The word now introduces a new event in the story. Use the normal method for introducing the beginning of a true story in your language.

The original Jewish readers of this book would have known that this is not a reference to the year when Cyrus first became king of the Persians. Rather, it is a reference to the later year when, by conquering Babylon, he became king over the Jews, since Babylon is the nation that had previously conquered the Jews and taken them into exile. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say this explicitly. Alternate translation: [During the first year after Cyrus, the king of Persia, conquered Babylon and became ruler over the Jews]

This expression could mean that sometime during the first year that he ruled over the Jews, Cyrus issued the decree that this verse describes. However, it could also mean that he issued this decree as soon as he became their ruler. Alternate translation: [As soon as Cyrus, the king of Persia, conquered Babylon and became the ruler of the Jews]

The Hebrew uses a cardinal number here, one, but there is not a significant difference in meaning between that and the way the Hebrew uses an ordinal number, “first,” in similar contexts elsewhere. If your language customarily uses ordinals for the numbers of years, you can do that here in your translation. Alternate translation: [In the first year]

Cyrus is the name of a man.

Persia is the name of an empire.

Here, word refers to the thing that Yahweh spoke about. Alternate translation: [the promise that Yahweh had made]

What Yahweh had said specifically was that, after 70 years in exile, the Jews would be allowed to return to their homeland. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say that explicitly, or you could put this information in a footnote. Alternate translation: [the promise that Yahweh had made that after 70 years in exile, the Jews would be allowed to return to their homeland]

Yahweh is the name of God that he revealed to his people in the Old Testament. It occurs many times in the book, and it will be helpful to your readers if you translate it consistently each time.

Here, mouth represents speaking. Alternate translation: [which Jeremiah spoke about] or [which Jeremiah announced]

Here the book uses one aspect of Cyrus, his spirit, to represent all of him. Alternate translation: [Yahweh put a desire to do something into Cyrus]

Here, the book speaks of Yahweh causing Cyrus to act by saying that he stirred up his spirit in the way that winds might stir up calm waters and make them move around. The meaning is that Yahweh directly influenced the heart and will of Cyrus to get him to do something. Alternate translation: [Yahweh put a desire to do something into Cyrus]

The word so indicates that the sentence it introduces explains the results of what the previous sentence described. Alternate translation: [As a result, he made … to be sent]

Here, he means Cyrus. In this context, the sound is a voice speaking a message, and the voice represents the message that it speaks. But since the message could not travel by itself, ultimately the reference is to the messengers who delivered it. Alternate translation: [Cyrus sent messengers out to proclaim a decree everywhere in his empire]

Here the book leaves out some of the words that a sentence would ordinarily need in order to be complete. The meaning is: Cyrus also put this decree in writing. You could say that explicitly if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [and Cyrus also sent out written copies of the decree] or [and Cyrus also had his scribes write down the decree in his official records]

Here Cyrus provides some background information to inform his subjects who Yahweh is. Alternate translation: [Yahweh, the God who is above all] or [Yahweh, the God who rules in heaven]

All is an exaggeration for emphasis. There were still some kingdoms on earth that Cyrus did not rule. However, he had conquered every other large empire in his part of the world that might have been a threat to him. Alternate translation: [to be unchallenged ruler over this entire land]

This is an idiom. Alternate translation: [has made me the king over]

Cyrus is not going to do the building personally. Rather, he means that he is giving the Jews, the people who worship Yahweh, permission and support to rebuild his temple, which the Babylonians had destroyed. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say that explicitly. Alternate translation: [to make it possible for the Jews, the people who worship him, to rebuild his temple]

Here, house means a temple. Cyrus speaks of this temple as if it would be a house in which God lived, since God’s presence would be there. Alternate translation: [a temple]

Here, Cyrus provides some background information about the city where he wants the Jews to rebuild the temple of Yahweh, since many of the recipients of his message might not have known where Jerusalem was. Alternate translation: [in Jerusalem, the capital city of the province of Judah]

Jerusalem is the name of a city, and Judah is the name of the province in which it was located. These names occur many times in the book, and it will be helpful to your readers if you translate them consistently each time.

Here, all probably indicates that Cyrus is thinking of not only the people whom the Babylonians had taken into exile from the southern kingdom of Judah some decades before, and their descendants, but also any of the people whose ancestors the Assyrians had taken into exile from the northern kingdom of Israel nearly two centuries earlier. Cyrus now ruled over the territories to which both groups had been exiled. If any in the second group still had awareness and proof of their identity, and if they still wanted to honor and worship Yahweh, they could also return to Jerusalem and help rebuild the temple. (However, as 1:5 indicates, it was essentially Israelites from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin who actually did return.) To make this clear, you could include this information. Alternate translation: [Which of you is an Israelite from any tribe]

Cyrus wishing that God will be with these Israelites is an idiom that expresses his wish that God would make their journey and the rebuilding project successful. If it is more natural in your language, you could say this at the end of the verse. Alternate translation: [May his God make him successful]

Cyrus says go up because the Jews would have to travel from a river valley up into the mountains in order to return from their places of exile to Jerusalem. Alternate translation: [and let him return to Jerusalem]

Cyrus once again provides background information about the city. Alternate translation: [to Jerusalem, in the province of Judah]

Here, house means a temple. Cyrus continues to speak of this temple as if it would be a house in which Yahweh lived, since Yahweh’s presence would be there. Alternate translation: [a temple for Yahweh]

Here Cyrus provides further background information to inform his subjects who Yahweh is. Alternate translation: [Yahweh, the God whom the people of Israel worship, who should have a temple in Jerusalem]

The phrase the God of Israel does not mean that God belongs to Israel, but that this is the God whom Israel worships. Alternate translation: [the God whom Israel worships]

The structure of this sentence may present difficulties for translation because the long phrase at the beginning actually describes who will receive the action, rather than who will do the action. If it would be helpful in your language, you could say first who will do the action. Alternate translation: [Let the people who live in any place where Jewish survivors are in exile help them]

This phrase refers to any Israelite who is a surviving member of the group that was taken into exile, or who is a descendant of someone in that group. The word remaining refers to people who are remaining or left over from a larger group. In this context, that larger group is all of the Israelites who lived in the land of Judah before the Babylonians conquered it. Alternate translation: [Any survivor of the Jews who were taken from their land]

Sojourning means living somewhere other than in one’s native land. Here, he refers to any Jew such as is described in the previous phrase. Alternate translation: [in any of the places where a Jew may be living in exile]

Saying where and there in the same phrase like this is a characteristic Hebrew construction, but it might represent an unnecessary duplication in your language. If it would be helpful in your language, you could omit any translation of the word “there.” Alternate translation: [in which he is living]

