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BrTrThen Zorobabel, and Jesus and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel said to them, It is not for us and you to build a house to our God, for we ourselves will build together to the Lord our God, as Cyrus the king of the Persians commanded us.
ULTBut Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of the fathers of Israel said to them, “It is not for you and for us to build a house for our God, but we ourselves together will build for Yahweh, the God of Israel, just as the king Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.”
USTBut Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the other Jewish clan leaders replied, “We will not allow you to help us build a temple for our God. No, we alone will build it for Yahweh, the God whom Israel worships, because that is what King Cyrus of Persia told us to do.”
BSB § But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other heads of the families of Israel replied, “You have no part with us in building a house for our God, since we alone must build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as Cyrus king of Persia has commanded us.”
WEBBEBut Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ households of Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves together will build to the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”
WMBBBut Zerubbabel, Yeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ households of Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves together will build to the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”
NETBut Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the leaders of Israel said to them, “You have no right to help us build the temple of our God. We will build it by ourselves for the Lord God of Israel, just as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.”
LSVAnd Zerubbabel says to them, also Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of the fathers of Israel, “Not for you, and for us, to build a house to our God; but we ourselves together build to YHWH God of Israel, as King Cyrus, king of Persia, commanded us.”
FBVBut Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the family leaders of Israel replied, “You can't share with us in building a Temple for our God. Only we can build it for the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what Cyrus the king of Persia has ordered us to do.”
T4TBut Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other Israeli leaders replied, “We will not allow you to help us build a temple for our(exc) God. We will build it ◄ourselves/without your help► for Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis worship, like Cyrus, the King of Persia, told us to do.”
LEBBut Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of the families[fn] of Israel said to them, “It is not for you but for us to build a house for our God. For we ourselves alone will build it for Yahweh the God of Israel, just as Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”
BBEBut Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of families in Israel said to them, You have no part with us in the building of a house for our God; we ourselves will do the work together for the Lord, the God of Israel, as Cyrus, king of Persia, has given us orders.
JPSBut Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses of Israel, said unto them: 'Ye have nothing to do with us to build a house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD, the God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.'
ASVBut Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ houses of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us in building a house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.
DRABut Zorobabel, and Josue, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel said to them: You have nothing to do with us to build a house to our God, but we ourselves alone will build to the Lord our God, as Cyrus king of the Persians hath commanded us.
YLTAnd Zerubbabel saith to them, also Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of the fathers of Israel, 'Not for you, and for us, to build a house to our God; but we ourselves together do build to Jehovah God of Israel, as the king Cyrus, king of Persia, commanded us.'
DrbyBut Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the chief fathers of Israel said to them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build a house to our [fn]God, but we alone will build to Jehovah the [fn]God of Israel, as king Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.
RVBut Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ houses of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD, the God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.
WbstrBut Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said to them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build a house to our God; but we ourselves together will build to the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.
KJB-1769But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us. (But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye/You_all have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath/has commanded us. )
KJB-1611But Zerubbabel and Ieshua, and the rest of the chiefe of the fathers of Israel, said vnto them, You haue nothing to doe with vs, to build an house vnto our God, but we our selues together will build vnto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the King of Persia hath commanded vs. (But Zerubbabel and Yeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, You have nothing to do with us, to build an house unto our God, but we ourselvestogetherwillbuildunto the LORD God ofIsrael, as kingCyrus the KingofPersiahath/hascommanded us.)
BshpsAnd Zorobabel, and Iesua, and the other auncient fathers of Israel, sayde vnto them: It can not be, that you and we together shoulde builde the house vnto our God: for we our selues wyll builde alone vnto the Lorde our God of Israel, as Cyrus the king of Persia hath commaunded vs. (And Zorobabel, and Yesus/Yeshua, and the other auncient fathers of Israel, said unto them: It cannot be, that you and we together should build the house unto our God: for we our selves will build alone unto the Lord our God of Israel, as Cyrus the king of Persia hath/has commanded us.)
GnvaThen Zerubbabel, and Ieshua, and the rest of the chiefe fathers of Israel, sayde vnto them, It is not for you, but for vs to buyld the house vnto our God: for we our selues together wil buylde it vnto the Lord God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded vs. (Then Zerubbabel, and Yeshua, and the rest of the chief fathers of Israel, said unto them, It is not for you, but for us to build the house unto our God: for we our selves together will build it unto the Lord God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath/has commanded us. )
CvdlBut Zorobabel and Iesua and the other awnciet fathers of Israel, answered them: It is not mete for vs and you to buylde the house of oure God, but we wyl buylde alone vnto the LORDE God of Israel, as Cyrus the kynge of Persia hath commaunded vs. (But Zorobabel and Yesus/Yeshua and the other awnciet fathers of Israel, answered them: It is not meet for us and you to build the house of our God, but we will build alone unto the LORD God of Israel, as Cyrus the king of Persia hath/has commanded us.)
WyclAnd Zorobabel, and Josue, and the othere princes of the fadris of Israel, seiden to hem, It is not to vs and to you, that we bilde an hows to oure God; but we vs silf aloone schulen bilde to `oure Lord God, as Cirus, the kyng of Persis, comaundide to vs. (And Zorobabel, and Yosue, and the other princes of the fathers of Israel, said to them, It is not to us and to you, that we build an house to our God; but we us self alone should build to `oure Lord God, as Cirus, the king of Persis, commanded to us.)
