Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side 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: khaki:verbs.
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).
BrLXXΚαὶ ἐν βασιλείᾳ Ἀσσουήρου, καὶ ἐν ἀρχῇ βασιλείας αὐτοῦ ἔγραψαν ἐπιστολὴν ἐπὶ οἰκοῦντας Ἰούδα καὶ Ἱερουσαλήμ. (Kai en basileia Assouaʸrou, kai en arⱪaʸ basileias autou egrapsan epistolaʸn epi oikountas Youda kai Hierousalaʸm. )
BrTrAnd in the reign of Assuerus, even in the beginning of his reign, they wrote a letter against the inhabitants of Juda and Jerusalem.
ULTNow in the reign of Ahasuerus,[fn] in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against those who dwelled in Judah and Jerusalem.
Also known as Xerxes.
USTThese enemies of the Jews continued to accuse them during the time that Darius’ son Ahasuerus was king. When Ahasuerus became king, they wrote a letter to him in which they accused the people living in the province of Judah and the city of Jerusalem of planning to rebel against the government.
BSB § At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes,[fn] an accusation was lodged against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
NETAt the beginning of the reign of Ahasuerus they filed an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
LSVAnd in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the commencement of his reign, they have written an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem;
FBVWhen Ahasuerus became king the local people sent him a written accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
T4TDuring the first year that Darius’ son Xerxes was king, the enemies of the Jews wrote a note to the king saying that the Jews were planning to rebel against the government.
LEBIn the reign of Ahasuerus, at the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
BBEAnd in the time of Ahasuerus, when he first became king, they put on record a statement against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
JPSAnd in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
ASVAnd in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
DRAAnd in the reign of Assuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Juda and Jerusalem.
YLTAnd in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the commencement of his reign, they have written an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem;
DrbyAnd in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
RVAnd in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
WbstrAnd in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote to him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
KJB-1769And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.[fn] (And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Yudah and Yerusalem. )
KJB-1611[fn]And in the reigne of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reigne, wrote they vnto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Iudah and Ierusalem. (Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above apart from footnotes)
BshpsAnd in the raigne of Ahasuerus, euen at the beginning of his raigne, wrote they vnto him a complaynt against the inhabiters of Iuda and Hierusalem. (And in the reign of Ahasuerus, even at the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him a complaynt against the inhabiters of Yudah and Yerusalem.)
GnvaAnd in the reigne of Ahashuerosh (in the beginning of his reigne) wrote they an accusation against the inhabitants of Iudah and Ierusalem. (And in the reign of Ahashuerosh (in the beginning of his reigne) wrote they an accusation against the inhabitants of Yudah and Yerusalem. )
CvdlBut whan Ahasuerus was kynge, in the begynnynge off his reigne wrote they vnto him a complaynte agaynst them of Iuda and Ierusalem. (But when Ahasuerus was king, in the beginning off his reign wrote they unto him a complaint against them of Yudah and Yerusalem.)
WyclForsothe in the rewme of Assueris, he is Artaxersis, in the bigynnyng of his rewme, thei writiden accusing ayens the dwellers of Juda and of Jerusalem; (Forsothe in the realm of Assueris, he is Artaxersis, in the beginning of his realm, they writiden accusing against the dwellers of Yudah and of Yerusalem;)
LuthDenn da Ahasveros König ward, im Anfange seines Königreichs, schrieben sie eine Anklage wider die von Juda und Jerusalem. (Because there Ahasveros king ward, in_the beginninge his kingreichs, schrieben they/she/them one Anklage against the from Yuda and Yerusalem.)
ClVgIn regno autem Assueri, in principio regni ejus, scripserunt accusationem adversus habitatores Judæ et Jerusalem. (In regno however Assueri, in at_the_beginning regni his, scripserunt accusationem adversus habitatores Yudæ and Yerusalem. )
4:6-23 These verses are a parenthetical discussion of later opposition to Jewish rebuilding efforts. The account actually belongs with much later events in the reign of Xerxes (486–465 BC) and Artaxerxes I (465–424 BC), but it is included here because it fits with the theme of opposition. Chronologically, 4:6 fits between chs 6 and 7, while 4:7-23 fits before Neh 1.
The word Now indicates that the sentence it introduces will provide some background information. You can translate it with the word or phrase in your language that is most similar in meaning and significance.
Ahasuerus ruled the Persian Empire after Darius, who was his father. So here the book is presenting some events out of chronological order. That is, it is telling about some things that happened later, before finishing the story of what happened at this time. In 4:24 the book will bring readers back to where it left off in 4:5, and then, in 5:1, it will describe how work on rebuilding the temple did resume under the reign of Darius. But first it gives accounts here of how the enemies of the Jews continued to oppose them under two later kings, Ahasuerus (described in this verse) and Artaxerxes (described in verses 7–23). The purpose may be to show that the Jews were wise to refuse the help that leaders from other nations offered, as described in 4:1–3. Since those leaders were actually enemies of the Jews, as they demonstrated by opposing them under one king after another, their offer was not sincere and they could not be trusted. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say this explicitly. Alternate translation: “In fact, they continued to oppose them under later kings. As soon as Ahasuerus succeeded his father Darius as king”
Ahasuerus is the name of a man. He is better known as Xerxes, so you could use that name for him in your translation, if it would be helpful in your language. Use the same name here that you use in the book of Esther.
wrote accusation on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in inhabitants Yehuda and,Jerusalem
If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say explicitly what the enemies of the Jews accused them of doing. (The book provides the text of their letter in 4:11–16, but it might be helpful to provide a summary in advance.) Alternate translation: “they wrote a letter in which they accused the Jews who had returned to Judah and Jerusalem of plotting to rebel against the king”
The abstract noun accusation refers to what the enemies of the Jews said about them in the letter that they sent to the king. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate the idea behind this word with a verb such as “accuse” or “complain.” Alternate translation: “they wrote a letter to complain”
wrote accusation on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in
The noun accusation might be referring to the actual letter itself by substituting a description of the content of the letter. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a concrete term that explains the meaning of the figurative expression. Alternate translation: “they wrote a letter, accusing”
יֹשְׁבֵ֥י יְהוּדָ֖ה וִירוּשָׁלִָֽם
inhabitants Yehuda and,Jerusalem
In this context, this expression does not mean all the inhabitants of the province of Judah and the city of Jerusalem, whatever their nationality, but rather the Jews who returned from exile and settled in those places. Alternate translation: “the Jews who had returned from exile and settled in Judah and Jerusalem”
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.