It is likely that both women and men would have helped to gather the supplies listed in the rest of this verse to support the returning Jews. So the term men here probably includes both groups. Alternate translation: [the people of that place should help him]

Lift here is an idiom that means help. Alternate translation: [let … help him by providing him]

The book expects readers to know that these would be extra gifts, beyond the necessities already listed. They might include money to help rebuild the temple and vessels to be used in the temple, such as the ones listed in 1:7–11. Alternate translation: [any extra gifts that they want to give]

House means a temple. Cyrus continues to speak of this temple as if it would be a house in which God lived, since God’s presence would be there. The book repeatedly uses the expressions house, house of God, and “house of Yahweh” to mean the temple in Jerusalem. It will be helpful to your readers if you translate these expressions consistently every time. Alternate translation: [for the temple that the Jews will rebuild for God in Jerusalem]

The word then indicates that the sentence it introduces explains the results of what the previous verses have described. Alternate translation: [In response to this decree … prepared]

In this context, the term arose means that these leaders took action to get an enterprise under way. It does not indicate that these leaders had been sitting or lying down and that they stood up. Alternate translation: [Then … started making preparations]

This is an abbreviated way of saying the heads of the father’s houses. Alternate translation: [the clan leaders]

Among the Israelites, the expression “father’s house” or “house of the father” originally described an extended-family group. It later came to be used more generally to refer to a larger clan within a tribe. In this expression, the word “house” (which does not appear in the abbreviated version here) describes all the people descended from a particular person. The term views all of those descendants as if they were one household living together. Alternate translation: [the clan leaders]

Here, heads is a figurative way of saying leaders. Alternate translation: [leaders]

These are the names of two of the tribes of Israel. Alternate translation: [of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin]

Here the book again speaks of God causing people to act by saying that he stirred up their spirits the way winds might stir up calm waters and get them to move around. The meaning is that God directly influenced the hearts and wills of these clan leaders to get them to do something. Alternate translation: [all those whom God had led to act]

As in 1:3, the book says go up because the Jews would have to travel from a river valley up into the mountains in order to return from their places of exile to Jerusalem. Alternate translation: [to return to Jerusalem]

All is an exaggeration for emphasis. Every person who lived near a returning Jew did not necessarily provide support. But the expression indicates that the Jews received very generous support from many of their neighbors. Alternate translation: [And the people of their communities]

Here, hands represents strength and power. This expression means that the neighbors of the Jews gave them greater capacity to act and fulfill their project by supplying them with the items listed. Alternate translation: [enabled them by giving them]

This is a reference to the freewill offerings that are also mentioned in 1:4. Alternate translation: [in addition, the people freely gave extra gifts]

Cyrus did not do this work himself. He ordered others to do it. If that is not understood in your language, you can say this explicitly, as in the UST.

Vessels refers to the bowls, basins, and other objects that are listed in 1:9 and 1:10. The book assumes that readers will know that this verse is describing how Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, took these items from the temple in Jerusalem and then put them, as trophies of conquest, in a temple devoted to his own gods. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say this explicitly in the text or in a footnote. Alternate translation: [the objects from the temple of Yahweh that Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had taken away from Jerusalem when he captured that city and then put in the temple of his own gods]

Nebuchadnezzar is the name of a man.

Here, by the hand of is a metaphor that represents control and action. The expression means that Mithredath did this at the command of Cyrus and on his behalf. Mithredath would have commanded others to do the work; he would not have carried the things in his own hands. Alternate translation: [King Cyrus of Persia ordered his treasurer, Mithredath, to bring them out]

The implication is that these vessels had remained in the temple where Nebuchadnezzar had put them, and so Mithredath brought them out from there. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say that explicitly. Alternate translation: [King Cyrus of Persia had his treasurer, Mithredath, bring these vessels out from the temple where Nebuchadnezzar had put them]

Mithredath is the name of a man.

This term describes the office of a person responsible for all of the valuable possessions of a kingdom and for the places where they are stored safely.

Here, he refers to Mithredath, and them refers to the objects for the temple. The expression counted them out probably does not mean that Mithredath handed Sheshbazzar the objects one at a time while announcing the number of each one. It probably means that Mithredath gave Sheshbazzar the objects along with a document that listed how many there were of each kind, as recorded in 1:9 and 1:10. Alternate translation: [Mithredath turned them over to Sheshbazzar along with a detailed list of them]

This leader of the first group of exiles to return to Judah, who is called Sheshbazzar here and in 1:11, 5:14, and 5:16, seems to be the same person who is called Zerubbabel in the rest of the book. The reason for the difference in names is not clear. Some interpreters suggest that he was known as Sheshbazzar in the Persian court and that he used the name Zerubbabel as governor of Judah. There are examples in the Bible of Jews having both a Persian name and a Hebrew name. It would probably be best simply to translate both names consistently where they appear without calling attention to the difference, but you could add this possible explanation in a footnote.

The book says in 5:14 that Cyrus appointed Sheshbazzar to be the governor of the province of Judah. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use that phrase to describe him here. Alternate translation: [whom Cyrus had appointed to be the governor of the province of Judah]

This expression means that what follows is the number of each kind of utensil that Cyrus is returning

This word occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible, and there is some disagreement about its meaning. It is probably a borrowed term from a related language that means “knife,” but the ancient Greek translation took its meaning to be “replacements,” that is, basins to replace others that became unusable. You may see translations that follow the ancient Greek, but we recommend following the Hebrew.

This means that these bowls were a different type of bowl than the gold ones just mentioned. This could also mean that they were second in rank of status or honor behind the gold bowls. It does not mean that the silver was of a different type than the silver in the basins described in 1:9.

This expression means that the total number of these gold and silver objects was 5,400. Verses 1:9 and 1:10 actually list only 2,499 items, and it is not clear why the numbers are different. The explanation does not seem to be that the total here includes other miscellaneous items because the last item on the list itself is other vessels. It would probably be best simply to report this total without calling attention to the difference and trying to explain it, since there is no clear reason for it.

Like the similar expression in 1:3, here the book says brought up and going up because the Jews had to travel from a river valley up into the mountains to return from exile to Jerusalem. Alternate translation: [Sheshbazzar brought all these vessels along when he traveled to Jerusalem with the group of Jews who had been taken away from their homeland but who were now returning from Babylon to Jerusalem]

The abstract noun exiles refers, in this context, to the community of Jews who were living in Babylon because the Babylonians had relocated them away from their homeland when they conquered Jerusalem. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate the idea behind this term with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: [the group of Jews who had been taken away from their homeland]

Babylon is the name of a city. The book also uses this name for the empire that was once ruled from that city, and for the region that had been at the heart of this empire that became a province in the Persian Empire. The name occurs many times in the book, and it will be helpful to your readers if you translate it consistently each time.

