BDB 173-74 s.v.; HALOT 11 s.v.). There is debate whether this is a loanword from Greek κάρταλλος (kartallos, “basket”), Persian hirtal (“leather bag”) or Hittite kurtal (“container”). The term is traditionally understood as a kind of vessel, such as “basket, basin” (BDB 173-74 s.v.; HALOT 11 s.v.); but some suggest “leather bag” or a basket-shaped container of some sort (P. Humbert, “En marge du dictionnaire hébraïque,” ZAW 62 [1950]: 199-207; DCH 1:118 s.v.). The LXX translated it as ψυκτήρ (psuktēr, “metal bowl”). The precise meaning depends on whether the nouns כֶּסֶף (kesef, “silver”) and זָהָב (zahav, “gold”), which follow each use of this plural construct noun, are genitives of content (“containers full of silver” and “containers full of gold”) or genitives of material (“silver containers” and “gold containers” = containers made from silver and gold). If they are genitives of content, the term probably means “baskets” or “leather bags” (filled with silver and gold); however, if they are genitives of material, the term would mean “basins” (made of silver and gold). Elsewhere in Ezra 1, the nouns כֶּסֶף (“silver”) and זָהָב (“gold”) are used as genitives or material, not genitives of content; therefore, the translation “gold basins” and “silver basins” is preferred.
  14. Ezra 1:9 tn Heb “knives.” The Hebrew noun מַחֲלָפִים (makhalafim, “knives”) is found only here in the OT. While the basic meaning of the term is fairly clear, what it refers to here is unclear. The verb II חָלַף (khalaf) means “to pass through” (BDB 322 s.v. חָלַף) or “to cut through” (HALOT 321 s.v. II חלף; see also Judg 5:26; Job 20:24); thus, the lexicons suggest מַחֲלָפִים means “knives” (BDB 322 s.v. מַחֲלָף; HALOT 569 s.v. *מַחֲלָף). The related noun חֲלָפוֹת (khalafot, “knife”) is used in Mishnaic Hebrew (HALOT 321 s.v. II חלף), and חֲלִיפוֹת (khalifot, “knives”) appears in the Talmud. The noun appears in the cognate languages: Ugaritic khlpnm “(“knives”; UT 19) and Syriac khalofta (“shearing knife”; HALOT 321 s.v. II חלף). The Vulgate translated it as “knives,” while the LXX understood it as referring to replacement pieces for the offering basins. The English translations render it variously; some following the Vulgate and others adopting the approach of the LXX: “knives” (KJV, NKJV, NRSV), “censers” (RSV), “duplicates” (NASB), “silver pans” (NIV), “bowls” (TEV), “other dishes” (CEV). Verse 11 lists these twenty-nine objects among the “gold and silver vessels” brought back to Jerusalem for temple worship. The translation above offers the intentionally ambiguous “silver utensils” (the term מַחֲלָפִים [“knives”] would hardly refer to “gold” items, but could refer to “silver items”).
  15. Ezra 1:10 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מִשְׁנִים (mishnim) is uncertain. The noun מִשְׁנֶה (mishneh) means “double, second” (BDB 1041 s.v.), “what is doubled, two-fold” (HALOT 650 s.v. מִשְׁנֶה 3). The translations reflect a diversity of approaches: “410 silver bowls of a second kind” (KJV, NASB, RSV margin), “410 other silver bowls” (NRSV) and “410 matching silver bowls” (NIV). BDB 1041 s.v. משׁנה 3.a suggests it was originally a numeral that was garbled in the transmission process, as reflected in the LXX: “two thousand” (so RSV “two thousand four hundred and ten bowls of silver”). The BHS editor suggests revocalizing the term to מְשֻׁנִים (meshunim, “changed”).
  16. Ezra 1:11 sn The total number as given in the MT does not match the numbers given for the various items in v. 9. It is not clear whether the difference is due to error in textual transmission or whether the constituent items mentioned are only a selection from a longer list, in which case the total from that longer list may have been retained. The numbers provided in 1 Esdras come much closer to agreeing with the number in Ezra 1:9-11, but this does not necessarily mean that 1 Esdras has been better preserved here than Ezra. 1 Esdras 2:13-15 (RSV) says, “The number of these was: a thousand gold cups, a thousand silver cups, twenty-nine silver censers, thirty gold bowls, two thousand four hundred and ten silver bowls, and a thousand other vessels. All the vessels were handed over, gold and silver, five thousand four hundred and sixty-nine, and they were carried back by Shesbazzar with the returning exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem.”
  17. Ezra 2:1 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.
  18. Ezra 2:1 tn Heb “the sons of.”
  19. Ezra 2:1 tn The Hebrew term הָעֹלִים (haʿolim, “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, NASB, NIV), “came” (NRSV). CEV paraphrases: “were on their way back.”
  20. Ezra 2:2 tn Heb “men of the people of Israel.”
  21. Ezra 2:2 tn The words “was as follows” are not in the Hebrew text but are used in the translation for clarity.
  22. Ezra 2:3 tn Heb “the sons of.”
  23. Ezra 2:6 tn Heb “to the sons of.” Cf. v. 40.
  24. Ezra 2:6 tc The MT reads יוֹאָב (yoʾav, “Joab”). However, syntax demands the reading וְיוֹאָב (veyoʾav, “and Joab”) which is reflected in the LXX and Syriac.
  25. Ezra 2:16 tn Heb “to.” So also in vv. 36, 40.
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2 Chronicles 36
Ezra 3
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Nehemiah 7:4-25
New English Translation

