בֵּאדַיִן דָּרְיָוֶשׁ מַלְכָּא שָׂם טְעֵם וּבַקַּרוּ בְּבֵית סִפְרַיָּא דִּי גִנְזַיָּא מְהַחֲתִין תַּמָּה בְּבָבֶל׃   6:1

Ezra 6:1   Thereupon Darius, the king, set out a decree, and they searched in the house of books in which the treasures were deposited there in Babylon.

וְהִשְׁתְּכַח בְּאַחְמְתָא בְּבִירְתָא דִּי בְּמָדַי מְדִינְתָּה מְגִלָּה חֲדָה וְכֵן־כְּתִיב בְּגַוַּהּ דִּכְרוֹנָה׃   6:2

Ezra 6:2   And a certain scroll was found in the palace in Achmetha that was in Media the province, and thus was written therein:  “A Record:

Achmetha was the capital of Media, and after its capture by Cyrus, became the summer residence of Persian kings.

בִּשְׁנַת חֲדָה לְכוֹרֶשׁ מַלְכָּא כּוֹרֶשׁ מַלְכָּא שָׂם טְעֵם בֵּית־אֱלָהָא בִירוּשְׁלֶם בַּיְתָא יִתְבְּנֵא אֲתַר   6:3

 דִּי־דָבְחִין דִּבְחִין וְאֻשּׁוֹהִי מְסוֹבְלִין רוּמֵהּ אַמִּין שִׁתִּין פְּתָיֵהּ אַמִּין שִׁתִּין׃

Ezra 6:3   In the first year for Cyrus, the king, Cyrus, the king, set out a decree: The house of God in Jerusalem, let the house be built, the place of offering sacrifices, with its foundation stones laid, its height sixty cubits, its width sixty cubits,

נִדְבָּכִין דִּי־אֶבֶן גְּלָל תְּלָתָא וְנִדְבָּךְ דִּי־אָע חֲדַת וְנִפְקְתָא מִן־בֵּית מַלְכָּא תִּתְיְהִב׃   6:4

Ezra 6:4   of three rows of giant stone and a row of new timber; and let the expense be paid from the house of the king.

וְאַף מָאנֵי בֵית־אֱלָהָא דִּי דַהֲבָה וְכַסְפָּא דִּי נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר הַנְפֵּק מִן־הֵיכְלָא דִי־בִירוּשְׁלֶם וְהֵיבֵל   6:5

 לְבָבֶל יַהֲתִיבוּן וִיהָךְ לְהֵיכְלָא דִי־בִירוּשְׁלֶם לְאַתְרֵהּ וְתַחֵת בְּבֵית אֱלָהָא׃

Ezra 6:5   And also let be restored the vessels of the house of God of gold and silver that Nebuchadnezzar brought out from the Temple that had been in Jerusalem and carried to Babylon, and let it be brought back to the Temple that will be in Jerusalem to its place, and you will deposit in the house of God.

כְּעַן תַּתְּנַי פַּחַת עֲבַר־נַהֲרָה שְׁתַר בֹּוזְנַי וּכְנָוָתְהֹון אֲפַרְסְכָיֵא דִּי בַּעֲבַר נַהֲרָה רַחִיקִין הֲוֹו מִן־תַּמָּה׃   6:6

Ezra 6:6   Now Tattenai, governor beyond the river, Shethar-bozenai, and their compatriots, the Apharesachites, who are in the region across the river, be far off from there.

שְׁבֻקוּ לַעֲבִידַת בֵּית־אֱלָהָא דֵךְ פַּחַת יְהוּדָיֵא וּלְשָׂבֵי יְהוּדָיֵא בֵּית־אֱלָהָא דֵךְ יִבְנוֹן עַל־אַתְרֵהּ׃   6:7

Ezra 6:7   Leave the governor of the Jews to the work of this house of God, and for the elders of the Jews let rebuild this house of God upon its place.

וּמִנִּי שִׂים טְעֵם לְמָא דִי־תַעַבְדוּן עִם־שָׂבֵי יְהוּדָיֵא אִלֵּךְ לְמִבְנֵא בֵּית־אֱלָהָא דֵךְ וּמִנִּכְסֵי מַלְכָּא   6:8

 דִּי מִדַּת עֲבַר נַהֲרָה אָסְפַּרְנָא נִפְקְתָא תֶּהֱוֵא מִתְיַהֲבָא לְגֻבְרַיָּא אִלֵּךְ דִּי־לָא לְבַטָּלָא׃

Ezra 6:8   And a decree is set out from me what it is that you shall do with these elders of the Jews regarding the building of this house of God, that out of the goods of the king that is the tribute of the region across the river you shall be paying the outlay diligently to these men so that there is no ceasing.