Here, the sons of the province is an idiom that means that these people originated in the province of Judah. Alternate translation: [the people from the province of Judah]

The province means the province of Judah. The book is referring to Judah by something associated with it, its status as a province.

Went up means traveled from Babylon back to Judah, since that involves going from a river valley up into the mountains. Alternate translation: [those who returned to Judah from Babylon]

The abstract nouns captivity and exiles refer to the way Nebuchadnezzar took these people prisoner and transported them away from their homeland. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate the idea behind these terms with verbs. Alternate translation: [after Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had captured their ancestors, transported them to Babylon, and held them there in a foreign land]

Here, a man means each one or each person. Alternate translation: [returning to live in the same towns where their families had lived before]

This phrase introduces a list of the men who led this group back to Judah. Alternate translation: [traveling with]

These are the names of eleven men.

This is the high priest, who has the same name as the Levite who is introduced in 2:40. The spelling of this name varies throughout the Bible. To be clear which man is being referred to, the UST will spell this name “Joshua” for the high priest and “Jeshua” for the Levite. You may want to consider whether doing something similar would be helpful for your readers.

In keeping with the practices of the time, the totals in the list that follows likely include just the men and not also the women and children. Alternate translation: [This is how many men came back from each Israelite clan and town]

This means that from the descendants of Parosh, 2,172 returned. To help make this clear for your readers, you could say something like “returned” throughout 2:3–42, after the name of each group and the number that is given.

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [From the descendants of Parosh]

Parosh is the name of a man.

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [From the descendants of Shephatiah]

Shephatiah is the name of a man.

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [From the descendants of Arah]

Arah is the name of a man.

Here, sons means descendants.

Pahath-Moab is the name of a man, and Jeshua and Joab are the names of two of his male descendants.

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [From the descendants of Elam]

Elam is the name of a man.

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [From the descendants of Zattu]

Zattu is the name of a man.

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [From the descendants of Zakkai]

Zakkai is the name of a man.

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [From the descendants of Bani]

Bani is the name of a man.

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [From the descendants of Bebai]

Bebai is the name of a man.

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [From the descendants of Azgad]

Azgad is the name of a man.

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [From the descendants of Adonikam]

Adonikam is the name of a man.

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [From the descendants of Bigvai]

Bigvai is the name of a man.

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [From the descendants of Adin]

Adin is the name of a man.

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [From the descendants of Ater who were descendants of Hezekiah]

Ater is the name of a man, and Hezekiah is the name of one of his descendants.

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [From the descendants of Bezai]

Bezai is the name of a man.

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [From the descendants of Jorah]

Jorah is the name of a man.

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [From the descendants of Hashum]

Hashum is the name of a man.

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [From the descendants of Gibbar]

Gibbar is the name of a man.

The list speaks here of the sons of Bethlehem. This is an idiom that means that these men were from families that had originally lived in that town. Alternate translation: [From the town of Bethlehem, 123 returned]

Bethlehem is the name of a town.

Netophah is the name of a town. Alternate translation: [From the town of Netophah, 56 returned.]

Anathoth is the name of a town. Alternate translation: [From the town of Anathoth, 128 returned]

The list speaks here of the sons of Azmaveth. This is an idiom that means that these men were from families that had originally lived in that town. Alternate translation: [From the town of Azmaveth, 42 returned]

Azmaveth is the name of a town.

The list speaks here of the sons of Kirjath-Arim, Kephirah, and Beeroth. This is an idiom that means that these men were from families that had originally lived in those towns. Alternate translation: [From the towns of Kirjath-Arim, Kephirah, and Beeroth]

Kirjath-Arim, Kephirah, and Beeroth are the names of towns.

The list speaks here of the sons of Ramah and Geba. This is an idiom that means that these men were from families that had originally lived in those towns. Alternate translation: [From the towns of Ramah and Geba]

Ramah and Geba are the names of towns.

Michmas is the name of a town. Alternate translation: [From the town of Michmas, 122 returned]

Bethel and Ai are the names of towns. Alternate translation: [From the towns of Bethel and Ai, 223 returned]

The list speaks here of the sons of Nebo. This is an idiom that means that these men were from families that had originally lived in this town. Alternate translation: [From the town of Nebo]

Nebo is the name of a town.

The list speaks here of the sons of Magbish. This is an idiom that means that these men were from families that had originally lived in those towns. Alternate translation: [From the town of Magbish]

Magbish is the name of a town.

The list speaks here of the sons of Elam. This is an idiom that means that these men were from families that had originally lived in this town. (“The other Elam” indicates that this is the town of that name, not the person of that name mentioned in 2:7.) Alternate translation: [From the town of Elam]

Here, Elam is the name of a town.

The list speaks here of the sons of Harim. This is an idiom that means that these men were from families that had originally lived in this town. Alternate translation: [From the town of Harim]

Harim is the name of a town.

The list speaks here of the sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono. This is an idiom that means that these men were from families that had originally lived in these towns. Alternate translation: [From the towns of Lod, Hadid, and Ono]

Lod, Hadid, and Ono are the names of towns.

Here, the list speaks of the sons of Jericho. This is an idiom that means that these men were from families that had originally lived in this city. Alternate translation: [From the city of Jericho]

The list speaks here of the sons of Senaah. This is an idiom that means that these men were from families that had originally lived in this town. Alternate translation: [From the town of Senaah]

Senaah is the name of a town.

The priests were men chosen to offer sacrifices to God on behalf of God’s people, and to perform other duties and functions to represent God to the people and to represent the people to God. Alternate translation: [This is how many men returned from each family of priests]

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [from the descendants of Jedaiah who were descendants of Jeshua, 973 returned]

Jedaiah is the name of a man, and Jeshua is the name of one of his male descendants.

Here, house describes all the people descended from a particular person. The book is describing all of the descendants of Jeshua as if they were one household living together. Alternate translation: [who were descendants of Jeshua]

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [From the descendants of Immer]

Immer is the name of a man.

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [From the descendants of Pashhur]

Pashhur is the name of a man.

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [From the descendants of Harim]

Harim is the name of a man. Alternate translation: [From the descendants of Harim]

The Levites were descendants of Levi. They had the special assignment of helping the priests. Alternate translation: [Some Levites also returned] or [Some of the descendants of Levi also returned]

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [from the descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel, who were descended from Hodaviah]

Jeshua and Kadmiel are men’s names, and Hodaviah is the name of their male ancestor.

The ones who sang refers to vocal musicians who led in worship, in processions, and ceremonies, producing music and chants that emphasized and enhanced the occasion.

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [who were descendants of Asaph]

Asaph is a man’s name.

