Lectionary Calendar
Monday, April 13th, 2026
the Second Week after Easter
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

New Living Translation

Ezra 6:20

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.

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.
Legacy Standard Bible
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.
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 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

13 Tattenai, governor of the province west of the Euphrates River, and Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues complied at once with the command of King Darius. 14 So the Jewish elders continued their work, and they were greatly encouraged by the preaching of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo. The Temple was finally finished, as had been commanded by the God of Israel and decreed by Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, the kings of Persia. 15 The Temple was completed on March 12, during the sixth year of King Darius's reign. 16 The Temple of God was then dedicated with great joy by the people of Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the people who had returned from exile. 17 During the dedication ceremony for the Temple of God, 100 young bulls, 200 rams, and 400 male lambs were sacrificed. And 12 male goats were presented as a sin offering for the twelve tribes of Israel. 18 Then the priests and Levites were divided into their various divisions to serve at the Temple of God in Jerusalem, as prescribed in the Book of Moses. 19 On April 21 the returned exiles celebrated Passover. 20 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. 21 The Passover meal was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile and by the others in the land who had turned from their corrupt practices to worship the Lord , the God of Israel. 22 Then they celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. There was great joy throughout the land because the Lord had caused the king of Assyria to be favorable to them, so that he helped them to rebuild the Temple 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
Then God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground."
Genesis 2:19
So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one.
Genesis 6:8
But Noah found favor with the Lord .
Genesis 6:11
Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence.
Genesis 6:12
God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt.
Genesis 6:16
Leave an 18-inch opening below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build three decks inside the boat—lower, middle, and upper.
Genesis 6:20
Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive.
John 5:40
Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this 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.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile