EZRA 4:2 Parallel Verse View

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4:2 Variant note: ו/לא: (x-qere) ’וְ/ל֣/וֹ’: lemma_c/l n_0.1.2.0 morph_HC/R/Sp3ms id_15ozy וְ/ל֣/וֹ

Key: yellow:verbs, blue:Elohim.
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 So they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the fathers and they said to them, “Let us build with you, for, like you, we seek your God and to him we have been sacrificing since the days of Esarhaddon, the king of Assyria, the one who caused us to come up here.”

UST So they approached Zerubbabel the governor and the other clan leaders and deceptively said to them, “We want to help you to build the temple. After all, we also worship your God. We have been offering sacrifices to him since the time that Esarhaddon, the king of Assyria, brought us here.”

BSB they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the families, saying, “Let us build with you because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to Him since the time of King Esar-haddon of Assyria, who brought us here.”

OEB No OEB EZRA book available

WEB they came near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of fathers’ households, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have been sacrificing to him since the days of Esar Haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.”

NET they came to Zerubbabel and the leaders and said to them, “Let us help you build, for like you we seek your God and we have been sacrificing to him from the time of King Esarhaddon of Assyria, who brought us here.”

LSV and they draw near to Zerubbabel, and to heads of the fathers, and say to them, “Let us build with you; for, like you, we seek to your God, and we are not sacrificing since the days of Esar-Haddon king of Asshur, who brought us up here.”

FBV They came to Zerubbabel and the family leaders and said, “Please let us help you with the building work, for we worship your God like you do. In fact we have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.”

T4T So they went to Zerubbabel the governor and the other leaders, and said deceptively, “We want to help you build the temple, because we worship that same God whom you worship, and we have been offering sacrifices to him since Esarhaddon, the King of Assyria, brought us here.”

LEB And they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the families,[fn] and they said to them, “Let us build with you. Like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificingto him from the days of Esarhaddon the king of Assyria who brought us up here.

?:? Literally “fathers”

BBE Then they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of families, and said to them, Let us take part in the building with you; for we are servants of your God, even as you are; and we have been making offerings to him from the days of Esar-haddon, king of Assyria, who put us here.

MOF No MOF EZRA book available

JPS then they drew near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of fathers' houses, and said unto them: 'Let us build with you; for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up hither.'

ASV then they drew near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of fathers’ houses, and said unto them, Let us build with you; for we seek your God, as ye do; and we sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up hither.

DRA And they came to Zorobabel, and the chief of the fathers, and said to them: Let us build with you, for we seek your God as ye do: behold we have sacrificed to him, since the days of Asor Haddan king of Assyria, who brought us hither.

YLT and they draw nigh unto Zerubbabel, and unto heads of the fathers, and say to them, 'Let us build with you; for, like you, we seek to your God, and we are not sacrificing since the days of Esar-Haddon king of Asshur, who brought us up hither.'

DBY and they came to Zerubbabel and to the chief fathers, and said to them, We would build with you; for we seek your [fn]God, as ye; and we have sacrificed to him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up hither.

4.2 Elohim

RV then they drew near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of fathers’ houses, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, which brought us up hither.

WBS Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said to them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do ; and we do sacrifice to him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assur, who brought us up hither.

KJB Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.
(Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye/you_all do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither. )

BB And they came to Zorobabel and to the principall fathers, and saide vnto them: We wyll builde with you, for we seeke the Lorde your God, as ye do, and we haue done sacrifice vnto him since the time of Asor Hadon the king of Assur which brought vs vp hither.
(And they came to Zorobabel and to the principall fathers, and said unto them: We will builde with you, for we seek the Lord your God, as ye/you_all do, and we have done sacrifice unto him since the time of Asor Hadon the king of Assur which brought us up hither.)

GNV And they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chiefe fathers, and sayd vnto them, We wil builde with you: for we seeke the Lord your God as ye do, and we haue sacrificed vnto him since the time of Esar Haddon king of Asshur, which brought vs vp hither.
(And they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chiefe fathers, and said unto them, We will builde with you: for we seek the Lord your God as ye/you_all do, and we have sacrificed unto him since the time of Esar Haddon king of Asshur, which brought us up hither. )

CB they came to Zorobabel & to the pryncipall fathers, and sayde vnto them: We wyl buylde with you: for we seke the LORDE youre God like as ye do. And we haue done sacrifice vnto him, sence the tyme that Assar Hadon the kynge of Assur broughte vs vp hither.
(they came to Zorobabel and to the pryncipall fathers, and said unto them: We will buylde with you: for we seek the LORD your(pl) God like as ye/you_all do. And we have done sacrifice unto him, since the time that Assar Hadon the king of Assur broughte us up hither.)

WYC and thei neiyeden to Zorobabel, and to the princes of fadris, and seiden to hem, Bilde we with you, for so as ye, we seken youre God; lo! we han offrid sacrificis fro the daies of Assoraddon, kyng of Assur, that brouyte vs hidur.
(and they neiyeden to Zorobabel, and to the princes of fathers, and said to them, Bilde we with you, for so as ye, we seek your(pl) God; lo! we have offrid sacrificis from the days of Assoraddon, king of Assur, that brought us hidur.)