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [Some of the descendants of the gatekeepers also returned]

Here, the gatekeepers refers to people who had been assigned to the gates of the city of Jerusalem and to the gates of the temple within the city. They were responsible for controlling access to these places. They would open and close the gates at times and for reasons set by the authorities.

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [from the descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai]

These are the names of six men.

The term Nethinim describes servants who worked in the temple. Alternate translation: [The temple servants]

Alternate translation: [Some of the descendants of the temple servants also returned]

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [they were from the descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth] beginning a series that will continue through 2:54.

These are the names of three men.

Here, sons means descendants. If you continue the sentence from 2:43, you can just list the names of these three men. Alternate translation: [Keros, Siaha, Padon,]

Here, sons means descendants. If you continue the sentence from 2:43, you can just list the names of these three men. Alternate translation: [Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub,]

Here, sons means descendants. If you continue the sentence from 2:43, you can just list the names of these three men. Alternate translation: [Hagab, Shalmai, Hanan,]

Here, sons means descendants. If you continue the sentence from 2:43, you can just list the names of these three men. Alternate translation: [Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah,]

Here, sons means descendants. If you continue the sentence from 2:43, you can just list the names of these three men. Alternate translation: [Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam,]

Here, sons means descendants. If you continue the sentence from 2:43, you can just list the names of these three men. Alternate translation: [Uzza, Paseah, Besai,]

Here, sons means descendants. If you continue the sentence from 2:43, you can just list the names of these three men. Alternate translation: [Asnah, Meunim, Nephusim,]

Here, sons means descendants. If you continue the sentence from 2:43, you can just list the names of these three men. Alternate translation: [Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,]

Here, sons means descendants. If you continue the sentence from 2:43, you can just list the names of these three men. Alternate translation: [Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,]

Here, sons means descendants. If you continue the sentence from 2:43, you can just list the names of these three men. Alternate translation: [Barkos, Sisera, Temah,]

Here, sons means descendants. If you continue the sentence from 2:43, you can just list the names of these two men, and end the series in this verse. Alternate translation: [Neziah, and Hatipha]

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [Some of the descendants of the laborers who had worked for the kingdom also returned]

By servants of Solomon, this list does not mean officials who served in Solomon’s court. Rather, this phrase refers to people whom Solomon first conscripted as laborers. They were descendants of the groups that were living in the land of Canaan before the Israelites occupied it. They and their descendants remained conscripted laborers (slaves) under later kings. Alternate translation: [the laborers that King Solomon first conscripted] or [the laborers who had worked for the kingdom under Solomon]

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [they were from the descendants of Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda,] beginning a series that will continue through 2:57.

These are the names of three men.

Here, sons means descendants. If you continue the sentence from 2:55, you can just list the names of these three men. Alternate translation: [Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel,]

Here, sons means descendants. If you continue the sentence from 2:55, you can just list the names of these four men, and end the series in this verse. Alternate translation: [Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth Hazzebaim, and Ami]

Alternate translation: [Altogether, 392 men returned who were descendants of temple servants or of laborers who had worked for the kingdom of Solomon]

As in 2:1, went up means traveled from Babylon back to Judah, since that involved going from a river valley up into the mountains. Alternate translation: [Some others returned to Judah]

These are the names of five towns in Babylonia. Alternate translation: [who had been living in the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer]

Alternate translation: [but they had no records to prove]

All three of these phrases, the house of their fathers, their seed, and whether they were from Israel, mean very similar things. They are used together to give clarity and emphasis. The first phrase refers to a person being able to name a well-known ancestor. The second phrase refers to a person being able to list his ancestors going back to the one that is well-known. The third phrase summarizes the other two: if a person cannot name an ancestor or recite his ancestry, then he cannot claim to be from Israel. If there would be no distinction between these phrases in your language, you could combine them into one phrase. Alternate translation: [that their ancestors had been Israelites] or [what clan they were from or who their ancestors were, whether they were really Israelites]

Among the Israelites, the expressions father’s house or house of their fathers originally described an extended-family group. It later came to be used more generally to refer to a larger clan within a tribe. In this expression, the word “house” describes all the people descended from a particular person. The term views all of those descendants as if they were one household living together. Alternate translation: [what clan they were from]

Here, seed means “ancestors.” In the Bible, the term often describes a person’s descendants. But here, “their seed” means “whose seed they were,” so the term is describing the ancestors of these people. Alternate translation: [or who their ancestors were]

Alternate translation: [In this group were 652 men from the descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda]

Here, sons means descendants. Either the men named here were not recognized clan heads of Israel, or the 652 people could not prove that they were descendants of these men. Alternate translation: [The descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda]

These are the names of three men.

Alternate translation: [Some of the men who returned from those towns were descendants of the priests]

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [And descendants of the priests]

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [they were from the descendants of Habaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai]

These are the names of three men.

You could start a new sentence here. Alternate translation: [Barzillai married a woman who was one of the descendants of Barzillai the Gileadite]

Here, daughters means female descendants. Alternate translation: [from the descendants of Barzillai the Gileadite]

Alternate translation: [and he took the name of her clan as his own name]

If it would be helpful in your language, you could say this with an active form, and you could say who did the action. Alternate translation: [They searched for a mention of their names in the lists of people who were descendants of the priests]

There are two possible meanings for what these people sought in the record. (1) They were seeking their own names from among a list of descendants from Israelite clan leaders. See the UST. (2) They were seeking the names of the clan leaders listed in verse 61 from among a list of names of Israelite clan leaders. Alternate translation: [The people in that group searched in the documents that had the names of the ancestors of all the clans, but they did not find the names of these men]

If it would be helpful in your language, you could say this with an active form, and you could say who did the action. Alternate translation: [but they were not able to find any mention of their names there]

If it would be helpful in your language, you could say this with an active form, and you could say who did the action. Alternate translation: [So the Jewish officials did not allow them to be priests]

The abstract noun priesthood refers to the work that a priest does and the status that a priest holds as a representative of God to the people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate the idea behind this term with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: [And so they were not allowed to serve as priests]

Tirshatha was the formal Persian title for the governor of a province, so this would be referring to Sheshbazzar, who may be the same person as Zerubbabel. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate the title with a word like “governor,” or you could state the title and then explain it. Alternate translation: [the Tirshatha, that is, the governor]

The phrase the holiest holy food refers to the most sacred part of the food offerings, which was reserved for only the priests to eat. Alternate translation: [told them that they would not be allowed to eat the most sacred food]

Here, stood is a figurative way of saying that a person had assumed the duties of his office. Here, priest means specifically the high priest, since he was the one who would have possession of the objects that this verse describes. Alternate translation: [until the high priest was once again on duty]

This was a pair of objects that the high priest kept in the breastpiece of his robe. It is unknown exactly what type of objects they were, but they were used to answer yes-or-no questions and to decide between two alternatives. If the priest, without looking, pulled out the Urim, that meant one answer, while if he pulled out the Thummim, that meant the other answer. If it would be helpful in your language, you could describe these objects by their function rather than by their names. Alternate translation: [and could use the sacred objects to decide their cases]

The expression as one means all together. Alternate translation: [The total number of men who returned was 42,360]

Alternate translation: [not counting their 7,337 male and female servants]

This group of those who sang is a different group from those in 2:41. Those were Levites who sang in connection with Israel’s worship. The group here is a class of servants who were employed to provide music for public and private events. Alternate translation: [and the 200 male and female singers whom they employed]

Alternate translation, beginning a sentence that will continue through the next verse: [The group also brought back with them 736 horses, 245 mules]

Alternate translation, concluding the sentence from the previous verse: [435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys]

The word and introduces a new event in the story. Use the most natural way in your language to introduce this new event.

