EZRA 4:1 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. This view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Key: yellow:verbs, blue:Elohim, green:YHWH.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT Now the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the sons of the exile were building a temple for Yahweh, the God of Israel.

UST The enemies of the people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin learned that the Israelites who had returned from Babylon were rebuilding the temple for Yahweh, the God whom the people of Israel worship.

BSB § When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel,

OEB No OEB EZRA book available

WEB Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building a temple to Yahweh, the God of Israel,

WMB Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building a temple to the LORD, the God of Israel,

NET When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin learned that the former exiles were building a temple for the Lord God of Israel,

LSV And adversaries of Judah and Benjamin hear that the sons of the captivity are building a temple to YHWH, God of Israel,

FBV The enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a Temple to the Lord, the God of Israel.

T4T The enemies of the people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin heard that the Israeli people who had returned from Babylonia were rebuilding a temple for Yahweh, the God whom the Israeli people worshiped.

LEB Now the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles[fn]were building a temple for Yahweh the God of Israel.

?:? Literally “the sons of the exile”

BBE Now news came to the haters of Judah and Benjamin that the people who had come back were building a Temple to the Lord, the God of Israel;

MOF No MOF EZRA book available

JPS Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building a temple unto the LORD, the God of Israel;

ASV Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building a temple unto Jehovah, the God of Israel;

DRA Now the enemies of Juda and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building a temple to the Lord the God of Israel.

YLT And adversaries of Judah and Benjamin hear that the sons of the captivity are building a temple to Jehovah, God of Israel,

DBY And the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building the temple to Jehovah the [fn]God of Israel;

4.1 Elohim

RV Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded a temple unto the LORD, the God of Israel;

WBS Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building the temple to the LORD God of Israel;

KJB Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel;[fn]
(Now when the adversaries of Yudahh and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel;)

4.1 the children…: Heb. the sons of the transportation

BB But the aduersaries of Iuda and Beniamin, heard that the children of the captiuitie builded the temple vnto the Lorde God of Israel:
(But the aduersaries of Yudah and Beniamin, heard that the children of the captiuitie builded the temple unto the Lord God of Israel:)

GNV Bvt the aduersaries of Iudah and Beniamin heard, that the children of the captiuitie builded the Temple vnto the Lord God of Israel.
(Bvt the aduersaries of Yudahh and Beniamin heard, that the children of the captiuitie builded the Temple unto the Lord God of Israel. )

CB But whan the aduersaries of Iuda and Ben Iamin herde, that the children of the captiuyte buylded the teple vnto the LORDE God of Israel,
(But when the aduersaries of Yudah and Ben Iamin heard, that the children of the captiuyte buylded the teple unto the LORD God of Israel,)

WYC Forsothe the enemyes of Juda and of Beniamyn herden, that the sones of caitifte bildiden a temple to the Lord God of Israel;
(Forsothe the enemyes of Yudah and of Beniamyn heard, that the sons of caitifte bildiden a temple to the Lord God of Israel;)

LUT Da aber die Widersacher Judas und Benjamins höreten, daß die Kinder des Gefängnisses dem HErrn, dem GOtt Israels, den Tempel baueten,
(So but the Widersacher Yudas and Benjamins listenten, that the children the Gefängnisses to_him HErrn, to_him God Israels, the Tempel baueten,)

CLV Audierunt autem hostes Judæ et Benjamin, quia filii captivitatis ædificarent templum Domino Deo Israël:[fn]
(Audierunt however hostes Yudæ and Benyamin, because children captivitatis ædificarent templum Domino Deo Israël:)

4.1 Audierunt autem hostes Judæ et Benjamin, etc. BED. in Esdr. Hostes Judæ et Benjamin Samaritas dicit, etc., usque ad qui ad dexteram judicis benedictionem et regnum æternum percepturi sunt. Dicunt ergo:

4.1 Audierunt however hostes Yudæ and Benyamin, etc. BED. in Esdr. Hostes Yudæ and Benyamin Samaritas dicit, etc., usque to who to dexteram yudicis benedictionem and kingdom eternal percepturi are. Dicunt ergo:

BRN And they that afflicted Juda and Benjamin heard, that the children of the captivity were building a house to the Lord God of Israel.

BrLXX Καὶ ἤκουσαν οἱ θλίβοντες Ἰούδα καὶ Βενιαμὶν, ὅτι υἱοὶ τῆς ἀποικίας οἰκοδομοῦσιν οἶκον τῷ Κυρίῳ Θεῷ Ἰσραὴλ,
(Kai aʸkousan hoi thlibontes Youda kai Beniamin, hoti huioi taʸs apoikias oikodomousin oikon tōi Kuriōi Theōi Israaʸl, )

TTN Tyndale Theme Notes:

Purity and Identity

God is holy, and he made a covenant with Israel to establish a holy nation (Exod 19:4-6; Lev 19:2). Israel’s identity as God’s people required purity in worship and in social relationships. God knew that if his people mingled with their pagan neighbors, they would be drawn into their detestable worship practices (see Num 25:1-9). Their failure to maintain purity and their assimilation to the surrounding cultures ultimately led to their destruction and exile (2 Kgs 17:5-23).