LUT kamen sie zu Serubabel und zu den obersten Vätern und sprachen zu ihnen: Wir wollen mit euch bauen, denn wir suchen euren GOtt, gleichwie ihr; und wir haben nicht geopfert, seit der Zeit Assar-Haddon, der König zu Assur, uns hat heraufgebracht.
(kamen they/she/them to Serubabel and to the obersten Vätern and said to ihnen: Wir wollen with you bauen, because wir suchen yours God, gleichwie ihr; and wir have not geopfert, since the Zeit Assar-Haddon, the king to Assur, uns has heraufgebracht.)

CLV et accedentes ad Zorobabel, et ad principes patrum, dixerunt eis: Ædificemus vobiscum, quia ita ut vos, quærimus Deum vestrum: ecce nos immolavimus victimas a diebus Asor Haddan regis Assur, qui adduxit nos huc.[fn]
(and accedentes to Zorobabel, and to principes patrum, dixerunt eis: Ædificemus with_you, because ita as vos, quærimus God of_you: ecce nos immolavimus victimas a days Asor Haddan king Assur, who adduxit nos huc.)

4.2 Ædificemus vobis. ID., ibid. Cum affectant hæretici auctoritatem sibi prædicandi inter catholicos tribui, etc., usque ad in aperti persona hostis accerrime impugnavit. Non est nobis. Non est hæreticorum ædificare Ecclesiam a qua sunt alieni, sed tantum eorum qui Christo vero regi et sacerdoti adhærentes, principes patrum vocari meruerunt, et pro pia cura quam habent erga eos qui Christum videre desiderant.

4.2 Ædificemus vobis. ID., ibid. Since affectant hæretici auctoritatem sibi prædicandi between catholicos tribui, etc., usque to in aperti persona hostis accerrime impugnavit. Non it_is nobis. Non it_is hæreticorum ædificare Ecclesiam a which are alieni, but only eorum who Christo vero regi and sacerdoti adhærentes, principes patrum vocari meruerunt, and pro pia cura how habent erga them who Christum videre desiderant.

BRN And they drew near to Zorobabel, and to the heads of families, and said to them, We will build with you; for as ye do, we seek to serve our God, and we do sacrifice to him from the days of Asaradan king of Assur, who brought us hither.

BrLXX καὶ ἤγγισαν πρὸς Ζοροβάβελ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἄρχοντας τῶν πατριῶν, καὶ εἶπον αὐτοῖς, οἰκοδομήσομεν μεθʼ ὑμῶν, ὅτι ὡς ὑμεῖς ἐκζητοῦμεν τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν, καὶ αὐτῷ ἡμεῖς θυσιάζομεν ἀπὸ ἡμερῶν Ἀσαραδὰν βασιλέως Ἀσσοὺρ τοῦ ἐνέγκαντος ἡμᾶς ὧδε.
(kai aʸngisan pros Zorobabel kai pros tous arⱪontas tōn patriōn, kai eipon autois, oikodomaʸsomen methʼ humōn, hoti hōs humeis ekzaʸtoumen tōi Theōi haʸmōn, kai autōi haʸmeis thusiazomen apo haʸmerōn Asaradan basileōs Assour tou enegkantos haʸmas hōde. )

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: grammar-connect-logic-result

וַ⁠יִּגְּשׁ֨וּ

and,approached

The word So indicates that the sentence it introduces explains the results of what the previous sentence described. Alternate translation: “As a result, they went”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / go

וַ⁠יִּגְּשׁ֨וּ

and,approached

Use the motion verb that is most natural in your language. Alternate translation: “So they went”

Note 3 topic: translate-names

זְרֻבָּבֶ֜ל

Zərubāⱱel

Zerubbabel is the name of a man. See how you translated it in 2:2.

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

רָאשֵׁ֣י הָֽ⁠אָב֗וֹת

heads the,families

As in 1:5 and elsewhere in the book, this is an abbreviated way of saying “the heads of father’s houses.” Alternate translation: “the clan leaders”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וַ⁠יֹּאמְר֤וּ לָ⁠הֶם֙ נִבְנֶ֣ה עִמָּ⁠כֶ֔ם

and=they_said to/for=them let_us_build with,you_all

Since the book says in the previous verse that these people were enemies of the Jews, the implication is that they were not sincere when they claimed that they wanted to help build the temple. Instead, they were probably looking for a way to hinder the building project from within. The Jewish leaders refused their offer, and that suggests that they themselves suspected that these people were insincere. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say something like that explicitly. Alternate translation: “and attempting to deceive the Jews, they said to them, ‘We would like to help you build the temple’”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

נִדְר֖וֹשׁ לֵֽ⁠אלֹהֵי⁠כֶ֑ם

seek to,God,your_all's

Here, seek is an idiom that means to worship and pray to God or a god. Alternate translation: “we worship your God”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

מִ⁠ימֵי֙ אֵסַ֤ר חַדֹּן֙

since,days אֵסַר חַדֹּן

The term days is used here to refer a particular period of time. Alternate translation: “since the time of Esarhaddon”

Note 8 topic: translate-names

אֵסַ֤ר חַדֹּן֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ אַשּׁ֔וּר

אֵסַר חַדֹּן king Assyria

Esarhaddon is the name of a man, and Assyria is the name of his kingdom.

Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

הַ⁠מַּעֲלֶ֥ה אֹתָ֖⁠נוּ פֹּֽה

the,brought DOM,us here

These men say that Esarhaddon brought them up to this land because it is mountainous and, as 4:9 indicates, their ancestors formerly lived in lowland areas. Alternate translation: “the one who brought us here”

Parallel EZRA 4:2