LuthAber Serubabel und Jesua und die andern obersten Väter unter Israel antworteten ihnen: Es ziemet sich nicht uns und euch, das Haus unsers Gottes zu bauen, sondern wir wollen allein bauen dem HErr’s, dem GOtt Israels, wie uns Kores, der König in Persien, geboten hat. (But Serubabel and Yesua and the change obersten fathers under Israel replied to_them: It ziemet itself/yourself/themselves not us/to_us/ourselves and you, the house unsers God’s to bauen, rather we/us wollen alone bauen to_him LORD’s, to_him God Israels, like us/to_us/ourselves Kores, the/of_the king in Persien, offered has.)
ClVgEt dixit eis Zorobabel, et Josue, et reliqui principes patrum Israël: Non est vobis et nobis ut ædificemus domum Deo nostro, sed nos ipsi soli ædificabimus Domino Deo nostro, sicut præcepit nobis Cyrus rex Persarum.[fn] (And he_said to_them Zorobabel, and Yosue, and I_left principes patrum Israel: Non it_is to_you and us as ædificemus home Deo nostro, but we ipsi soli ædificabimus Master Deo nostro, like ordered us Cyrus king Persarum. )
4.3Factum est autem. ID., ibid. Quoties hæretici non solum in civitatibus, sed etiam in provinciis perverse docendo vel etiam sæviendo dogma confessionis veræ impediebant, etc., usque ad sapientibus architectis reædificandæ post captivitatem ejusdem domus copia suppeteret.
4.3Done it_is however. ID., ibid. Quoties hæretici not/no solum in civitatibus, but also in provinciis perverse docendo or also sæviendo dogma confessionis veræ impediebant, etc., until to sapientibus architectis reædificandæ after captivitatem hisdem home copia suppeteret.
4:3 The key political, religious, and tribal leaders spoke with a unified voice against the foreigners’ proposal, which would have opened the door for their idolatrous beliefs. The Jews did not want to make the same mistake as their ancestors, who were sent into exile as a result of worshiping the false gods of the Canaanites. • as King Cyrus of Persia commanded us: See 1:2-4.
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).
The word But indicates that the sentence it introduces draws a contrast between what the men asked and what the Jewish leaders answered. You could begin the sentence with a word like “however” or “nevertheless” to indicate this contrast, or use another method that is natural in your language.
This is an abbreviated way of saying “the heads of father’s houses.” See how you translated this expression in 1:5. Review the note there if that would be helpful. Alternate translation: “the clan leaders”
The Israelites could say that Yahweh is our God not in the sense that they possess or control him, but in the sense that they worship him exclusively. Alternate translation: “for the God whom we worship”
The word but indicates that the clause it introduces draws a contrast between what the men asked and what the Jewish leaders were prepared to allow. To indicate this contrast, you could begin the sentence with a word or phrase such as “no,” “rather,” or “on the contrary.”
We ourselves here does not include the addressees. If your language marks that distinction, be sure that this is clear in your translation. Together does not mean the Jewish people and these foreign peoples together. It means the whole Jewish community together. Alternate translation: “it is all of us Israelites who will build a temple for Yahweh, the God of Israel”
It is implicit in the story that the Jewish leaders know that they cannot trust these foreign leaders, whom the story describes as their enemies. The Jewish leaders suggest indirectly that they do not accept their claim that they worship Yahweh. They say, “It is not for you … to build a house for our God,” and they describe Yahweh as the God of Israel exclusively. But apparently they cannot contradict the claim directly, perhaps for reasons of etiquette and diplomacy. Instead, it seems that they find convenient grounds to exclude foreigners from the temple project in the literal wording of the proclamation that Cyrus issued: “Whoever among you is from all his people … may he build the house of Yahweh, the God of Israel” (1:3). It may be possible in your translation to translate this phrase in such a way that your readers will implicitly recognize it as the convenient excuse that it apparently is. Alternate translation: “for that is what King Cyrus of Persia commanded”
The Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, where all Israelite males were commanded to offer sacrifices to the Lord (Exodus 23:14-19; Deuteronomy 16:16-17), underwent several stages of reconstruction and development over hundreds of years. The first Temple was built by King Solomon to replace the aging Tabernacle, and it was constructed on a threshing floor on high ground on the north side of the city (2 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 21). Hundreds of years later King Hezekiah expanded the platform surrounding the Temple. When Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians in 586 B.C., the Temple was completely destroyed (2 Kings 25:1-21; 2 Chronicles 36:17-21; Jeremiah 39:1-10; 52:1-30). It was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after a group of Jews returned to Judea from exile in Babylon (Ezra 1:5-6:15; Nehemiah 7:5-65). Herod the Great completely rebuilt and expanded the Temple once again around 20 B.C., making it one of the largest temples in the Roman world. Jesus’ first believers often met together in Solomon’s Colonnade, a columned porch that encircled the Temple Mount, perhaps carrying on a tradition started by Jesus himself (John 10:23; Acts 3:11; 5:12). But Herod’s Temple did not last long: After many Jews revolted against Rome, the Romans eventually recaptured Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple in A.D. 70.
