Ch 4-6 edits/corrections

15-EZR.usfm

@@ -201,26 +201,26 @@ Then all the people shouted loudly, praising him because they had finished layin
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 \v 1 The enemies of the people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin heard that they had returned from Babylonia and were rebuilding the temple for Yahweh, the God of Israel.
-\v 2 So they went to Zerubbabel the governor and to the other Jewish leaders and said to them, "We want to help you build the temple, because we worship the same God whom you worship. We have been offering sacrifices to him since Esarhaddon, the king of Assyria, brought us here."
+\v 2 So they went to Zerubbabel the governor and to the other Jewish leaders and said to them, "We want to help you build the temple because we worship the same God whom you worship. We have been offering sacrifices to him since Esarhaddon, the king of Assyria, brought us here."
 
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-\v 3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other Jewish leaders replied, "We will not allow you to help us build a temple for our God. It is we alone who will build it for Yahweh, as Cyrus, king of Persia, told us to do."
+\v 3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other Jewish leaders replied, "We will not allow you to help us build a temple for our God. It is we alone who will build it for Yahweh, as Cyrus king of Persia told us to do."
 
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-\v 4 Then the people who had been living in that land before the Israelites returned tried to cause the Jews to become discouraged and afraid, so they would stop building the temple.
+\v 4 Then the people who had been living in that land before the Israelites returned tried to cause the Jews to become discouraged and afraid so they would stop building the temple.
 \v 5 They bribed government officials to prevent the Jews from continuing to work on the temple. They did that all during the time that Cyrus was king of Persia and also when Darius became king.
-\v 6 Then during the first year that Darius's son Ahasuerus was king, the enemies of the Jews wrote a letter to the king saying that the Jews were planning to rebel against the government.
+\v 6 Then, during the first year that Darius's son Ahasuerus was king, the enemies of the Jews wrote a letter to the king saying that the Jews were planning to rebel against the government.
 
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-\v 7 Later, when Ahasuerus's son Artaxerxes became king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and their colleagues wrote a letter to him. They wrote the letter in the Aramaic language, and it was translated into the language of the Persians.
+\v 7 Later, when Ahasuerus's son Artaxerxes became king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their colleagues wrote a letter to him. They wrote the letter in the Aramaic language, and it was translated into the language of the Persians.
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-\v 8 Rehum, the high commissioner, and Shimshai, the provincial secretary, wrote the letter to King Artaxerxes concerning what was happening in Jerusalem.
+\v 8 Rehum the high commissioner and Shimshai the provincial secretary wrote the letter to King Artaxerxes concerning what was happening in Jerusalem.
 
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-\v 9 They stated that the letter was from Rehum, Shimshai, and their associates, the judges, and other government officials, who were from Erech, Babylon, and Susa in the district of Elam.
+\v 9 They stated that the letter was from Rehum, Shimshai, and their associates, the judges, and other government officials who were from Erech, Babylon, and Susa in the district of Elam.
 \v 10 They also wrote that they represented the other peoples whom the army of the great and glorious Ashurbanipal had deported and sent to live in Samaria and in other cities in the province west of the Euphrates River.
 
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@@ -233,15 +233,15 @@ Then all the people shouted loudly, praising him because they had finished layin
 \v 13 It is important for you to know that if they rebuild the city and finish building the walls, they will stop paying any taxes. As a result, there will be less money in your treasury.
 
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-\v 14 Now, because we are loyal to you, and because we do not want you to be humiliated, we are sending this information to you.
-\v 15 And, we suggest that you order your officials to search among the records kept by your ancestors. If you do that, you will find out that the people in this city have always rebelled against the government. You will also find out that from long ago these people caused trouble for kings and for rulers of provinces. They have always revolted against those who ruled them. That is the reason that this city was destroyed by the Babylonian army.
+\v 14 Now, because we are loyal to you and because we do not want you to be humiliated, we are sending this information to you.
+\v 15 And we suggest that you order your officials to search among the records kept by your ancestors. If you do that, you will find out that the people in this city have always rebelled against the government. You will also find out that from long ago these people caused trouble for kings and for rulers of provinces. They have always revolted against those who ruled them. That is the reason that this city was destroyed by the Babylonian army.
 \v 16 We want you to know that if they rebuild this city and finish building its walls, you will no longer be able to control the people in this province west of the Euphrates River."
 
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 \v 17 After the king read this letter, he sent this reply to them:
-"To you Rehum, the high commissioner, and Shimshai, the provincial secretary, and their colleagues in Samaria and in other parts of the province that is west of the Euphrates River, I send my greetings.
+"To you Rehum the high commissioner and Shimshai the provincial secretary and your colleagues in Samaria and in other parts of the province that is west of the Euphrates River, I send my greetings.
 \v 18 The letter that you sent to me was translated and read to me.
-\v 19 So then, I ordered my officials to search the records. I have found out that it is true that the people of that city have always revolted against their rulers, and that the city is full of people who have rebelled and caused trouble.
+\v 19 So then, I ordered my officials to search the records. I have found out that it is true that the people of that city have always revolted against their rulers and that the city is full of people who have rebelled and caused trouble.
 
