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Ezra 3-4
New English Translation

The Altar is Rebuilt

3 When the seventh month arrived and the Israelites[a] were living[b] in their[c] towns, the people assembled[d] in[e] Jerusalem. 2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak[f] and his priestly colleagues[g] and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his colleagues[h] started to build[i] the altar of the God of Israel so they could offer burnt offerings on it as required by[j] the law of Moses the man of God. 3 They established the altar on its foundations, even though they were in terror of the local peoples,[k] and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and the evening offerings. 4 They observed the Feast of Shelters[l] as required[m] and offered the proper number of[n] daily burnt offerings according to the requirement for each day. 5 Afterward they offered the continual burnt offerings and those for the new moons and those for all the holy assemblies of the Lord and all those that were being voluntarily offered to the Lord. 6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord. However, the Lord’s temple was not at that time established.[o]

Preparations for Rebuilding the Temple

7 So they provided money[p] for the masons and carpenters, and food, beverages, and olive oil for the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they would bring cedar timber from Lebanon to the seaport[q] at Joppa, in accord with the edict of King Cyrus of Persia. 8 In the second year after they had come to the temple of God in Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak initiated the work,[r] along with the rest of their associates,[s] the priests and the Levites, and all those who were coming to Jerusalem from the exile. They appointed[t] the Levites who were at least twenty years old[u] to take charge of the work on the Lord’s temple. 9 So Jeshua appointed both his sons and his relatives,[v] Kadmiel and his sons (the sons of Yehudah[w]), to take charge of the workers in the temple of God, along with the sons of Henadad, their sons, and their relatives[x] the Levites. 10 When the builders established the Lord’s temple, the priests, ceremonially attired and with their clarions,[y] and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with their cymbals, stood to praise the Lord according to the instructions left by[z] King David of Israel.[aa] 11 With antiphonal response they sang,[ab] praising and glorifying the Lord:

“For he is good;
his loyal love toward Israel is forever.”

All the people gave a loud[ac] shout as they praised the Lord when the temple of the Lord was established. 12 Many of the priests, the Levites, and the leaders[ad]—older people who had seen with their own eyes the former temple while it was still established[ae]—were weeping loudly,[af] and many others raised their voice in a joyous shout. 13 People were unable to tell the difference between the sound of joyous shouting and the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people were shouting so loudly[ag] that the sound was heard a long way off.

Opposition to the Building Efforts

4 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin learned that the former exiles[ah] were building a temple for the Lord God of Israel, 2 they came to Zerubbabel and the leaders[ai] and said to them, “Let us help you build,[aj] for like you we seek your God and we have been sacrificing to him[ak] from the time[al] of King Esarhaddon[am] of Assyria, who brought us here.”[an] 3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the leaders of Israel said to them, “You have no right[ao] 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[ap] began to discourage[aq] 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[ar] of King Cyrus of Persia until the reign of King Darius[as] of Persia.[at]

Official Complaints Are Lodged Against the Jews

6 [au] At the beginning of the reign of Ahasuerus[av] they filed an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. 7 And during the reign[aw] of Artaxerxes, Bishlam,[ax] Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their colleagues[ay] wrote to King Artaxerxes[az] of Persia. This letter[ba] was first written in Aramaic but then translated.

[What follows is in Aramaic][bb]

8 Rehum the commander[bc] and Shimshai the scribe[bd] wrote a letter concerning[be] Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows: 9 From[bf] Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues—the judges, the rulers, the officials, the secretaries, the Erechites, the Babylonians, the people of Susa (that is,[bg] the Elamites), 10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal[bh] deported and settled in the cities[bi] of Samaria and other places in Trans-Euphrates.[bj] 11 (This is a copy of the letter they sent to him.)

“To King Artaxerxes,[bk] from your servants in[bl] Trans-Euphrates: 12 Now[bm] let the king be aware that the Jews who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and odious city.[bn] They are completing its walls and repairing its foundations. 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[bo] will suffer loss. 14 In light of the fact that we are loyal to the king,[bp] and since it does not seem appropriate to us that the king should sustain damage,[bq] we are sending the king this information[br] 15 so that he may initiate a search of the records[bs] of his predecessors[bt] and discover in those records[bu] that this city is rebellious[bv] and injurious to both kings and provinces, producing internal revolts[bw] from long ago.[bx] It is for this very reason that this city was destroyed. 16 We therefore are informing the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, you will not retain control[by] of this portion of Trans-Euphrates.”