Here, heads of the fathers is an abbreviated way of saying the heads of father’s houses. The full expression “house of their fathers” was used in 2:59. See how you translated it there, and review the note there if that would be helpful. Alternate translation: [some of the clan leaders]

Here, heads is a figurative way of saying leaders. Alternate translation: [And … leaders of]

As in 1:3–4, the expressions house of Yahweh and house of God both refer to the same temple. The book speaks of this temple as if it would be a house in which God lived, since God’s presence would be there. Alternate translation: [the temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem … the temple of God]

This expression indicates that these gifts were given towards the costs of rebuilding the temple on its former site. The expression envisions the rebuilt temple as like a living thing that would stand in that location. Alternate translation: [to rebuild it on its former site]

The work means the project of rebuilding the temple. The treasury was where all of the money would be kept safely until it was needed. Alternate translation: [to the fund for rebuilding the temple]

In ancient times, gold darics each weighed about 8 or 8.5 grams, or about a quarter of an ounce. You could try to express this in terms of modern money values, but if you did, that could cause your Bible translation to become outdated and inaccurate, since those values can change over time. Instead, you might say something general like “61,000 gold coins,” or give the equivalent weight, or use the biblical term in the text and give the weight in a note.

In ancient times, silver minas each weighed about half a kilogram, or about 1.25 pounds. However, as in the case of darics, it would probably be best to say something general like “5,000 silver bars,” or give the equivalent weight, or use the biblical term and give the equivalent weight in a footnote.

Tunics were the special garments that priests would wear while performing their duties in the temple. Alternate translation: [100 special garments for the priests to wear]

This is a summary conclusion to the list. See how you translated each of these terms within the list: priests in v. 36, Levites in v. 40, singers in v. 41, gatekeepers in v. 42, and temple servants in v. 43. Review the notes to each of these verses if that would be helpful. Alternate translation: [So the priests, Levites, other Israelites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants returned to Judah and settled in the places where their ancestors had formerly lived]

This sentence summarizes the previous sentence, which was itself a summary of the chapter. It shows the result of the journey, that the return of the Israelites was accomplished successfully. You could include this meaning with the previous sentence if stating it separately might be confusing for your readers because of the repetition. Its meaning is included in the alternate translation suggested for the previous sentence.

The word then indicates that the events the story will now relate came after the event it has just described. If it would be helpful in your language, you could show this relationship by using a fuller phrase. Alternate translation: [After this group had returned to Judah]

This phrase refers to the beginning of the seventh month in the Jewish religious calendar, which is the first month in the Jewish civic calendar. The phrase is actually giving the reason why the people gathered in Jerusalem at this time. It was the start of a new year, and the leadership had decided to resume community worship, including daily sacrifices, as of the beginning of that year, as 3:6 indicates. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say this explicitly. Alternate translation: [At the start of the seventh month, because it was the beginning of a new civic year]

Alternate translation: [month seven]

You could convert the Hebrew month into an equivalent on the calendar that your culture uses. However, the Jews used a lunar calendar, so if you use a solar calendar, the equivalency will be different every year and the translation will not be entirely accurate. So you may just want to use the number of the Hebrew month.

Here the book repeats some background information to remind readers why the Israelites were not all in Jerusalem already and would have had to come there from various places. Alternate translation: [the Israelites came from the different places where they had settled and they gathered … in Jerusalem]

Here, sons means descendants. The book is envisioning all of the Israelites as descendants of the patriarch Jacob, who was also known as Israel. Alternate translation: [the Israelites]

If it would be helpful in your language, you could say this with an active form. Alternate translation: [And they gathered together]

As one man is an idiom that means they gathered as if they were a single person, that is, all in one place at the same time for the same purpose. Alternate translation: [as if they were a single person]

The word then indicates that the events the story will now relate came after the event it has just described. If it would be helpful in your language, you could show this relationship by using a fuller phrase. Alternate translation: [Once everyone had gathered, arose]

In this context, the word arose means they took action to get an enterprise under way. It does not indicate that these leaders had been sitting or lying down and that they stood up. Alternate translation: [Then took action] or [Then carried out their plans]

Jeshua is the name of a man. See how you translated it in 2:2. Jozadak is the name of his father.

Here, brothers is likely a figurative way of saying fellow priests, although it is possible that some of the biological brothers of Jeshua were included in this group. Jeshua himself was the high priest at this time. Alternate translation: [his fellow priests]

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

Here, brothers appears to be a figurative way of saying fellow leaders. The other seven men listed in 2:2 as leaders of the group that returned from exile may be particularly in view. Alternate translation: [and his fellow leaders]

This was a way of resuming regular community worship even before construction began on the new temple. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say this explicitly. Alternate translation: [and they built a new altar to the God of Israel so that the priests could start offering sacrifices right away on behalf of the community]

The book assumes that readers will know that this means whole burnt offerings, that is, sacrifices that were burned up completely on the altar. These were offered to express a desire to be in good standing with God through the complete sacrifice of something valuable and also through the creation of an aroma, the smell of roasting meat, that was considered to be pleasing to God. If your language has a special term for such offerings, you can use it in your translation. Alternate translation: [whole burnt offerings]

If it would be helpful in your language, you could say this with an active form, and you could say who did the action. Alternate translation: [as God had commanded the people of Israel to do through Moses]

Here the book repeats some background information to remind readers who Moses was. Alternate translation: [Moses, that godly man] or [Moses, that man who knew God well]

Moses is the name of a man. It occurs many times throughout the book, and it will be helpful to your readers if you translate it consistently each time.

