The gifts for the temple not only testify to the generosity of the people, but also to their affluence, although much of the gold and silver had been entrusted to them before they returned by their neighbors for the purpose of contributing to the temple (Ezra 1:4, 6). If the gold was valued in darics (see the second textual note on Ezra 2:69), the total weight was about 512 kilograms or 1,130 pounds. If they were drachmas, the weight was about
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