17 The king sent the following response:

“To Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues who live in Samaria and other parts of Trans-Euphrates: Greetings![bz] 18 The letter you sent to us has been translated and read in my presence. 19 So I gave orders,[ca] and it was determined[cb] that this city from long ago has been engaging in insurrection against kings. It has continually engaged in[cc] rebellion and revolt. 20 Powerful kings have been over Jerusalem who ruled throughout the entire Trans-Euphrates[cd] and who were the beneficiaries of[ce] tribute, custom, and toll. 21 Now give orders that these men cease their work and that this city not be rebuilt until such time as I so instruct.[cf] 22 Exercise appropriate caution so that there is no negligence in this matter. Why should danger increase to the point that the king sustains damage?”

23 Then, as soon as the copy of the letter from King Artaxerxes was read in the presence of Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their colleagues, they proceeded promptly to the Jews in Jerusalem[cg] and stopped them with threat of armed force.[ch]

24 So the work on the temple of God in Jerusalem came to a halt. It remained halted until the second year of the reign of King Darius of Persia.[ci]

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 3:1 tn Heb “the sons of Israel.”
  2. Ezra 3:1 tn The word “living” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied. Some translations supply “settled” (cf. NAB, NIV, NLT).
  3. Ezra 3:1 tc The translation reads with some medieval Hebrew mss and ancient versions בְּעָרֵיהֶם (beʿarehem, “in their towns”), rather than the reading בֶּעָרִים (beʿarim, “in the towns”) found in the MT. Cf. Neh 7:72 HT [7:73 ET].
  4. Ezra 3:1 tn The Hebrew text adds the phrase “like one man.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  5. Ezra 3:1 tn Heb “to.”
  6. Ezra 3:2 sn Jozadak (also in 3:8) is a variant spelling of Jehozadak.
  7. Ezra 3:2 tn Heb “his brothers the priests.”
  8. Ezra 3:2 tn Heb “his brothers.”
  9. Ezra 3:2 tn Heb “arose and built.”
  10. Ezra 3:2 tn Heb “written in.” Cf. v. 4.
  11. Ezra 3:3 tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.”
  12. Ezra 3:4 tn The Hebrew phrase אֶת חַג־הַסֻּכּוֹת (ʾet khag hassukot, “Feast of Shelters” [or “Huts”]) is traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles. The rendering “booths” (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV) is probably better than the traditional “tabernacles” in light of the meaning of the term סֻכָּה (sukkah, “hut; booth”), but “booths” are frequently associated with trade shows and craft fairs in contemporary American English. The nature of the celebration during this feast as a commemoration of the wanderings of the Israelites after they left Egypt suggests that a translation like “shelters” is more appropriate.
  13. Ezra 3:4 tn Heb “according to what is written.”
  14. Ezra 3:4 tn Heb “by number.”
  15. Ezra 3:6 tn Or “the foundation of the Lord’s temple was not yet laid.”
  16. Ezra 3:7 tn Heb “silver.”
  17. Ezra 3:7 tn Heb “to the sea”
  18. Ezra 3:8 tn Heb “began”; the phrase “the work” is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
  19. Ezra 3:8 tn Heb “their brothers.”
  20. Ezra 3:8 tn Heb “stood.”
  21. Ezra 3:8 tn Heb “from twenty years and upward.”
  22. Ezra 3:9 tn Heb “brothers.”
  23. Ezra 3:9 sn The name יְהוּדָה (Yehudah; cf. KJV, ASV, NASB “Judah”) is probably a variant of Hodaviah (see Ezra 2:40; cf. NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).
  24. Ezra 3:9 tn Heb “brothers.”
  25. Ezra 3:10 sn This was a long, straight, metallic instrument used for signal calls, rather than the traditional ram’s horn (both instruments are typically translated “trumpet” by English versions).
  26. Ezra 3:10 tn Heb “according to the hands of.”
  27. Ezra 3:10 sn See Pss 107:1; 118:1, 29; 136:1. Cf. 2 Chr 5:13; 7:3; 20:21.
  28. Ezra 3:11 tn Heb “they answered.”
  29. Ezra 3:11 tn Heb “great.”
  30. Ezra 3:12 tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”
  31. Ezra 3:12 sn The temple had been destroyed some fifty years earlier by the Babylonians in 586 b.c.
  32. Ezra 3:12 tn Heb “with a great voice.”