וּמָה חַשְׁחָן וּבְנֵי תוֹרִין וְדִכְרִין וְאִמְּרִין לַעֲלָוָן לֶאֱלָהּ שְׁמַיָּא חִנְטִין מְלַח חֲמַר וּמְשַׁח כְּמֵאמַר   6:9

 כָּהֲנַיָּא דִי־בִירוּשְׁלֶם לֶהֱוֵא מִתְיְהֵב לְהֹם יוֹם בְּיוֹם דִּי־לָא שָׁלוּ׃

Ezra 6:9   And whatever the need, whether the calves of bulls, or of rams, or lambs for sacrifices to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, or oil, according to the commanding of the priests who are in Jerusalem, it is to be given to them day by day without neglect,

דִּי־לֶהֱוֺן מְהַקְרְבִין נִיחוֹחִין לֶאֱלָהּ שְׁמַיָּא וּמְצַלַּיִן לְחַיֵּי מַלְכָּא וּבְנוֹהִי׃   6:10

Ezra 6:10   so are occurring offerings of sweet savors to the God of heaven and prayers for the lives of the king and his sons.

וּמִנִּי שִׂים טְעֵם דִּי כָל־אֱנָשׁ דִּי יְהַשְׁנֵא פִּתְגָמָא דְנָה יִתְנְסַח אָע מִן־בַּיְתֵהּ וּזְקִיף יִתְמְחֵא עֲלֹהִי   6:11

וּבַיְתֵהּ נְוָלוּ יִתְעֲבֵד עַל־דְּנָה׃

Ezra 6:11   A decree is also set out from me that anyone who would alter this command, a beam shall be torn out from his house and lifted up; he shall be hung on it, and a dunghill shall be made of his house for this.

וֵאלָהָא דִּי שַׁכִּן שְׁמֵהּ תַּמָּה יְמַגַּר כָּל־מֶלֶךְ וְעַם דִּי יִשְׁלַח יְדֵהּ לְהַשְׁנָיָה לְחַבָּלָה בֵּית־אֱלָהָא דֵךְ דִּי   6:12

 בִירוּשְׁלֶם אֲנָה דָרְיָוֶשׁ שָׂמֶת טְעֵם אָסְפַּרְנָא יִתְעֲבִד׃

Ezra 6:12   And the God Who has caused His name to dwell there may overthrow every king or people who would extend his hand to alter it, destroying this house of God that is in Jerusalem.  I, Darius, have set out a decree:  Diligently it shall be done.”

אֱדַיִן תַּתְּנַי פַּחַת עֲבַר־נַהֲרָה שְׁתַר בּוֹזְנַי וּכְנָוָתְהוֹן לָקֳבֵל דִּי־שְׁלַח דָּרְיָוֶשׁ מַלְכָּא כְּנֵמָא אָסְפַּרְנָא   6:13

 עֲבַדוּ׃

Ezra 6:13   Then Tattenai, the governor beyond the river, Shethar-bozenai, and their compatriots, as a result of Darius, the king, sending thus, acted diligently.

וְשָׂבֵי יְהוּדָיֵא בָּנַיִן וּמַצְלְחִין בִּנְבוּאַת חַגַּי (נְבִיאָה) [נְבִיָּא] וּזְכַרְיָה בַּר־עִדֹּוא וּבְנֹו וְשַׁכְלִלוּ מִן־טַעַם   6:14

 אֱלָהּ יִשְׂרָאֵל וּמִטְּעֵם כֹּורֶשׁ וְדָרְיָוֶשׁ וְאַרְתַּחְשַׁשְׂתְּא מֶלֶךְ פָּרָס׃

Ezra 6:14   So the elders of the Jews were building and prospering according to the prophesying of Haggai, the prophet, and Zechariah son of Iddo.  And they built and finished according to the command of the God of Israel and the decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes, king of Persia.

We’ve seen the error in the parentheses before.  The heh suffix is superfluous.  But see my remark about this error at Ezra 5:1 for what I believe should be the correct form in the brackets.