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 \v 20 In the past, powerful kings ruled in Jerusalem, and they also ruled over the whole province west of the Euphrates River. They forced the people there to pay them all kinds of taxes.
@@ -250,56 +250,48 @@ Then all the people shouted loudly, praising him because they had finished layin
 
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-\v 23 Messengers took that letter to Rehum and Shimshai and their colleagues and read it to them. Then Rehum and the others went quickly to Jerusalem, and they forced the Jews to stop
-rebuilding the city wall.
+\v 23 Messengers took that letter to Rehum and Shimshai and their colleagues and read it to them. Then Rehum and the others went quickly to Jerusalem, and they forced the Jews to stop rebuilding the city wall.
 \v 24 The result was that the Jews stopped rebuilding the temple. They did not do any more work to rebuild the temple until the second year after Darius became the king of Persia.
 
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-\v 1 At that time two prophets were giving messages from God to the Jews in Jerusalem and other cities in Judah. The prophets were Haggai and Zechariah, who was a descendant of Iddo.
-They spoke those messages representing the God that the people of Israel worshiped.
-\v 2 Then Zerubbabel and Jeshua led many other people to being to rebuild the temple of God in Jerusalem. God's prophets Haggai and Zechariah were also with them and helped them.
+\v 1 At that time two prophets were giving messages from God to the Jews in Jerusalem and other cities in Judah. The prophets were Haggai and Zechariah, who was a descendant of Iddo. They spoke those messages representing the God that the people of Israel worshiped.
+\v 2 Then Zerubbabel and Jeshua led many other people to begin to rebuild the temple of God in Jerusalem. God's prophets Haggai and Zechariah were also with them and helped them.
 
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-\v 3 But Tattenai, the governor of the province west of the Euphrates River, and Shethar-Bozenai , his assistant, together with some of their officials went to Jerusalem and said to the people, "Who has permitted you to rebuild this temple?"
+\v 3 But Tattenai the governor of the province west of the Euphrates River and Shethar-Bozenai his assistant, together with some of their officials, went to Jerusalem and said to the people, "Who has permitted you to rebuild this temple?"
 \v 4 They also asked the Jews to tell them the names of the men who were working on the temple.
 \v 5 However, God was taking care of the Jewish leaders and they were not stopped by their enemies. They were waiting for King Darius to make a royal decree that would either give them permission and his protection so they could finish their work on the temple, or stop their work completely.
 
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-\v 6 So Tattenai, Shethar-Bozenai , and their officials sent a report to King Darius.
+\v 6 So Tattenai, Shethar-Bozenai, and their officials sent a report to King Darius.
 \v 7 This is what they wrote:
 "King Darius, we hope that things are going well for you.
 
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 \v 8 We want you to know that we went to Judah, where the temple of the great God is being rebuilt. The people are building it with huge stones, and they are putting wooden beams in the walls. The work is being done very carefully, and they are progressing well.
 \v 9 We asked the Jewish leaders, 'Who has permitted you to rebuild this temple?'
-\v 10 We also requested them to tell us the names of their leaders, in order that we could tell you who they were.
+\v 10 We also requested them to tell us the names of their leaders so that we could tell you who they were.
 
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-\v 11 But instead of telling us their leaders' names, what they said was, 'We serve the God who created the heaven and the earth. Many years ago a great king of Israel told our ancestors to
-build a temple here, and now we are rebuilding it.
+\v 11 But instead of telling us their leaders' names, what they said was, 'We serve the God who created the heaven and the earth. Many years ago a great king of Israel told our ancestors to build a temple here, and now we are rebuilding it.
 
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-\v 12 But God, who rules in heaven, allowed the armies of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylonia, to destroy that temple, because our ancestors did things that caused God to become very
-angry. Nebuchadnezzar's army took many of the Israelite people to Babylonia.
+\v 12 But God, who rules in heaven, allowed the armies of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to destroy that temple because our ancestors did things that caused God to become very angry. Nebuchadnezzar's army took many of the Israelite people to Babylonia.
 \v 13 However, during the first year that Cyrus king of Babylon started to rule, he decreed that the temple of God should be rebuilt.
 
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-\v 14 Cyrus returned to our leaders all the gold and silver objects that had been taken from the temple and put in the temple in Babylon. Those objects were
-given to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom King Cyrus had appointed to be the governor in Judah.
-\v 15 The king instructed him to take the objects back to Jerusalem, to the place from where they had been taken. He also decreed that they should rebuild the temple at the place
-where it had been before. So Cyrus appointed Sheshbazzar to be the governor in Judah. He also sent all those things made of gold and silver, for Sheshbazzar to put into the new temple.
+\v 14 Cyrus returned to our leaders all the gold and silver objects that had been taken from the temple and put in the temple in Babylon. Those objects were given to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom King Cyrus had appointed to be the governor in Judah.
+\v 15 The king instructed him to take the objects back to Jerusalem, to the place from where they had been taken. He also decreed that they should rebuild the temple at the place where it had been before. So Cyrus appointed Sheshbazzar to be the governor in Judah. He also sent all those things made of gold and silver, for Sheshbazzar to put into the new temple.
 
