According to their ability is literally “with their strength” and by extension, “with their wealth.” They contributed to the treasury of the work according to what they possessed; that is, they gave for the work, or they contributed to the funds that were being collected to support or pay for the work. The word rendered treasury refers to the funds that were stored up for the work (see Neh 7.70). This is the first mention of the work in reference to the rebuilding of the Temple. The theme of “work” will recur in Ezra (see 3.8) and especially in Nehemiah (see 2.16).

Darics of gold were gold coins that weighed 8.424 grams each (about 0.3 ounce). They were named after the Persian king Darius I. These coins are mentioned only in Ezra-Nehemiah and 1 Chr 29.7. Some translations use the better known word of Greek origin, which is “drachma,” in place of the Persian daric. Minas of silver were not coins but were weights of about 570 grams each (about 1.25 pounds). Instead of referring to coins that will not be known to readers today, it may be preferable to specify the equivalent amount of gold and silver in weights that will be understood by the reader as Good News Translation has done. The British edition of Good News Translation gives the weight in kilograms: 500 kilos of gold and 2800 kilos of silver. For gold and silver, see Ezra 1.4.

Priests’ garments: These were tunics, that is, inner garments with sleeves, coming down to the knees. They were made of fine, white linen cloth (Exo 28.2-5).

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 .

And mighty kings …: Mighty is from a verb meaning “to be great” or “to be powerful.” The mighty kings had power over Jerusalem and the whole province Beyond the River. The word whole has not been previously used with reference to the province. It is not clear from the Aramaic text who the mighty kings are. If it is referring to kings of Israel, the greatest geographical extent of Israel’s rule was in the time of David and Solomon and their rule did not include the whole province that was now known as Beyond the River. In addition, there would not be records about them in Assyrian and Babylonian archives because they ruled before that time. Also, they would not have been involved in rebellion and sedition. It is more likely that the reference is to Assyrian and Babylonian kings who ruled over Jerusalem, who collected tribute, custom, and toll from there, and against whom the kings of Israel rebelled. For the text to be read in this way the Aramaic connective conjunction (And in Revised Standard Version) at the beginning of the verse needs to be understood as adversative and translated as “However.”

Have been over Jerusalem: Many translations understand this verse as an exaggerated reference to Jerusalem at the time of the kingdom of David and Solomon (see the Bible de Jérusalem footnote). Some therefore have translated this phrase as “have reigned in Jerusalem” (so New Jerusalem Bible; similarly Revised English Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). The Handbook does not recommend this for the reasons given in the previous paragraph.

To whom tribute, custom, and toll were paid: The three kinds of taxes that were mentioned in the first letter are repeated here with reference to the kings over Jerusalem and the rest of the province west of the Euphrates (see verse 13).

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 .

In the style of a historian, the writer identifies precisely the time when the rebuilding of the Temple was finished. The date of the completion of the Temple was the third day of the month of Adar, which is the twelfth month of the Hebrew calendar in late February and early March up to the spring (or vernal) equinox. (For the calendar in use then, see “Translating Ezra and Nehemiah,” pages 25-26.) It was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king, which was 515 B.C. This was approximately seventy years after the destruction of the first Temple in 586 B.C. Compare the prophecy of Jeremiah that the people of Israel would return from exile after seventy years in Jer 25.11-12; 29.10. New English Bible and Jerusalem Bible have “twenty-third day” in place of third day. They follow the parallel account in 1 Esdras 7.5 and Josephus based on the premise that “twenty” was accidentally omitted in the text of Ezra. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project gives this a C rating. However, the number “twenty-third” in 1 Esdras may have been to provide a parallel with 2 Chr 7.10, where it says that the dedication of the first Temple lasted until the “twenty-third day of the seventh month.” Nevertheless, this Handbook recommends the translation “twenty-third day.” A footnote should be added to indicate that “third day” is in MT.

Most versions retain the Babylonian name for the month Adar in translation, instead of trying to convert it to a modern name such as February or March, which would be anachronistic. However, for cultures that have a calendar like that of the Babylonians with the year beginning at the spring equinox, the translators may choose to use their traditional names for the months. If translators follow the practice of keeping Adar, it may be necessary to explain this name in a footnote.

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 .

The other group of Levites was under the leadership of Hashabiah and Jeshaiah, descendants of Merari, who was a son of Levi. They were accompanied by his kinsmen and their sons, which is literally “his brothers and their sons.” The “brothers” could be the kin of either Hashabiah or Jeshaiah, while the “sons” were the descendants of both. Good News Translation groups them together as “relatives” and thus avoids the ambiguity of the Hebrew text. Some commentators have proposed making “brothers” singular to refer to Jeshaiah as the brother of Hashabiah, but Hebrew Old Testament Text Project supports the Hebrew as the original form of the text with a B rating and should be followed.

Verses 18-20 are one sentence in the Hebrew text, but Good News Translation restructures them into separate sentences and modifies the style for easy English reading and comprehension.

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 .