That twenty talents a year should be given for the building of the temple until it was completed: For talents see the comments on 1 Esd 1.35-36. Twenty talents is equivalent to about 680 kilograms or 1,500 pounds. If twenty talents is translated as a weight, some material has to be specified. The text does not specify whether the material was gold or silver, but in view of the amount, silver is the better choice (so Good News Bible). There is in fact some manuscript evidence to support this, but we will consider this a translational, not a textual, matter.

Here are alternative models for this verse:

• Every year until the Jerusalem Temple is finished [or, the Jews finish building the Jerusalem Temple], the local officials will give the Jews 680 kilograms [or, 1,500 pounds] of silver to help with the cost of building.

• Every year the local officials should provide 680 kilograms [or, 1,500 pounds] of silver for the building of the Temple until it is finished.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.