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-\v 16 So Sheshbazzar did that. He came here to Jerusalem and supervised the men who laid the foundation of the temple. And since that time, the people have been working on the temple,
-but it is not finished yet.'
+\v 16 So Sheshbazzar did that. He came here to Jerusalem and supervised the men who laid the foundation of the temple. And since that time, the people have been working on the temple, but it is not yet finished.'
 
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-\v 17 Therefore, your Majesty, please order someone to search in the place in Babylon where the important records are kept, to find out whether it is true that King Cyrus decreed that God's
-temple should be rebuilt in Jerusalem. Then you can tell us what you want us to do about this matter."
+\v 17 Therefore, your Majesty, please order someone to search in the place in Babylon where the important records are kept to find out whether it is true that King Cyrus decreed that God's temple should be rebuilt in Jerusalem. Then you can tell us what you want us to do about this matter."
 
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@@ -316,7 +308,7 @@ temple should be rebuilt in Jerusalem. Then you can tell us what you want us to
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 \v 6 After reading this, King Darius sent this message to the leaders of the Jews' enemies in Jerusalem:
-"This is a message for Tattenai, the governor of the province west of the Euphrates River, and for his assistant Shethar-Bozenai , and for all your colleagues: Stay away from that area.
+"This is a message for Tattenai the governor of the province west of the Euphrates River, for his assistant Shethar-Bozenai, and for all your colleagues: Stay away from that area.
 \v 7 Do not interfere with the work of building the temple of God. The temple must be rebuilt at the same place where the former temple was. And do not hinder the governor of the Jews or their elders while they are doing this work.
 
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@@ -330,7 +322,7 @@ temple should be rebuilt in Jerusalem. Then you can tell us what you want us to
 
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-\v 13 Tattenai, the governor of the province, and his assistant Shethar-Bozenai and their colleagues read the message and immediately obeyed the decree of King Darius.
+\v 13 Tattenai the governor of the province, his assistant Shethar-Bozenai, and their colleagues read the message and immediately obeyed the decree of King Darius.
 \v 14 So the Jewish leaders continued their work of rebuilding the temple. They were greatly encouraged by the messages that the prophets Haggai and Zechariah preached. The Israelites continued building the temple, just as God had commanded them to do and as King Cyrus and King Darius had decreed.
 \v 15 They finished building it on third day of the month of Adar, during the sixth year that King Darius ruled.
 
@@ -342,11 +334,11 @@ temple should be rebuilt in Jerusalem. Then you can tell us what you want us to
 
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-\v 19 On the 14th day of the first month, the Jews who had returned from Babylon celebrated the Passover Festival.
+\v 19 On the fourteenth day of the first month, the Jews who had returned from Babylon celebrated the Passover Festival.
 \v 20 To qualify themselves for offering the sacrifices, the priests and Levites had already purified themselves by performing certain rituals. Then they slaughtered the lambs for the benefit of all the people who had returned from Babylon, for the other priests, and for themselves.
 
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-\v 21 Those who had returned from Babylon and who had separated themselves from the unclean people around them who had a different culture, language, and worship, and they were able now to worship Yahweh, the God of the Israelite people, and to eat the Passover meal.
+\v 21 Those who had returned from Babylon ate the Passover meal along with those who were able to worship Yahweh, the God of the Israelite people, because they had separated themselves from the unclean people around them who had a different culture, language, and worship.
 \v 22 They celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. The Israelite people throughout the land were joyful because Yahweh had changed the attitude of the king of Assyria toward them, and as a result, the king had helped them to rebuild the temple of God, the God of Israel.
 
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@@ -359,10 +351,8 @@ temple should be rebuilt in Jerusalem. Then you can tell us what you want us to
 \v 5 who was the son of Abishua, who was the son of Phinehas, who was the son of Eleazar, who was the son of Aaron, the first high priest.
 
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-\v 6 Ezra was a man who knew the laws that Moses wrote very well. Those were the laws that Yahweh, the God of Israel, had given to the Israelite people. He left Babylon after the king had told people
-to give him anything he requested. Indeed, Yahweh helped Ezra very much in all these matters.
-\v 7 Some of the priests, some descendants of Levi, some singers, some gatekeepers, and some men who worked in the temple, and some other Israelite people went up with Ezra to
-Jerusalem. That was during the seventh year that Artaxerxes was the king of Persia.
+\v 6 Ezra was a man who knew the laws that Moses wrote very well. Those were the laws that Yahweh, the God of Israel, had given to the Israelite people. He left Babylon after the king had told people to give him anything he requested. Indeed, Yahweh helped Ezra very much in all these matters.
+\v 7 Some of the priests, some descendants of Levi, some singers, some gatekeepers, and some men who worked in the temple, and some other Israelite people went up with Ezra to Jerusalem. That was during the seventh year that Artaxerxes was the king of Persia.
 
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