Ezra 3 — The altar restored and the temple foundation laid — Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek compared
Each card keeps the independently rendered source readings above their shared comparison and reception notes. The badge records the source’s governing classification; disparate readings are marked in red. Each reading retains its original reference.
Ezra 3 — The altar restored and the temple foundation laid
3:1–7 — Sacrifice resumes before the house is founded
Verse 3:1 Same
Hebrew/Aramaic–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
3:1 The seventh month arrived while the sons of Israel were in the cities, and the people gathered as one man in Jerusalem.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
Esdras B 3:1 The seventh month arrived—the sons of Israel being in their cities—and the people gathered as one man in Jerusalem.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Both describe the seventh-month assembly as a united gathering.
Verse 3:2 Same
Hebrew/Aramaic–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
3:2 Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers the priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his brothers, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings upon it as written in the law of Moses, the man of God.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
Esdras B 3:2 Iesous son of Iosedek and his brothers the priests, and Zorobabel son of Salathiel and his brothers, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer whole burnt offerings upon it according to what is written in the law of Moses, the man of God.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Corresponding leaders build the altar under Mosaic authority. Greek holokautoseis expressly identifies the offerings as wholly burned.
Verse 3:3 Different
Hebrew/Aramaic–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
3:3 They established the altar on its bases, for terror from the peoples of the lands was upon them. They offered burnt offerings on it to YHWH, burnt offerings for morning and evening.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
Esdras B 3:3 They prepared the altar on its prepared place, for terror from the peoples of the lands was upon them. A whole burnt offering went up upon it to the Lord, in the morning and toward evening.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: H gives plural altar bases and makes the people the offering agents; G has a singular prepared place and says the offering went up. Both preserve the fear and daily times.
Verse 3:4 Same
Hebrew/Aramaic–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
3:4 They kept the Festival of Booths as written, with burnt offerings day by day in the prescribed number, each day's requirement on its day,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
Esdras B 3:4 They kept the Festival of Booths according to what was written, with whole burnt offerings day by day in the number required by the ordinance, each day's due on its own day,
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Both emphasize the written prescription, daily count and requirement.
Verse 3:5 Similar
Hebrew/Aramaic–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
3:5 and afterward the continual burnt offering, those for the new moons and all the consecrated appointed times of YHWH, and for everyone who freely offered a freewill offering to YHWH.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
Esdras B 3:5 and afterward continual whole burnt offerings, those for the new moons and all the consecrated festivals, and for everyone freely presenting a freewill offering to the Lord.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Both extend the offering schedule beyond Booths. H explicitly calls the appointed times YHWH's; G has consecrated festivals without that title here.
Verse 3:6 Same
Hebrew/Aramaic–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
3:6 From the first day of the seventh month they began offering burnt offerings to YHWH, though the foundation of YHWH's temple had not been laid.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
Esdras B 3:6 On day one of the seventh month they began offering whole burnt offerings to the Lord, though the Lord's house had not been founded.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Both explicitly place renewed sacrifice before the temple's foundation.
Verse 3:7 Similar
Hebrew/Aramaic–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
3:7 They gave silver to the stonecutters and craftsmen, and food, drink and oil to the Sidonians and Tyrians, to bring cedar timber from Lebanon to the sea at Joppa, according to the permission Cyrus king of Persia had granted them.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
Esdras B 3:7 They gave silver to the stonecutters and craftsmen, and food, drink and oil to the Sedanin and Sorin, to bring cedar timber from Lebanon to the sea at Joppa, according to the concession of Cyrus king of the Persians to them.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Both list the payments, cedar source, maritime destination and royal permission. Greek Sedanin and Sorin retain borrowed forms for the Sidonians and Tyrians.
3:8–13 — Foundation, praise and weeping
Verse 3:8 Similar
Hebrew/Aramaic–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
3:8 In the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, the rest of their brothers the priests and Levites, and all who had come from captivity to Jerusalem began the work. They appointed the Levites from twenty years old and upward to supervise the work of the house of YHWH.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
Esdras B 3:8 In the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, in the second month, Zorobabel son of Salathiel, Iesous son of Iosedek, the rest of their brothers the priests and Levites, and all who had come from captivity to Jerusalem began. They set the Levites from twenty years old and upward over those doing the work in the Lord's house.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The date, leaders and minimum age agree. H speaks of supervising the work; G places the Levites over the workers.
Verse 3:9 Similar
Hebrew/Aramaic–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
3:9 Jeshua, his sons and his brothers, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, stood together to supervise those doing the work in the house of God; also the sons of Henadad, their sons and their brothers the Levites.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
Esdras B 3:9 Iesous and his sons and his brothers, Kadmiel and his sons, sons of Judah, stood over those doing the work in the house of God; also the sons of Enadad, their sons and their brothers the Levites.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Both retain sons of Judah; neither is silently corrected to Hodaviah from 2:40. H explicitly says together. The final Levite group is appended in both.
Verse 3:10 Different
Hebrew/Aramaic–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
3:10 When the builders laid the foundation of YHWH's temple, they stationed the priests in their vestments with trumpets, and the Levites, sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise YHWH according to the directions of David king of Israel.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
Esdras B 3:10 They laid the foundation for building the Lord's house, and the priests stood in their vestments with trumpets, and the Levites, sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord according to the directions of David king of Israel.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: H explicitly names the builders and uses a causative stationed verb. G says they founded it for building and the priests stood. Instruments, priestly clothing and Davidic direction agree.
Verse 3:11 Different
Hebrew/Aramaic–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
3:11 They sang responsively in praise and thanksgiving to YHWH: “For He is good, for His steadfast love toward Israel endures forever.” All the people raised a great shout of praise to YHWH because the foundation of the house of YHWH had been laid.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
Esdras B 3:11 They answered in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord: “For it is good, for His mercy toward Israel endures forever.” All the people sounded a great cry of praise to the Lord at the founding of the Lord's house.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: H's good is masculine and naturally describes YHWH; G's agathon is neuter, rendered it is good, with the implied referent uncertain. H hesed and G eleos are preserved as steadfast love and mercy. Both describe responsive praise and a great communal cry.
Verse 3:12 Different
Hebrew/Aramaic–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
3:12 Many of the priests, Levites and heads of ancestral houses—the older men who had seen the first house—wept with a loud voice when this house was founded before their eyes. Many others raised their voices with joyful shouting.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
Esdras B 3:12 Many of the priests and Levites and leaders of the families—the elders who had seen the first house at its founding, and this house before their eyes—wept with a loud voice. A crowd sounded out with joy to raise a song.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: H connects the founding with this house; G's placement of at its founding immediately after the first house creates an awkward attachment, preserved here provisionally rather than chronologically harmonized. G ends with raising a song, H with raising a voice. Both hold grief and joy together.
Verse 3:13 Same
Hebrew/Aramaic–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
3:13 The people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people's weeping, for the people raised a great shout, and the sound was heard far away.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
Esdras B 3:13 The people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful signal from the sound of the people's weeping, for the people cried out with a loud voice, and the sound was heard far away.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Both describe an indistinguishable mingling of joy and grief, heard at a distance.