Ezra:3-4
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And when the seventh month was come ,
and the children of Israel were in the cities ,
the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem .
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Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak ,
and his brethren the priests ,
and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel Sh @#
altiy #
el #,
and his brethren ,
and builded the altar of the God of Israel Yisra #
el #,
to offer burnt offerings thereon ,
as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God .
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And they set the altar upon his bases ;
for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries :
and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD ,
even burnt offerings morning and evening .
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They kept also the feast of tabernacles ,
as it is written ,
and offered the daily yowm #
burnt offerings by number ,
according to the custom ,
as the duty of every day required ;
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And afterward offered the continual burnt offering ,
both of the new moons ,
and of all the set feasts of the LORD that were consecrated ,
and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the LORD .
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From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD .
But the foundation #
of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid .
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They gave money also unto the masons ,
and to the carpenters ;
and meat ma #
akal #,
and drink ,
and oil ,
unto them of Zidon ,
and to them of Tyre ,
to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa ,
according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia .
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Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem ,
in the second month ,
began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel Sh @#
altiy #
el #,
and Jeshua the son of Jozadak ,
and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites ,
and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem ;
and appointed the Levites ,
from twenty years old and upward ma #
al #,
to set forward the work of the house of the LORD .
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Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren ,
Kadmiel and his sons ,
the sons of Judah ,
together ,
to set forward the workmen #
in the house of God :
the sons of Henadad ,
with their sons and their brethren the Levites .
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And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD ,
they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets ,
and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals ,
to praise the LORD ,
after the ordinance of David king of Israel Yisra #
el #.
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And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD ;
because he is good ,
for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel Yisra #
el #.
And all the people shouted with a great shout t @
ruw #
ah #,
when they praised the LORD ,
because the foundation #
of the house of the LORD was laid .
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But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers ,
who were ancient men ,
that had seen the first house ,
when the foundation #
of this house was laid before their eyes ,
wept with a loud voice ;
and many shouted aloud for joy :
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So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people :
for the people shouted with a loud shout t @
ruw #
ah #,
and the noise was heard afar off .
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Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel Yisra #
el #;
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Then they came to Zerubbabel ,
and to the chief of the fathers ,
and said unto them ,
Let us build with you :
for we seek your God ,
as ye do ;
and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon #
Ecar-Chaddown #
king of Assur ,
which brought us up hither .
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But Zerubbabel ,
and Jeshua ,
and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel Yisra #
el #,
said unto them ,
Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God ;
but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel Yisra #
el #,
as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us .
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Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah ,
and troubled (
8675 )
them in building ,
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And hired counsellors against them ,
to frustrate their purpose ,
all the days of Cyrus king of Persia ,
even until the reign of Darius king of Persia .
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And in the reign of Ahasuerus ,
in the beginning of his reign ,
wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem .
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And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam ,
Mithredath ,
Tabeel tab @#
el #,
and the rest of their companions ,
unto Artaxerxes king of Persia ;
and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue ,
and interpreted in the Syrian tongue .
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Rehum the chancellor #
H2942and Shimshai the scribe wrote k @
a letter against Jerusalem Y @
ruwshalem (
Chald )#
to Artaxerxes the king in this sort :
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Then wrote Rehum the chancellor #
H2942 t @#
em #,
and Shimshai the scribe ,
and the rest of their companions ;
the Dinaites ,
the Apharsathchites #
Apharc @
kay #,
the Tarpelites ,
the Apharsites #
Aphar @
cay #,
the Archevites #
Ark @
vay #,
the Babylonians ,
the Susanchites ,
the Dehavites ,
and the Elamites ,
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And the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Asnappar brought over g @,
and set y @
in the cities of Samaria ,
and the rest that are on this side the river ,
and at such a time k @#
eneth #.
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This is the copy of the letter that they sent sh @
unto him ,
even unto Artaxerxes the king ;
Thy servants the men on this side the river ,
and at such a time k @#
eneth #.
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Be it known y @
unto the king ,
that the Jews which came up c @
from thee to us are come unto Jerusalem Y @
ruwshalem (
Chald )#,
building b @
the rebellious and the bad city ,
and have set up k @ (
8675 )
k @
the walls thereof ,
and joined the foundations .
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Be it known y @
now unto the king ,
that ,
if this city be builded b @,
and the walls set up k @
again ,
then will they not pay n @
toll ,
tribute ,
and custom ,
and so thou shalt endamage n @
the revenue of the kings .
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Now because q @
bel #
we have maintenance m @
from the kings palace ,
and it was not meet for us to see the kings dishonour ,
therefore #
H1836have we sent sh @
and certified y @
the king ;
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That search b @
may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers :
so shalt thou find sh @
in the book of the records ,
and know y @
that this city is a rebellious city ,
and hurtful n @
unto kings and provinces ,
and that they have moved sedition within the same of old time :
for which cause was this city destroyed .
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We certify y @
the king that ,
if this city be builded b @
again ,
and the walls thereof set up k @,
by this means thou shalt have no portion on this side the river .
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Then sent sh @
the king an answer unto Rehum the chancellor #
H2942 t @#
em #,
and to Shimshai the scribe ,
and to the rest of their companions that dwell y @
in Samaria ,
and unto the rest beyond the river ,
Peace ,
and at such a time k @#
eneth #.
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The letter which ye sent sh @
unto us hath been plainly p @
read q @
before me .
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And I commanded t @#
em #,
and search b @
hath been made ,
and it is found sh @
that this city of old time hath made insurrection n @
against kings ,
and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein .
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There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem Y @
ruwshalem (
Chald )#,
which have ruled over all countries beyond the river ;
and toll ,
tribute ,
and custom ,
was paid y @
unto them .
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Give ye now commandment to cause #
these men to cease b @,
and that this city be not builded b @,
until another commandment ta #
am #
shall be given from me .
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Take heed z @
now that ye fail not to do #
H5648this :
why should damage grow s @
to the hurt n @
of the kings ?
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Now when min #
the copy of king Artaxerxes letter was read q @
before Rehum ,
and Shimshai the scribe ,
and their companions ,
they went up in haste to Jerusalem Y @
ruwshalem (
Chald )#
unto the Jews Y @
huwda #
iy #,
and made them to cease b @
by force and power .
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Then ceased b @
the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem Y @
ruwshalem (
Chald )#.
So it ceased b @
unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia .
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Then the prophets ,
Haggai the prophet ,
and Zechariah the son of Iddo ,
prophesied n @
unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem Y @
ruwshalem (
Chald )#
in the name of the God of Israel Yisra #
el #,
even unto them .