וְשֵׁיצִיא בַּיְתָה דְנָה עַד יוֹם תְּלָתָה לִירַח אֲדָר דִּי־הִיא שְׁנַת־שֵׁת לְמַלְכוּת דָּרְיָוֶשׁ מַלְכָּא׃   6:15

Ezra 6:15   And this house was finished by the third day in the month of Adar when it was the sixth year in the reign of Darius, the king.

וַעֲבַדוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל כָּהֲנַיָּא וְלֵוָיֵא וּשְׁאָר בְּנֵי־גָלוּתָא חֲנֻכַּת בֵּית־אֱלָהָא דְנָה בְּחֶדְוָה׃   6:16

Ezra 6:16   And the children of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the remainder of the children of the exile performed the dedication of this house of God with joy.

וְהַקְרִבוּ לַחֲנֻכַּת בֵּית־אֱלָהָא דְנָה תֹּורִין מְאָה דִּכְרִין מָאתַיִן אִמְּרִין אַרְבַּע מְאָה וּצְפִירֵי   6:17

 עִזִּין (לְחַטָּיָא) [לְחַטָּאָה] עַל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל תְּרֵי־עֲשַׂר לְמִנְיָן שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃

Ezra 6:17   And they offered this for the dedication of the house of God:  A hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and twelve male goats as sin offerings for all of Israel according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

The word in the parentheses is spelled correctly.  The correction in the brackets is unnecessary.

וַהֲקִימוּ כָהֲנַיָּא בִּפְלֻגָּתְהוֹן וְלֵוָיֵא בְּמַחְלְקָתְהוֹן עַל־עֲבִידַת אֱלָהָא דִּי בִירוּשְׁלֶם כִּכְתָב סְפַר מֹשֶׁה׃   6:19

Ezra 6:18   And they established the priests by their divisions and the Levites by their classes who were in Jerusalem for the service of God according to the writing of the book of Moses.

וַיַּעֲשׂוּ בְנֵי־הַגּוֹלָה אֶת־הַפָּסַח בְּאַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר לַחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן׃   6:19

Ezra 6:19   And the children of the exile observed the Passover on the first month's fourteenth.

With this verse we return to Hebrew.  And at once there is more evidence for my belief that the Jewish day did not and does not start at sunset (or night = 3 stars):  Here we are told that the Jews observed the Passover on the fourteenth day -- that was on the night of the fourteenth!  But if the day started at sunset, why doesn’t it say the night of the fifteenth?   Why doesn’t the verse read ... on the first month’s fifteenth?  Because if the day started at sunset, the night that preceded the fifteenth -- which is when the festival of the Passover begins -- should be the start of the fifteenth day.  But the verse doesn’t say that.  It says the fourteenth day.

כִּי הִטַּהֲרוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַלְוִיִּם כְּאֶחָד כֻּלָּם טְהוֹרִים וַיִּשְׁחֲטוּ הַפֶּסַח לְכָל־בְּנֵי הַגּוֹלָה וְלַאֲחֵיהֶם   6:20

הַכֹּהֲנִים וְלָהֶם׃

Ezra 6:20   For the priests and Levites had purified themselves, all of them clean as at first, and they slaughtered the Passover sacrifice for all the children of the exile and for their brethren, the priests, and for themselves.

וַיֹּאכְלוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל הַשָּׁבִים מֵהַגּוֹלָה וְכֹל הַנִּבְדָּל מִטֻּמְאַת גּוֹיֵ־הָאָרֶץ אֲלֵהֶם לִדְרֹשׁ לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵי   6:21

 יִשְׂרָאֵל׃

Ezra 6:21   And the children of Israel, the returned from the exile, and everyone who had separated himself from the uncleanness of the nations of the earth ate for themselves to seek to the Lord, God of Israel.

וַיַּעֲשׂוּ חַג־מַצּוֹת שִׁבְעַת יָמִים בְּשִׂמְחָה כִּי שִׂמְּחָם יְהוָה וְהֵסֵב לֵב מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר עֲלֵיהֶם לְחַזֵּק יְדֵיהֶם   6:22

 בִּמְלֶאכֶת בֵּית־הָאֱלֹהִים אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃

Ezra 6:22   And they observed the feast of unleavened bread seven days with rejoicing, for the Lord had caused them joy by turning the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, of the God of Israel.

 

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