When Ezra wrote to the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem, one of his main purposes was to remind them of their need to remain pure in their beliefs and commitments. After arriving in Jerusalem, Ezra found that the people had intermarried with pagan foreigners, even though doing so was not permitted in God’s law (see Deut 7:3-4; Josh 23:12-13). As a result, their identity as God’s holy nation was in danger of disintegrating once again (Ezra 9:1-2).

To impress on his readers the need for separation from these foreigners, Ezra recounts how those who first returned to Jerusalem refused to cooperate with the pagan people living around them (4:1-5). These people claimed to worship the same God, but they actually worshiped several gods in addition to Israel’s God. If the Jews had joined with these people, they soon would have compromised their beliefs and become ungodly, just as Israel had done before the Exile (see Exod 34:15-16; 1 Kgs 11:1-5; 2 Kgs 16:3). Those early leaders of the Jews in Judea understood the danger of accommodating these foreigners. They learned from their ancestors’ experience and refused to compromise the purity of their faith for the sake of peace. They carefully followed God’s instructions in everything they did (Ezra 3:2, 9; 6:18). If they were going to identify themselves as “the servants of the God of heaven and earth” (5:11), they would need to please and serve him and no other gods.

Believers today are identified as God’s holy people (1 Pet 2:9), a title that speaks of purity. Paul admonished the Corinthians to refrain from marrying unbelievers—for Christ and Satan have no fellowship (2 Cor 6:14-15). Righteousness and unrighteousness do not mix. The people of God must dissociate themselves from all behavior that defiles, instead clothing themselves with attitudes and actions that befit their holy status (Col 3:5-15).

Passages for Further Study

Gen 27:46–28:5; Exod 19:4-6; 34:15-16; Lev 19:2; Deut 7:3-4; Josh 23:12-13; 1 Kgs 11:1-5; Ezra 4:1-5; 5:11; 9:1–10:11; Mal 2:15; 1 Cor 6:15-20; 2 Cor 6:14-18; 2 Tim 2:21-22; 1 Pet 2:9-10

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: writing-background

וַֽ⁠יִּשְׁמְע֔וּ

and=they_heard

The word Now indicates that the sentence it introduces will provide background information that will be needed to understand what the book describes next. You can translate it with the word or phrase in your language that is most similar in meaning and significance.

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

יְהוּדָ֖ה וּ⁠בִנְיָמִ֑ן

Yehuda and,Benjamin

Here the book is referring to the people who came from the tribe of Judah as if they were a single person, their ancestor Judah. It is referring similarly to the people of the tribe of Benjamin as if they were a single person, their ancestor Benjamin. Alternate translation: “the people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin” or see the next note for a further possibility.

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / hendiadys

יְהוּדָ֖ה וּ⁠בִנְיָמִ֑ן

Yehuda and,Benjamin

Here the book may be expressing a single idea by using two words connected with and. Together the two words may be a way of referring to all of the Israelites, since at this point the community consisted essentially of people from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Alternate translation: “the Israelites”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / synecdoche

וַֽ⁠יִּשְׁמְע֔וּ & כִּֽי־בְנֵ֤י הַ⁠גּוֹלָה֙ בּוֹנִ֣ים הֵיכָ֔ל

and=they_heard & that/for/because/then/when sons_of the,exile building temple

Heard means that these enemies learned by some means that the Jews were doing this. The book is using hearing, one means of discovering things, to describe the enemies learning this. Alternate translation: “Now … learned that the Jews who had returned from exile were building a temple”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

בְנֵ֤י הַ⁠גּוֹלָה֙

sons_of the,exile

As indicated in 2:1 and 8:35, the phrase the sons of the exile refers specifically to the group of Jewish people who returned to the land of Judah from Babylon. Babylon was the country where King Nebuchadnezzar had taken many Jews as captives after he conquered Jerusalem. Alternate translations: “the Jews who had returned from exile” or “the Jews who had returned to their homeland”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / distinguish

לַ⁠יהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל

to/for=YHWH god Yisrael

This phrase provides further background information about Yahweh and it likely expresses the perspective of the enemies on the situation. Alternate translations: “Yahweh, the God they worshiped” or “Yahweh, the God whom the people of Israel worship”

Parallel EZRA 4:1