... The translation’s very close representation of the Masoretic Text means that little of the translator’s views are revealed. However, in chapters 4–5 the storyline changes when, in addition to other changes, the נשתון ‘letters’ that go back and forth between the Judaeans and Persians are turned into a loathed φορολόγος ‘tribute collector’ of the king (5.5). He was worried about losing some of the φόρος for which he was responsible, should Jerusalem and its political and religious infrastructure be restored, and he thus writes (4.7), delivers (4.18), reads (4.23), and receives (5.5) messages that focus on ensuring the consistent collection of φόρος ‘tribute’. Given the otherwise strict isomorphic rendering of the Masoretic Text, these changes, which are all focused on the tribute collector, suggest that something from the life or circumstances of the translator led to an altering of the text ...