Moreover I make a decree regarding what you shall do … for the rebuilding of this house of God: Darius also makes a decree of what the Persian officials are to do to help rebuild the Temple. They must pay for the expenses of the rebuilding project by using the money collected for Darius in the province where the Temple is located. Moreover translates the Aramaic connective conjunction, which introduces this new development in the king’s command. “I hereby command you to help them rebuild it” in Good News Translation may be misleading after saying “Stay away from the Temple” at the end of verse 6. The “help” here in verse 8 refers to money and goods, not labor.

To these men: This refers specifically to the elders of the Jews.

In full emphasizes that the command is to be obeyed “diligently” or “promptly.” In full as translated by Revised Standard Version (also New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible) emphasizes that the payment is to be made “fully” (New International Version), “exactly” (Bible en français courant, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), “with faithfulness” (Chouraqui), or “on time” (Osty-Trinquet). Compare Ezra 5.8, where Revised Standard Version has “diligently” for the same expression.

The phrase without delay is literally “so as not to stop.” It could refer to the payment of the money (so Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Alternatively, it may refer to the building work (Septuagint, Syriac, New International Version, Good News Translation) and is an echo of Ezra 4.24 where the work was “stopped.” The same verb is used in both places. In this case it can be translated as “without interruption” (compare Good News Translation).

From the royal revenue, the tribute of the province from Beyond the River: The expenses are to be paid literally from the “king’s treasures” (royal revenue). These are the “resources of the king” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) that he receives from the tribute collected as taxes in the province Beyond the River (see Ezra 4.13) as Good News Translation makes explicit.

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 .