Ezra:4

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* Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building a temple unto the LORD , the God of Israel ; * then they drew near to Zerubbabel , and to the heads of fathers ' houses , 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 king of Assyria , who brought us up hither .' * But Zerubbabel , and Jeshua , and the rest of the heads of fathers ' houses of Israel , said unto them : 'Ye have nothing to do with us to build a house unto our God ; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD , the God of Israel , as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us .' * Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah , and harried them while they were building , * 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 . * And in the reign of Ahasuerus , in the beginning of his reign , wrote they an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem . * And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam , Mithredath , Tabeel , and the rest of his companions , unto Artaxerxes king of Persia ; and the writing of the letter was written in the Aramaic character , and set forth in the Aramaic tongue . * Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort -- * then wrote Rehum the commander , and Shimshai the scribe , and the rest of their companions ; the Dinites , and the Apharesattechites , the Tarpelites , the Apharesites , the Archevites , the Babylonians , the Shushanchites , the Dehites , the Elamites , * and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Asenappar brought over , and set in the city of Samaria , and the rest that are in the country beyond the River :-- 'And now -- * this is the copy of the letter that they sent unto him , even unto Artaxerxes the king--thy servants the men beyond the River--and now * be it known unto the king , that the Jews that came up from thee are come to us unto Jerusalem ; they are building the rebellious and the bad city , and have finished the walls , and are digging out the foundations . * Be it known now unto the king , that , if this city be builded , and the walls finished , they will not pay tribute , impost , or toll , and so thou wilt endamage the revenue of the kings . * Now because we eat the salt of the palace , and it is not meet for us to see the king 's dishonour , therefore have we sent and announced to the king , * that search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers ; so shalt thou find in the book of the records , and know that this city is a rebellious city , and hurtful unto kings and provinces , and that they have moved sedition within the same of old time ; for which cause was this city laid waste . * We announce to the king that , if this city be builded , and the walls finished , by this means thou shalt have no portion beyond the River .' * Then sent the king an answer unto Rehum the commander , and to Shimshai the scribe , and to the rest of their companions that dwell in Samaria , and unto the rest beyond the River : 'Peace , and now * the letter which ye sent unto us hath been plainly read before me . * And I decreed , and search hath been made , and it is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings , and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein . * There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem , who have ruled over all the country beyond the River ; and tribute , impost , and toll , was paid unto them . * Make ye now a decree to cause these men to cease , and that this city be not builded , until a decree shall be made by me . * And take heed that ye be not slack herein ; why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings ?' * Then when the copy of king Artaxerxes ' letter was read before Rehum , and Shimshai the scribe , and their companions , they went in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews , and made them to cease by force and power . * Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem ; and it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia .

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