I weighed out into their hand is not to be taken literally. Good News Translation says simply “I gave them,” and Contemporary English Version says “I divided them among [them].” Some receptor languages may use an expression similar to the one in Hebrew, for example, “to put in the hand of,” meaning “to entrust to, to deliver to.”

Next follows a short list of items that Revised Standard Version presents in narrative form and that Good News Translation sets off in the form of an inventory list. Contemporary English Version restructures verses 25-27 and gives the items in a list following a colon with each item set off from the other by a semicolon.

Six hundred and fifty talents of silver: For talents of silver, see the comments on Ezra 7.22. Good News Translation estimates the amount of silver to weigh 25 tons, while Bible en français courant says 20 metric tons.

Silver vessels worth a hundred talents: These objects of silver are not described. They may have been a variety of different “silver articles” (see Ezra 1.7). There are textual difficulties with this phrase that have led to different interpretations. The Hebrew text may have omitted the amount of talents so New Revised Standard Version renders it “one hundred silver vessels worth … talents.” This is supported by Hebrew Old Testament Text Project with a B rating. But the Hebrew word for talents may be a dual form in which case it refers to “two talents.” New Jerusalem Bible therefore translates it “one hundred utensils of silver valued at two talents” (also Good News Translation, Revised English Bible). English Standard Version says “silver vessels worth 200 talents.” 1 Esdras 8.56 has “silver vessels worth a hundred talents” (also Revised Standard Version, New International Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), but that is not consistent with the word order for the other items. It is recommended that either the New Revised Standard Version translation be followed with a footnote to explain the blank or the Revised English Bible translation with “two talents” be followed. If the two-talent solution is adopted, the weight will be approximately 70 kilograms or 150 pounds. If the hundred-talent solution is chosen, the weight is about 3.4 metric tons or 3.75 standard tons (see New International Version; compare Ezra 7.22). Bible en français courant includes a footnote acknowledging that the Hebrew text is unclear and that the translation is not certain. Translators should include such a footnote.

A hundred talents of gold: The weight of the gold is about 3.4 metric tons or 3.75 standard tons. This is equivalent to 3,400 kilograms or 7,500 pounds (Good News Translation).

Twenty bowls of gold worth a thousand darics: For bowls see Ezra 1.10. For darics see the comments on Ezra 2.69. The total weight of the bowls is 8.4 kilograms, which is 295 ounces (rather than “270 ounces” as in Good News Translation).

Two vessels of fine polished bronze as precious as gold: The same term vessels is used to refer to these articles as was used above for the silver objects. These bronze objects were made of a rare and expensive alloy of copper that was reddish in color. Parole de Vie describes them as “2 magnificent vessels of brilliant bronze.” If there is no term for bronze in the receptor language, it may be described as a “reddish metal.” An explanation in a footnote or a glossary entry may give a description of this metal and its uses.

Quoted with permission from Noss, Philip A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. A Handbook on Ezra. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2005. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .