Three reasons are given not to carry out Ezra’s instructions that same day: 1) it will take too long with such a large crowd, 2) it is raining hard, and 3) there are too many cases to be decided.

But the people are many: The people’s statement that follows their strong declaration of agreement is introduced by an adversative adverb in Hebrew, which Revised Standard Version renders with the conjunction But. The people are many implies that there are too many people to do what Ezra has instructed them to do (so Good News Translation).

It is a time of heavy rain: On the basis of verse 9 above, Good News Translation interprets this in the immediate sense, so it has “it’s raining hard.” Contemporary English Version expresses it idiomatically with “in this downpour.” However, New International Version, Revised English Bible and other versions understand it to mean “it is the rainy season.” In fact, the ninth month was the period of winter rains. The Hebrew literally says “the time of rains.”

We cannot stand in the open: They were assembled in the open square in front of the Temple (see verse 9 above). There was no roof over their heads to protect them from bad weather now in the rainy season. Probably it was actually raining as Good News Translation renders it.

For one day or for two is an expression to indicate an indefinite period of time. Revised English Bible says “of one or two days only.” Some languages will say “for one or two nights only.”

For we have greatly transgressed is literally “for we have done much transgressing.” The Hebrew verb “to transgress” here overlaps in meaning with the word translated “to break faith” (verse 2 above) or “to trespass” (verse 10 above). Its basic meaning is “to turn away, to rebel.” It is used for turning away from God, and therefore it has the meaning of transgressing God’s commandments. The Hebrew reference to the quantity of transgressing is interpreted by some translations as very great sinning (Revised Standard Version). New English Bible renders it “because we have committed so grave an offence.” Other translations take it to mean that many people have transgressed; for example, New Revised Standard Version has “for many of us have transgressed.” This is the probable meaning here.

This thing: The Hebrew word for thing is davar. It literally means “word,” but it is often used generally for a “matter” or “affair” (see verse 9 above).

The syntactic structure of the whole statement in this verse is relatively simple in the original text, but the relationships of meaning among its different parts are subtle. The people’s reservations are expressed in parallel couplets as follows in Hebrew: “but the people [are] numerous and [it’s] the time of heavy rains and there is not the strength to stand outside and the task [is] not for one day and not for two.” “The people [are] numerous” is paired with “[it’s] the time of heavy rains.” In the second pair, once again the first line refers to the people (“there is not the strength to stand outside)” and the second refers to time (“the task [is] not for one day and not for two”). To the last line is added a statement of cause with its conjunction: “because we have done much transgressing.”

Good News Translation restructures verses 12-13 by making a break in the quotation and inserts an introduction to the second part of the quotation to make the implied meaning explicit. “But they added” indicates that what follows is in opposition to the people’s stated acceptance. The speech style adopted by Good News Translation is that of common people speaking in an actual situation, and translators should make their version sound like real speech.

Translators will need to use conjunctions to make the logic of the people’s argument clear. The people’s words in verses 12-13 may be restated as follows:

• Yes, we must do as you said, but we are many and there is heavy rain so we cannot stand outside; in addition, the task will not be completed in only a day or two because many of us have sinned in this matter.

New International Version and New English Bible are similar to this.

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 .