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Friday, July 18th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Legacy Standard Bible

Ezra 6:20

For the priests and the Levites had cleansed themselves together; all of them were clean. Then they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, both for their brothers the priests and for themselves.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Backsliders;   Levites;   Liberality;   Passover;   Priest;   Thompson Chain Reference - Passover;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Feast of the Passover, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Haggai;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Pentateuch;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Jeshua;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ezra, Book of;   Purity-Purification;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Darius;   Ezra, Book of;   Nehemiah, Book of;   Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Passover;   Thessalonians Epistles to the;   Time;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Babylonish Captivity, the;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Esdras, Books of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
All of the priests and Levites were ceremonially clean, because they had purified themselves. They killed the Passover lamb for themselves, their priestly brothers, and all the exiles.
Hebrew Names Version
For the Kohanim and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were pure: and they killed the Pesach for all the children of the captivity, and for their brothers the Kohanim, and for themselves.
King James Version
For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them were pure, and killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.
English Standard Version
For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were clean. So they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves.
New Century Version
The priests and Levites had made themselves clean. Then the Levites killed the Passover lambs for all the people who had returned from captivity, for their relatives the priests, and for themselves.
New English Translation
The priests and the Levites had purified themselves, every last one, and they all were ceremonially pure. They sacrificed the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their colleagues the priests, and for themselves.
Amplified Bible
For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were [ceremonially] clean. So they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their brothers the priests, and for themselves.
New American Standard Bible
For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were pure. Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs for all the exiles, both for their brothers the priests and for themselves.
World English Bible
For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were pure: and they killed the Passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brothers the priests, and for themselves.
Geneva Bible (1587)
(For the Priests and the Leuites were purified altogether) and they killed the Passeouer for all the children of the captiuitie, & for their brethren the Priests, and for themselues.
Berean Standard Bible
All the priests and Levites had purified themselves and were ceremonially clean. And the Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their priestly brothers, and for themselves.
Contemporary English Version
The priests and Levites had gone through a ceremony to make themselves acceptable to lead in worship. Then some of them killed Passover lambs for those who had returned, including the other priests and themselves.
Complete Jewish Bible
For the cohanim and L'vi'im had purified themselves together; all of them were pure. So they slaughtered the Pesach lambs for all the people from the exile and for their kinsmen the cohanim and for themselves.
Darby Translation
For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves as one [man]: they were all pure; and they killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.
Easy-to-Read Version
The priests and Levites made themselves pure. They all made themselves clean and ready to celebrate the Passover. The Levites killed the Passover lamb for all the Jews who came back from captivity. They did that for their brothers the priests, and for themselves.
George Lamsa Translation
For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together, all of them were pure, and they killed the lambs on the passover day for all the people of the captivity and for their brethren the priests and for themselves.
Good News Translation
All the priests and the Levites had purified themselves and were ritually clean. The Levites killed the animals for the Passover sacrifices for all the people who had returned, for the priests, and for themselves.
Lexham English Bible
For the priests and Levites together had consecrated themselves; all of them were clean. And they slaughtered the Passover sacrifice for all of the returned exiles, for their brothers the priests, and for themselves.
Literal Translation
For the priests and the Levites were purified together; all of them were pure. And they slaughtered the passover lamb for all the sons of the exile, and for their brothers the priests, and for themselves.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
for ye prestes and Leuites had purified them selues, so yt they were all cleane as one man, and kylled Passeouer for all the children of the captyuite, and for their brethre the prestes, and for them selues.
American Standard Version
For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were pure: and they killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.
Bible in Basic English
For the priests and the Levites had made themselves clean together; they were all clean: and they put the Passover lamb to death for all those who had come back, and for their brothers the priests and for themselves.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For the priestes and Leuites were purified all together, & killed Passouer for all the children of the captiuitie, and for their brethren the priestes, and for them selues.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were pure; and they killed the passover lamb for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.
King James Version (1611)
For the Priestes and the Leuites were purified together, all of them were pure, and killed the Passeouer for all the children of the captiuitie, and for their brethren the Priests, and for themselues.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For the priests and Levites were purified, all were clean to a man, and they slew the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.
English Revised Version
For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were pure: and they killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For the preestis and dekenes as o man weren clensid, alle weren clene for to offre pask to alle the sones of transmygracioun, and to her britheren preestis, and to hem silf.
Update Bible Version
For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves, all of them as one, but all the exiles had not purified themselves; for the Levites, all of them as one, were pure: and they killed the passover for all the sons of the captivity, and for their brothers the priests, and for themselves.
Webster's Bible Translation
For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them [were] pure, and [they] killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.
New King James Version
For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves; all of them were ritually clean. And they slaughtered the Passover lambs for all the descendants of the captivity, for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.
New Living Translation
The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were ceremonially clean. So they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves.
New Life Bible
For the religious leaders and the Levites had made themselves holy together. All of them were clean. Then they killed the Passover lamb for all the people, for their brothers the religious leaders, and for themselves.
New Revised Standard
For both the priests and the Levites had purified themselves; all of them were clean. So they killed the passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
for the priests and the Levites, had purified themselves, as one man, all of them, were pure, - so they slaughtered the passover for all the Sons of the Exile, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.
Douay-Rheims Bible
For all the priests and the Levites were purified as one man: all were clean to kill the phase for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and themselves.
Revised Standard Version
For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were clean. So they killed the passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves;
Young's Literal Translation
for the priests and the Levites have been purified together -- all of them [are] pure -- and they slaughter the passover for all the sons of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.
THE MESSAGE
All the priests and Levites had purified themselves—all, no exceptions. They were all ritually clean. The Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for the exiles, their brother priests, and themselves.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were pure. Then they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, both for their brothers the priests and for themselves.

