OET interlinear EZRA 6:22

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-time-sequential

וַ⁠יַּֽעֲשׂ֧וּ

and,celebrated

This phrase indicates that the event the story will now relate came after the event it has just described. If it would be helpful in your language, you could show this relationship by using a phrase such as “After that.”

Note 2 topic: translate-names

וַ⁠יַּֽעֲשׂ֧וּ חַג־מַצּ֛וֹת שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֖ים בְּ⁠שִׂמְחָ֑ה

and,celebrated festival unleavened_bread seven days in/on/at/with,joy

Festival of Unleavened Bread is the name of another religious festival that the law of Moses commanded the Jews to celebrate every year to remember how God had rescued their ancestors from slavery in Egypt. The term Unleavened Bread refers to bread that is made without yeast or other leavening. When God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, he told them to flee quickly without waiting for their bread to rise. Unleavened bread is served in the yearly Passover meal in remembrance of that time. Then for the next week after Passover, the Jews are still not to eat any leavened bread. The beginning and end of that week are marked by special ceremonies. Alternate translation: “For the next seven days, they joyfully celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread”

Note 3 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

וַ⁠יַּֽעֲשׂ֧וּ חַג־מַצּ֛וֹת שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֖ים בְּ⁠שִׂמְחָ֑ה כִּ֣י ׀ שִׂמְּחָ֣⁠ם יְהוָ֗ה וְֽ⁠הֵסֵ֞ב לֵ֤ב מֶֽלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר֙ עֲלֵי⁠הֶ֔ם לְ⁠חַזֵּ֣ק יְדֵי⁠הֶ֔ם בִּ⁠מְלֶ֥אכֶת בֵּית־הָ⁠אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל

and,celebrated festival unleavened_bread seven days in/on/at/with,joy that/for/because/then/when made_~_joyful,them YHWH and,turned heart king Assyria toward,them so_that,aided hands_of,them in/on/at/with,work house_of the=ʼElohīm god Yisrael

This sentence has three main parts, each one giving the reason for what comes before it. If it would be helpful in your language, you could break the sentence into three sentences, and put the earlier part about the festival at the end. In that way, each sentence gives the result of the sentence before it. Alternate translation: “Yahweh had made the king of Assyria to feel favorable toward the Jews so that he supported the rebuilding of the temple. This had made the people very happy. As a result, they performed the Festival of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וְֽ⁠הֵסֵ֞ב לֵ֤ב מֶֽלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר֙ עֲלֵי⁠הֶ֔ם

and,turned heart king Assyria toward,them

Here, the heart represents the thoughts and the will. Turning the king’s heart towards the Jews means that Yahweh made him think and feel differently about the Jews. Alternate translation: “and made King Darius of Persia favorable toward the Jews”

מֶֽלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר֙

king Assyria

This phrase actually refers to Darius, the king of Persia. But since the Persian Empire was the heir to the Assyrian Empire, Darius could be addressed by this title as well. (See the note to 4:15 that explains that the Persian kings considered their “fathers” or predecessor kings to include the Assyrian and Babylonian kings whose empires they had absorbed.) Alternate translation: “King Darius of Persia”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / distinguish

אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל

god Yisrael

As in 4:1, this phrase provides further background information about who Yahweh is. In context, it helps distinguish Yahweh from the gods of the nations of the land. Alternate translation: “Yahweh, the God whom the people of Israel worshiped”