  33. Ezra 3:13 tn Heb “a great shout.”
  34. Ezra 4:1 tn Heb “the sons of the exile.”
  35. Ezra 4:2 tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.” So also in v. 3.
  36. Ezra 4:2 tn Heb “Let us build with you.”
  37. 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”).
  38. Ezra 4:2 tn Heb “days.”
  39. Ezra 4:2 sn Esarhaddon was king of Assyria ca. 681-669 b.c.
  40. 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.
  41. Ezra 4:3 tn Heb “not to you and to us.”
  42. 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.
  43. Ezra 4:4 tn Heb “were making slack the hands of.”
  44. Ezra 4:5 tn Heb “all the days of.”
  45. Ezra 4:5 sn Darius ruled Persia ca. 522-486 b.c.
  46. 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.
  47. Ezra 4:6 sn The chronological problems of Ezra 4:6-24 are well known and have been the subject of extensive discussion since ancient times. Both v. 5 and v. 24 describe the reign of Darius I Hystaspes, who ruled Persia ca. 522-486 b.c. and in whose time the rebuilt temple was finished. The material in between is from later times (v. 16 describes the rebuilding of the walls, not the temple), and so appear to be a digression. Even recognizing this, there are still questions, such as why Cambyses (530-522 b.c.) is not mentioned at all, and why events from the time of Xerxes (486-465 b.c.) and Artaxerxes (464-423 b.c.) are included here if the author was discussing opposition to the building of the temple, which was finished in 516 b.c. Theories to explain these difficulties are too numerous to mention here, but have existed since ancient times: Josephus, the first century Jewish historian, rearranged the account to put Cambyses before Xerxes and replacing Artaxerxes with Xerxes (for further discussion of Josephus’ rearrangement see L. L. Grabbe, “Josephus and the Reconstruction of the Judean Restoration” JBL 106 [1987]: 231-46). In brief, it seems best to view the author’s primary concern here as thematic (the theme of opposition to the Jewish resettlement in Jerusalem, including the rebuilding of the temple and restoration of Jerusalem’s walls) rather than purely chronological. In the previous verses the author had shown how the Jews had rejected an offer of assistance from surrounding peoples and how these people in turn harassed them. The inserted account shows how, in light of the unremitting opposition the Jews experienced (even extending down to more recent times), this refusal of help had been fully justified. Some of the documents the author employed show how this opposition continued even after the temple was rebuilt. (The failure to mention Cambyses may simply mean the author had no documents available from that period.) For detailed discussion of the difficulties presented by the passage and the various theories advanced to explain them, see H. G. M. Williamson, Ezra, Nehemiah (WBC), 56-60.
  48. Ezra 4:6 sn Ahasuerus, otherwise known as Xerxes I, ruled ca. 486-464 b.c.
  49. Ezra 4:7 tn Heb “And in the days.”
  50. Ezra 4:7 tn The LXX understands this word as a prepositional phrase (“in peace”) rather than as a proper name (“Bishlam”). Taken this way it would suggest that Mithredath was “in agreement with” the contents of Tabeel’s letter. Some scholars regard the word in the MT to be a textual variation of an original “in Jerusalem” (i.e., “in the matter of Jerusalem”) or “in the name of Jerusalem.” The translation adopted above follows the traditional understanding of the word as a name.
  51. Ezra 4:7 tc The translation reads the plural with the Qere rather than the singular found in the MT Kethib.
  52. Ezra 4:7 sn Artaxerxes I ruled in Persia from ca. 465-425 b.c.
  53. Ezra 4:7 tc It is preferable to delete the MT’s וּכְתָב (ukhetav) here.
  54. Ezra 4:7 sn The double reference in v. 7 to the Aramaic language is difficult. It would not make sense to say that the letter was written in Aramaic and then translated into Aramaic. Some interpreters understand the verse to mean that the letter was written in the Aramaic script and in the Aramaic language, but this does not seem to give sufficient attention to the participle “translated” at the end of the verse. The second reference to Aramaic in the verse is more probably a gloss that calls attention to the fact that the following verses retain the Aramaic language of the letter in its original linguistic form. A similar reference to Aramaic occurs in Dan 2:4b, where the language of that book shifts from Hebrew to Aramaic. Ezra 4:8-6:18 and 7:12-26 are written in Aramaic, whereas the rest of the book is written in Hebrew.