If it would be helpful in your language, you could reverse the order of these phrases since the second phrase gives the reason for the action that the first phrase describes. Alternate translation: [Because they were afraid of the people from other groups who lived around them, thinking they might attack them, they wanted to ask God for help and protection, so they made rebuilding the altar their first priority] or [Because they were afraid of the people from other groups who lived around them, thinking they might try to stop them from rebuilding the temple, they wanted to get started on rebuilding as quickly as possible, and so they began right away with the altar]

This phrase likely means that the priests and leaders built this new altar right at the place where the altar had been located within the former temple. If it would be helpful in your language, you could say that as an alternate translation.

The book does not say specifically why the Israelites were afraid of the people from other groups who lived around them. Two possibilities are that they were afraid these people might attack them or that they might try to keep them from rebuilding the temple, in both cases to stop them from re-establishing themselves in their former homeland. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could suggest one of these explanations explicitly. Alternate translation: [because they were afraid that the people from other groups who lived around them might attack them, they wanted to ask God for help and protection] or [because they were afraid that the people from other groups who lived around them might try to stop them from rebuilding the temple, they wanted to get started on rebuilding as quickly as possible]

Here the book uses a spatial metaphor of dread or fear landing on or resting on the Israelites to express that the Israelites felt that emotion. Alternate translation: [they were very afraid]

This was the expression that the Jews used to refer to members of other people groups, including some that the Assyrians had brought into the area who were originally from other places (lands) but who were now living in and around the province of Judah. Alternate translation: [people from other groups]

The word then at the beginning of this sentence indicates that the activity it describes took place after the events the story has been describing. Specifically, this was a continuous activity, not something the leaders did just on that occasion. If it would be helpful in your language, you could show this relationship by using a phrase such as “from that time on.” Alternate translation: [From that time on, the priests offered sacrifices to Yahweh on this altar every morning and every evening]

As 3:2 notes, God had commanded these daily offerings in the law of Moses. By resuming them, the leaders and priests were restoring the regular worship life of the community. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say that explicitly. Alternate translation: [From that time on, the priests offered sacrifices to Yahweh on this altar every morning and every evening. By doing that, they restored the regular worship life of the community]

The word Then indicates that the events the story will now recount came after the event it has just related. If it would be helpful in your language, you could show this relationship by using an equivalent phrase. The next event is specifically the Festival of Tabernacles, which the law of Moses said to observe from the fifteenth through the twenty-second days of the seventh month. So that event would have taken place about two weeks after the Israelites first gathered in Jerusalem. Alternate translation: [Later that month]

This phrase describes the Israelites celebrating an observance that is also known as the Festival of Tabernacles. The purpose of this festival was to remind the Israelites how Yahweh had cared for their ancestors when they lived in temporary shelters as they traveled through the wilderness from Egypt to Canaan. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say this explicitly. Alternate translation: [The Israelites celebrated the Festival of Tabernacles to remember how God had taken care of their ancestors when they had only temporary shelters to live in as they traveled through the wilderness from Egypt to Canaan]

If it would be helpful in your language, you could say this with an active form, and you could say who did the action. Alternate translation: [as God had commanded the people of Israel to do through Moses]

These expressions refer to the way the law of Moses commanded the Israelites to offer a different number of sacrifices on each of the eight days of this festival. Alternate translation: [they offered burnt offerings every day, and on each day they offered the number of sacrifices that the law specified for that day]

This phrase indicates that the activity it describes took place after the one it has just described. If it would be helpful in your language, you could show this relationship by using a phrase such as “And from that time on.”

Here the book leaves out some of the words that a sentence would ordinarily need in order to be complete. The meaning seems to be that once the daily morning and evening sacrifices had been re-instituted, the less frequent sacrifices were resumed as well, including those for the new moon, for the annual festivals, and on the occasion of freewill offerings. You could say that explicitly if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [the priests offered sacrifices every morning and evening, and they also offered sacrifices for the new moon festivals, for the festivals that Yahweh had commanded them to observe each year, and whenever anyone freely offered an animal to Yahweh]

The Hebrew uses a cardinal number here, one, but there is not a significant difference in meaning between that and the way the Hebrew uses an ordinal number, first, in similar contexts elsewhere. If your language customarily uses ordinals for the numbers of days, you can do that here in your translation. Alternate translation: [Starting on the first day]

This sentence draws a contrast between the conditions under which readers would have expected sacrifices to resume and the conditions under which they actually did resume. You could use a connecting phrase such as “even though” between the two clauses to indicate this contrast. Alternate translation: [they resumed offering sacrifices to Yahweh, even though they had not yet rebuilt the temple of Yahweh]

If it would be helpful in your language, you could say this with an active form, and you could say who did the action. Alternate translation: [the Jewish leaders had not yet rebuilt the temple of Yahweh]

This phrase likely means specifically that no one had laid a foundation yet for the new temple. That would have been the first step in construction. However, this seems to be a figurative way of describing the entire process of building the temple by referring to one part of that process, its first step. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say that explicitly. Alternate translation: [the Jewish leaders had not yet rebuilt the temple of Yahweh]

Here, the word and indicates that the sentence it introduces will explain what people did as a result of the situation that the previous sentence described. Alternate translation: [And so they gave]

The implication is that the Jewish leaders did this, and the rest of the things the verse describes, in order to start construction on the new temple. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say this explicitly. Alternate translation: [In order to start building a new temple, the Jewish leaders hired masons and carpenters]

Gave is an idiom that means the Jewish leaders paid money to these workers in exchange for their expected labor. The money was not a gift. Alternate translation: [And they hired masons and carpenters]

Here, silver means money. Though the payment may have been in the form of silver bars, such as are described in 2:69, it may also have been in the form of some other type of money. The book is describing a payment by reference to something that was the most common type of money. Alternate translation: [And they paid money]

The term masons describes workers who build things from stone. Alternate translation: [stoneworkers]

The term carpenters describes workers who build things from wood. Alternate translation: [woodworkers]

This phrase describes a further step that the Jewish leaders took to rebuild the temple. The words they gave, earlier in the sentence, apply to this phrase as well. In this case, gave would now have the sense of “sent,” since the leaders sent the food, drink, and oil to people in distant cities. Alternate translation: [and they also sent grain and wine and olive oil to people who lived in the cities of Sidon and Tyre]

While these are all general terms that describe categories of things, the book is likely using them to refer to specific items within each category. While food means anything to eat, here it probably means grain, which the Israelites grew in their land and which they could transport relatively easily. Similarly, drink means anything to drink, but it probably means wine, and oil probably means olive oil, because these were both things that the Israelites also produced and could transport. Alternate translation: [and grain and wine and olive oil]

These are the names of two people groups. The terms describe the residents of the cities of Sidon and Tyre, which were located on the seacoast north of Israel.

