I made a decree: This is literally “from me was issued decree.” The king uses a formal style in his letter, but he refers to himself in the first person singular. In many languages it will be necessary to use a special royal style for the king’s letter (see the comments at Ezra 1.2). This may be done by using first person plural reference or third person singular or plural reference for the king. There may also be honorifics that refer to the king.

The king made a decree to find the records about Jerusalem. The content of the decree is not stated; it is only implied. A decree is a command or an order for something to be done. A decree issued by a Persian king was irrevocable (Dan 6.8; Est 1.19).

Search has been made, and it has been found …: The king’s letter uses the same verbs “to search” and “to find” that were used in the request in the first letter (verse 15). And what was found was what was predicted in the first letter. From time immemorial this city had risen up against kings and it had been a place of rebellion and sedition (see verse 15).

Translators should retain the repetition of terms in the king’s letter from the first letter as much as possible. Nouns, adjectives and verbs may all be formed from the same base forms in Aramaic, and where the receptor language can do a similar thing, it should be done. The repetition is an intentional device used by the author to give cohesion to the account. It also provides emphasis and literary beauty in the narrative.

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 .