'Associates' in the Bible

(then Rehum the royal officer, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the envoys, the officials, the Persians, the Erechs, the Babylonians, the Susians (that is the Elamites)

The king sent a reply: "To Rehum the royal officer, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates who live in Samaria and the rest [of the province] Beyond the River, greetings. And now

Then when a copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their associates they returned in a hurry to Jerusalem against the Jews and they stopped them by force and power.

At the same time Tattenai, governor of [the province] Beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai, and their associates came to them and spoke to them thus: "Who issued you all a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?"

The copy of the letter that Tattenai, the governor of [the province] Beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai and his associates the envoys who were in [the province] Beyond the River sent to Darius the king.

"Now then, Tattenai governor of [the province] Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and your associates, the envoys who are in [the province] Beyond the River--keep far away from there.

Then Tattenai the governor of the [province] Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates consequently did with diligence what Darius the king ordered.

"And you, son of man, take for yourself {a piece of wood}, and write on it, 'For Judah and for the {Israelites} his associates,' and take another [piece of] wood, and write on it, 'For Joseph, [the piece of] wood of Ephraim and all of the house of Israel his associates.'

[Then] speak to them, 'Thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Look! I [am] taking [the piece of] wood for Joseph that [is] in the hand of Ephraim and the tribes of Israel its associates, and I will put them on it, [the piece of] wood of Judah, and I will make them into one [piece of] wood, so that they be one in my hand.'"