  55. Ezra 4:8 tn Aram “lord of the command.” So also in vv. 9, 17.
  56. Ezra 4:8 sn Like Rehum, Shimshai was apparently a fairly high-ranking official charged with overseeing Persian interests in this part of the empire. His title was “scribe” or “secretary,” but in a more elevated political sense than that word sometimes has elsewhere. American governmental titles such as “Secretary of State” perhaps provide an analogy in that the word “secretary” can have a broad range of meaning.
  57. Ezra 4:8 tn Or perhaps “against.”
  58. Ezra 4:9 tn Aram “then.” What follows in v. 9 seems to be the preface of the letter, serving to identify the senders of the letter. The word “from” is not in the Aramaic text but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  59. Ezra 4:9 tn For the Qere of the MT (דֶּהָיֵא, dehayeʾ, a proper name) it seems better to retain the Kethib דִּהוּא (dihuʾ, “that is”). See F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 25, §35; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 36.
  60. Ezra 4:10 tn Aram “Osnappar” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV), another name for Ashurbanipal.sn Ashurbanipal succeeded his father Esarhaddon as king of Assyria in 669 b.c. Around 645 b.c. he sacked the city of Susa, capital of Elam, and apparently some of these people were exiled to Samaria and other places.
  61. Ezra 4:10 tc The translation reads with the ancient versions the plural בְּקֻרְיַהּ (bequryah, “in the cities”) rather than the singular (“in the city”) of the MT.
  62. Ezra 4:10 tn Aram “beyond the river.” In Ezra this term is a technical designation for the region west of the Euphrates river.
  63. Ezra 4:11 tn The Masoretic accents indicate that the phrase “to Artaxerxes the king” goes with what precedes and that the letter begins with the words “from your servants.” But it seems better to understand the letter to begin by identifying the addressee.
  64. Ezra 4:11 tn Aram “men of.”
  65. Ezra 4:12 tn The MT takes this word with the latter part of v. 11, but in English style it fits better with v. 12.
  66. Ezra 4:12 sn Management of the provinces that were distantly removed from the capital was difficult, and insurrection in such places was a perennial problem. The language used in this report about Jerusalem (i.e., “rebellious,” “odious”) is intentionally inflammatory. It is calculated to draw immediate attention to the perceived problem.
  67. Ezra 4:13 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.
  68. Ezra 4:14 tn Aram “we eat the salt of the palace.”
  69. Ezra 4:14 tn Aram “the dishonor of the king is not fitting for us to see.”
  70. Ezra 4:14 tn Aram “and we have made known.”
  71. Ezra 4:15 tn Aram “the book of the minutes.”
  72. Ezra 4:15 tn Aram “of your fathers.”
  73. Ezra 4:15 tn Aram “discover…and learn.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a single concept.
  74. Ezra 4:15 tn Aram “is a rebellious city.”
  75. Ezra 4:15 tn Aram “revolts they are making in its midst.”
  76. Ezra 4:15 tn Aram “from olden days.” So also in v. 19.
  77. Ezra 4:16 tn Aram “will not be to you.”
  78. Ezra 4:17 tn Aram “peace.”
  79. Ezra 4:19 tn Aram “from me was placed a decree.”
  80. Ezra 4:19 tn Aram “and they searched and found.”
  81. Ezra 4:19 tn Aram “are being done.”
  82. Ezra 4:20 sn The statement that prior Jewish kings ruled over the entire Trans-Euphrates is an overstatement. Not even in the days of David and Solomon did the kingdom of Israel extend its borders to such an extent.
  83. Ezra 4:20 tn Aram “were being given to them.”
  84. Ezra 4:21 tn Aram “until a command is issued from me.”
  85. Ezra 4:23 tn Aram “to Jerusalem against the Jews.”
  86. Ezra 4:23 tn Aram “by force and power,” a hendiadys.
  87. Ezra 4:24 sn Darius I Hystaspes ruled Persia ca. 522-486 b.c.
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