This phrase describes the purpose for which the Jewish leaders took the actions just described. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a term such as “so that” to indicate this. Alternate translation: [so that they would bring]

The term cedar refers to large fir trees with strong, beautiful, aromatic wood that were valued for construction. Such trees grew plentifully and grew to great heights in the region of Lebanon. Alternate translation: [cedar trees]

The sea of Joppa is not the name of a body of water. Instead, that term refers to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea at the port city of Joppa. This full phrase means that the people of Tyre and Sidon were to cut cedar trees in Lebanon and transport them to Israel by floating them along the seacoast to the port of Joppa. Alternate translation: [by sea from Lebanon to Joppa]

Lebanon is the name of a place. It was a mountainous region located along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of Israel.

Joppa is the name of a city.

If it would be helpful in your language, you could say this with an active form. Alternate translation: [for King Cyrus of Persia had authorized them to do this]

If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate the abstract noun permission with a verb. Alternate translation: [since King Cyrus of Persia had authorized them to do this]

If it would be helpful in your language, you could put this sentence earlier or even first in the verse since it gives the reason for the actions that the rest of the verse describes. You could also show the connection by beginning the next sentence with a phrase such as “and so.” Alternate translation: [King Cyrus of Persia had authorized the Jewish leaders to get the materials they needed to rebuild the temple, and so]

The word Then at the beginning of this phrase indicates that the events the story will now relate came after the events it has just described. Alternate translation: [Then in the second year after they came]

“Then in month two of year two after arriving at the house of God in Jerusalem” or “Then in the springtime of the second year since they came to the house of God in Jerusalem” or “Seven months after they had come to the house of God in Jerusalem”

At this time, there was no temple in Jerusalem. So this phrase means one of two things: (1) The book could be referring implicitly to the place where God’s temple belonged. It seems that the people thought of the temple site as God’s temple, even though it was in ruins. Alternate translation: [In the second year after they returned from exile to the site of God’s temple in Jerusalem.] or (2) The book could be referring implicitly to the purpose for which they came. Alternate translation: [In the second year after they returned to Jerusalem in order to build a temple there for God.]

“the temple”

The book does not say explicitly why the Jewish leaders started the actual construction of the new temple at this time. One possibility is that once they had ordered the necessary materials, as 3:7 describes, it took seven months for enough materials to be delivered for construction to begin. Another possibility is that the leaders waited until spring because winter would have been a bad time to start building. Yet another possibility is that they wanted to lay the foundation of this new temple in the second month of the year for ceremonial reasons, because that was the month in which King Solomon had laid the foundation of the original temple. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could put these explanations in a footnote.

Zerubbabel is the name of a man, and Shealtiel is the name of his father. See how you translated these names in 3:2.

Jeshua is the name of a man, and Jozadak is the name of his father. See how you translated these names in 3:2.

Here, brothers seems to be a figurative way of saying fellow leaders, since the priests and Levites were also leaders in the community like Zerubbabel, the governor, and Jeshua, the high priest. Alternate translation: [and their fellow leaders, the priests and Levites]

The abstract noun captivity refers to the way the Babylonians had transported many of the Jews away from their homeland when they conquered Jerusalem. (These included many of the parents or grandparents of the people here, but also some of these people themselves, as 3:12 indicates.) If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate the idea behind this term with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: [and the rest of the people who had returned to Jerusalem from where their enemies had taken them]

Here the book leaves out some of the words that a sentence would ordinarily need in order to be complete because they were understood by the original readers. If it would be helpful in your language, you could supply them from the context, or you could use a term such as “so” to indicate this. Alternate translation: [so they appointed]

Here, son of 20 years and above is an idiom that indicates a person’s age. Alternate translation: [the Levites who were at least 20 years old]

In this context, the work of the house is an abbreviated way of referring to the project of constructing a temple. Alternate translation: [to supervise the construction of the temple for Yahweh]

See how you translated this expression in 1:3. Alternate translation: [the temple for Yahweh]

Here, the word and indicates that the sentence it introduces explains the results of what the previous sentence described. Alternate translation: [So … helped]

Jeshua is the name of a man, but he is not the high priest mentioned in the previous verse. Rather, he is the Levite clan leader listed in 2:40 as one of the exiles who returned to Judah. See how you translated his name there.

The terms sons and brothers do not seem to be figurative here. Rather, they would describe the biological sons and brothers of Jeshua as men who worked closely with him in supervising the construction of the new temple. So it would be appropriate to use the usual terms in your language for these close relationships.

Kadmiel is the name of a man. He is another Levite clan leader listed in 2:40. See how you translated his name there.

Here as well, the term sons does not seem to be figurative. Rather, it describes the biological sons of Kadmiel as men who helped supervise the temple construction.

Here, sons does mean “descendants.”

Judah is the name of a man. According to 2:40, Jeshua and Kadmiel were the leaders of two Levite clans that were both descended from a man named Hodaviah. It is possible that this is an alternate spelling of that same name. Alternate translation: [who were all descendants of Hodaviah]

As in 2:63, stood is a figurative way of saying that a person assumed the duties of his office. Alternate translation: [joined together to supervise the workers]

As one is an idiom that means these men all behaved as if they were a single person. That is, they all did the same thing; they worked unitedly towards a common goal. Alternate translation: [together]

As in 2:69 and 3:8, the work means the project of rebuilding the temple. Alternate translation: [of the workers who were rebuilding the temple]

The relationship of this list of names to the rest of the verse is not entirely clear. There are 2 possibilities. (1) This is a list of the people who did the actual construction work on the new temple under the supervision of Jeshua, Kadmiel, and their relatives. Alternate translation: [Those workers were the sons and grandsons of a man named Henadad and all the other Levites]; (2) The people listed here helped Jeshua, Kadmiel, and their relatives supervise other people who did the construction work. Alternate translation: [The sons and grandsons of a man named Henadad and all the other Levites helped them supervise the workers]

There are two possibilities for the referent of their here. (1) It could refer to Jeshua and Kadmiel, in which case their brothers the Levites would be a figurative way of saying “their fellow Levites,” as opposed to their biological brothers mentioned earlier in the verse. Alternate translation: [and all the other Levites who had returned from exile]; (2) However, their could refer to the sons of Henadad. It would still mean “fellow Levites.” The only difference would be that it would also mean that Henadad and his sons and grandsons were also Levites themselves. Alternate translation: [and the others who were Levites as they were]

The sons of Henadad seems to mean the actual sons of a man named Henadad. Likewise, their sons seems to mean the actual sons of those men. The book does not mention Henadad anywhere else and it does not provide any further information about him, so it would probably be best simply to state his name. Alternate translation: [the sons and grandsons of a man named Henadad]

The word Then at the beginning of this sentence indicates that it will describe something that took place after the event the story has just related. (Specifically, now that all the necessary supervisors were in place, the construction work could begin.)

