Ezra 4:1-5
New English Translation
Opposition to the Building Efforts
4 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin learned that the former exiles[a] were building a temple for the Lord God of Israel, 2 they came to Zerubbabel and the leaders[b] and said to them, “Let us help you build,[c] for like you we seek your God and we have been sacrificing to him[d] from the time[e] of King Esarhaddon[f] of Assyria, who brought us here.”[g] 3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the leaders of Israel said to them, “You have no right[h] 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.” 4 Then the local people[i] began to discourage[j] the people of Judah and to dishearten them from building. 5 They were hiring advisers to oppose them, so as to frustrate their plans, throughout the time[k] of King Cyrus of Persia until the reign of King Darius[l] of Persia.[m]
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- Ezra 4:1 tn Heb “the sons of the exile.”
- Ezra 4:2 tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.” So also in v. 3.
- Ezra 4:2 tn Heb “Let us build with you.”
- Ezra 4:2 tc The translation reads with the Qere, a Qumran ms, the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Arabic version וְלוֹ (velo, “and him”) rather than the Kethib of the MT, וְלֹא (veloʾ, “and not”).
- Ezra 4:2 tn Heb “days.”
- Ezra 4:2 sn Esarhaddon was king of Assyria ca. 681-669 b.c.
- Ezra 4:2 sn The Assyrian policy had been to resettle Samaria with peoples from other areas (cf. 2 Kgs 17:24-34). These immigrants acknowledged Yahweh as well as other deities in some cases. The Jews who returned from the Exile regarded them with suspicion and were not hospitable to their offer of help in rebuilding the temple.
- Ezra 4:3 tn Heb “not to you and to us.”
- Ezra 4:4 tn Heb “the people of the land.” Elsewhere this expression sometimes has a negative connotation, referring to a lay population that was less zealous for Judaism than it should have been. Here, however, it seems to refer to the resident population of the area without any negative connotation.
- Ezra 4:4 tn Heb “were making slack the hands of.”
- Ezra 4:5 tn Heb “all the days of.”
- Ezra 4:5 sn Darius ruled Persia ca. 522-486 b.c.
- Ezra 4:5 sn The purpose of the opening verses of this chapter is to summarize why the Jews returning from the exile were unable to complete the rebuilding of the temple more quickly than they did. The delay was due not to disinterest on their part but to the repeated obstacles that had been placed in their path by determined foes.
Ezra 4:1-5
International Standard Version
A Plot to Hinder the Work
4 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin learned that the descendants of the Babylonian[a] captivity had built their Temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, 2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the families[b] with this message: “Let’s build along with you, because, like you, we seek your God, as do you, and we’ve been making sacrifices to him since the reign of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, who brought us here.”
3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of the families[c] of Israel replied, “You have no part in our plans for[d] building a temple to our God, because we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, in accordance with the decree issued by King Cyrus, king of Persia.”
The Plot Succeeds—for a While
4 After this, the non-Israeli inhabitants[e] of the land undermined[f] the people of Judah, harassing them in their construction work 5 by bribing their consultants in order to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of Cyrus, king of Persia until Darius became king.[g]
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