OET interlinear EZRA 4:13

uW Translation Notes:

כְּעַ֗ן

now

The word now is similar to the expression “and now” in 4:10 and 4:11. Here, now introduces an important point within the letter. If your language has a comparable expression that it uses for this same purpose, you can use that in your translation.

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / 123person

יְדִ֨יעַ֙ לֶהֱוֵ֣א לְ⁠מַלְכָּ֔⁠א

known it_will_happen to=the=king

As in 4:12, the officials address the king here in the third person as a sign of respect. If it would be helpful in your language, you could indicate this respect by using an expression such as “O king.” Alternate translation: “we would like you to know, O king”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

יְדִ֨יעַ֙ לֶהֱוֵ֣א לְ⁠מַלְכָּ֔⁠א

known it_will_happen to=the=king

If it would be helpful in your language, you could say this with an active form, and you could say who is doing the action. Alternate translation: “we would like you to know, O king”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

הֵ֣ן קִרְיְתָ֥⁠א דָךְ֙ תִּתְבְּנֵ֔א וְ⁠שׁוּרַיָּ֖⁠ה יִֽשְׁתַּכְלְל֑וּן

if city,the this rebuilt and,walls,the finished

These two phrases mean similar things. (As noted in 4:12, completed is another way of saying built when the terms are paired like this.) Likely for emphasis, the officials say essentially the same thing twice to create an ominous sense of threat. You do not need to repeat both phrases in your translation if that might be confusing for your readers. Alternate translation: “if they are able to rebuild that city” However, there is a slight difference in meaning, and you could also choose to bring that out in your translation. The second phrase is actually stronger and more threatening, because the city walls could prevent Artaxerxes from reasserting his sovereignty by force. Alternate translation: “if they rebuild the city, and especially if they restore its protective walls”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

הֵ֣ן קִרְיְתָ֥⁠א דָךְ֙ תִּתְבְּנֵ֔א וְ⁠שׁוּרַיָּ֖⁠ה יִֽשְׁתַּכְלְל֑וּן

if city,the this rebuilt and,walls,the finished

If it would be helpful in your language, you could say this with an active form, and you could say who did the action. Alternate translation: “if the Jews are able to rebuild the city and restore its walls”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

מִנְדָּֽה־בְל֤וֹ וַ⁠הֲלָךְ֙ לָ֣א יִנְתְּנ֔וּן

tribute custom and,toll not pay

Tax, tribute, and custom mean similar things. The officials use the three terms together to emphasize that the king could lose all of his income from the Jews living in Jerusalem and the province of Judah. However, there is a slight difference between the three terms. While their exact meaning is uncertain, they may refer to these three kinds of taxes: taxes based on a percentage of income, tribute money that subjects would pay on a per-person basis, and duty that they would pay on articles purchased for use or transported for sale. Alternate translation: “they will no longer pay taxes, tribute, or duty” But if you do not have three different words for different kinds of taxes in your language, you could just use one word, as in the UST. (A doublet can involve the use of more than two words.)

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וְ⁠אַפְּתֹ֥ם מַלְכִ֖ים תְּהַנְזִֽק

and,revenue royal reduced

The officials are writing to a king who is the sole ruler of his empire, but they may be using the plural kings here because previous kings had accumulated much of the royal treasures. The officials may also be suggesting implicitly that not only Artaxerxes, but also his successors, will get no further revenue from the Jews if Jerusalem is rebuilt and fortified. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say that explicitly. Alternate translation: “and this will reduce the income of kings”