4 Now the city was spread out[a] and large, and there were not a lot of people in it.[b] At that time houses had not been rebuilt. 5 My God placed it on my heart to gather the leaders,[c] the officials, and the ordinary people so they could be enrolled on the basis of genealogy. I found the genealogical records[d] of those who had formerly returned. Here is what I found written in that record:[e]

6 These are the people[f] of the province who returned[g] from the captivity of the exiles, whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had forced into exile.[h] They returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, each to his own city. 7 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.

The number of Israelite men[i] was as follows:

8 the descendants[j] of Parosh: 2,172;

9 the descendants of Shephatiah: 372;

10 the descendants of Arah: 652;

11 the descendants of Pahath Moab (from the line[k] of Jeshua and Joab): 2,818;

12 the descendants of Elam: 1,254;

13 the descendants of Zattu: 845;

14 the descendants of Zaccai: 760;

15 the descendants of Binnui: 648;

16 the descendants of Bebai: 628;

17 the descendants of Azgad: 2,322;

18 the descendants of Adonikam: 667;

19 the descendants of Bigvai: 2,067;

20 the descendants of Adin: 655;

21 the descendants of Ater (through Hezekiah): 98;

22 the descendants of Hashum: 328;

23 the descendants of Bezai: 324;

24 the descendants of Harif: 112;

25 the descendants of Gibeon: 95;

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Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 7:4 tn Heb “wide of two hands.”
  2. Nehemiah 7:4 tn Heb “the people were few in its midst.”
  3. Nehemiah 7:5 tn Heb “nobles”; NCV “important men.”
  4. Nehemiah 7:5 tn Heb “the book of genealogy.”
  5. Nehemiah 7:5 tn Heb “in it”; the referent (the genealogical record) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  6. Nehemiah 7:6 tn Heb “the sons of”; KJV, ASV “the children of”; NAB “the inhabitants of.”
  7. Nehemiah 7:6 tn Heb “who were going up.”
  8. Nehemiah 7:6 tc One medieval Hebrew manuscript has “to Babylon.” Cf. Ezra 2:1.
  9. Nehemiah 7:7 tn Heb “the men of the people of Israel.” Some English versions translate as “the people from Israel” (NCV) or “the Israelite people” (NRSV), but “men” should be retained because the following numbers presumably include only adult males.
  10. Nehemiah 7:8 tn Heb “the sons of.”
  11. Nehemiah 7:11 tn Heb “to the sons of.”
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Nehemiah 6
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