Contextual Overview

13Then Tattenai, the governor of the province beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues carried out the decree with all diligence, just as King Darius had sent. 14And the elders of the Jews were building and succeeding through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. So they built and completed it according to the decree of the God of Israel and the decree of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. 15And this house was brought to completion on the third day of the month Adar; it was the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. 16And the sons of Israel, the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. 17They brought near for the dedication of this house of God 100 bulls, 200 rams, 400 lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel 12 male goats, corresponding to the number of the tribes of Israel. 18Then they appointed the priests to their sections and the Levites in their divisions for the service of God in Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of Moses. 19And the exiles celebrated the Passover on the fourteenth of the first month. 20For the priests and the Levites had cleansed themselves together; all of them were clean. Then they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, both for their brothers the priests and for themselves. 21Then the sons of Israel who returned from exile and all those who had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the nations of the land to join them, to seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, ate the Passover. 22And they celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with gladness, for Yahweh had caused them to be glad and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to strengthen them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

purified together: 2 Chronicles 29:34, 2 Chronicles 30:15-17

killed: Exodus 12:21, 2 Chronicles 35:11, Hebrews 7:27

Reciprocal: 2 Chronicles 35:6 - So kill Ezra 4:1 - children of the captivity Daniel 5:13 - the children

Cross-References

Genesis 1:28
God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that creeps on the earth."
Genesis 2:19
And out of the ground Yahweh God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and He brought each to the man to see what he would call it; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name.
Genesis 6:8
But Noah found favor in the eyes of Yahweh.
Genesis 6:11
Now the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
Genesis 6:12
And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.
Genesis 6:16
You shall make a window for the ark, and complete it to one cubit from the top; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.
Genesis 6:20
Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.
John 5:40
and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them were pure,.... They were all to a man pure, and all purified as one man; all were of one mind to purify themselves, and took care to do it, and did it with as much dispatch as if only one man was purified; so that they were more generally prepared for service now than in the times of Hezekiah, 2 Chronicles 29:34

and killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests and for themselves; which seems to have been done by the Levites, for themselves and for the priests, and for all the people, who were not so pure as the priests and Levites; or otherwise they might have killed it themselves, Exodus 12:6, as Bochart n thinks.

n Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 2. c. 50. col. 576.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Some render, “And the priests were purified; and the Levites, as one man, were all of them pure.” A contrast is drawn between the universal purity of the Levites and the merely general purity of the priests 2Ch 29:34; 2 Chronicles 30:3, which made it fitting that the former should undertake the slaughter of all the Paschal lambs, even of those which the priests were to consume. In later times the ordinary practice was for each head of a family to kill for himself.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 20. The Levites were purified together — They were all ready at one time to observe the proper rites and ceremonies, and had no need of having a second passover, which was appointed by the law for those who had been accidentally defiled, or were at a distance from the tabernacle. See 2 Chronicles 30:3.


 
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