There are two possibilities for the meaning of laid the foundation. (1) This means that the workers had finished the foundation and perhaps set the entire temple floor in stone. The ceremony with music would be to mark the completion of this important step. Alternate translation: [Then the builders completed the floor of the temple of Yahweh] or (2) It means that they started to lay the foundation, and the ceremony with the music is to mark the start of the building. Alternate translation: [Then the builders started to lay the foundation of the temple of Yahweh]

Unlike in 2:63 and 3:9, here stand means that the priests and Levites literally stood. They took up standing positions around the foundation and played their instruments. Alternate translation: [And they had the priests, wearing their sacred garments, come to the temple site and play their trumpets]

If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind this passive verb form with a phrase that uses an active form. Alternate translation: [wearing their sacred garments]

The book expects readers to know that the Levites of this clan were vocal musicians who led the community in worship, particularly on ceremonial occasions such as this one. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say that explicitly. Alternate translation: [and they had the Levites who were descendants of Asaph sing and play their cymbals]

Here, sons means descendants. Alternate translation: [and the Levites who were descendants of Asaph]

Asaph is a man’s name. See how you translated it in 2:41.

The word cymbals refers to a set of two thin, round metal plates that are hit together to make a loud sound.

You could place this phrase at the beginning of this sentence, before the one that describes how the priests and Levites were positioned, since it explains why the leaders put them in those positions. You could then show the connection by using a word like “so” to introduce the information about the priests and Levites. Alternate translation: [To celebrate this occasion, the leaders wanted to worship Yahweh in the way that King David of Israel had commanded, so]

Here, the phrase the hands of David, the king is used to represent his authority to give commands. Alternate translation: [as David, king of Israel, had commanded]

Here the book provides some background information to describe more fully who David was. Alternate translation: [King David of Israel]

The word then indicates that the sentence it introduces it will describe something that took place after the event the story has just related. If it would be helpful in your language, you could show this relationship by using an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: [once all the musicians were in place, they sang back and forth]

Here, they refers to the Levite singers. In response probably means that first one group of them sang something, and then a second group of them sang something in reply, possibly playing instruments as well. The groups likely did this repeatedly over the course of a given song. Alternate translation: [Then the Levites sang responsively] or [Then the Levites sang antiphonally]

This is at least part of the song that the Levites sang on this occasion. Based on their other occurrences in the Bible, these may be the words to a refrain that the second group sang in response to verses that the first group sang. Or this may be a song that was sung for this celebration. Either way, it may be helpful to your readers to indicate that these are the words of the singers by setting off them with quotation marks or with whatever other punctuation or convention your language uses to indicate a quotation.

The abstract noun faithfulness describes the quality of a person who will dependably keep his word and fulfill his responsibilities. Covenant faithfulness refers specifically to Yahweh keeping all of the promises that he has made to the people of Israel. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate the idea behind this word with an expression such as “keep promises.” Alternate translation: [because Yahweh always keeps the promises he made to Israel]

Here, the name Israel stands for the Israelite people. Alternate translation: [to the people of Israel]

If it would be helpful in your language, you could say this with an active form, and you could say who did the action. Alternate translation: [because the builders had laid the foundation of Yahweh’s temple] or [because the builders had set the temple floor in stone]

As in 2:10, here there are the same two possibilities for the meaning of the foundation … had been laid. See how you translated it there. (1) This means that the workers had finished the foundation. Alternate translation: [because the builders had completed the floor of the temple of Yahweh] or (2) It means that they had started to lay the foundation, which was the first step in building the temple. Alternate translation: [because the builders had started to lay the foundation of the temple of Yahweh]

The word But indicates that the sentence it introduces will draw a contrast with what came just before it. That contrast is specifically between the joyful way that most of the Israelites were responding on this occasion and the sorrowful way that some of them responded. You could use a word such as “however” to indicate this contrast.

As in 1:5, this is an abbreviated way of saying “the heads of the father’s houses.” Review the explanatory note to this phrase in 1:5 if that would be helpful. Alternate translation: [and the clan leaders]

This phrase provides background information to identify these specific priests, Levites, and clan leaders further. Alternate translation: [who were old enough that they had seen the first temple]

The book does not say specifically why these older leaders who had seen the first temple were weeping. There are two possibilities. (1) They felt grief and loss because they remembered the first temple in all of its glory and they could not imagine that this replacement would ever be as splendid. Alternate translation: [wept loudly because they thought this new temple could never be as glorious as the first one] or (2) Seeing the community begin to restore its temple brought back memories of the terrible days in which the original temple had been destroyed and the people had had to leave their homes and go into exile. Alternate translation: [wept loudly because they remembered how the first temple had been destroyed] or just [wept loudly, remembering the past]

As in 3:6, founding means to do the first step of constructing a building. See how you translated it there. Since it is a reference to the first step, laying a foundation, it may simply refer to starting the project generally. It could mean that the workers had begun to lay the foundation or that they had finished the foundation. Alternate translation: [when they saw the foundation that the builders laid for this temple]

Here, eyes represent sight. So this phrase means “when construction began on the temple in their sight.” Alternate translation: [when they saw the foundation that the builders laid for this temple]

As often in this book, house is a metaphor for temple. Alternate translation: [the first temple … this temple]

The word yet indicates a contrast between what the people just described were doing and what the people who will be described next were doing. Alternate translation: [But many others]

To be lifting up a voice is an idiom that means to be speaking, shouting, or singing loudly. Alternate translation: [But many others were giving loud, happy shouts.]

The idea behind the abstract noun joy can be expressed with an adjective such as happy. Alternate translation: [But many others were giving loud, happy shouts]

The word So indicates that the sentence it introduces explains the results of what the previous sentence described. Alternate translation: [As a result the people could not differentiate]

If it would be helpful in your language, you could reverse the order of these phrases, since the second phrase gives the reason for the action that the first phrase describes. Alternate translation: [Because the people who were happy were shouting so loudly, no one could distinguish their cries from the sounds of weeping of the other people]

In its first occurrence here, the phrase the people means all the Israelites who had gathered for this ceremony. In its second occurrence, the phrase refers to one group of them, the older leaders who had seen the first temple and were weeping. In its third occurrence, it refers to another group of them, the younger Israelites who were shouting for joy. Alternate translation: [Because the people who were happy were shouting so loudly, no one at the ceremony could distinguish their cries from the sounds of the people who were weeping]

If it would be helpful in your language, you could say this with an active form, and you could say who did the action. Alternate translation: [the combined sound was so loud that those who lived far away from Jerusalem could hear it]

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.

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.

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]

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]

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 translation: [the Jews who had returned from exile] or [the Jews who had returned to their homeland]

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

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]