nkjv Ezra:1-4 SEEK
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Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia ,
that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled ,
the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia ,
so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom ,
and also put it in writing ,
saying ,
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Thus says Cyrus king of Persia :
All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me .
And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah .
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Who is among you of all His people ?
May his God be with him ,
and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah ,
and build the house of the LORD God of Israel (
He is God ),
which is in Jerusalem .
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And whoever is left in any place where he dwells ,
let the men of his place help him with silver and gold ,
with goods and livestock ,
besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem .
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Then the heads of the fathers '
houses of Judah and Benjamin ,
and the priests and the Levites ,
with all whose spirits God had moved ,
arose to go up and build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem .
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And all those who were around them encouraged them with articles of silver and gold ,
with goods and livestock ,
and with precious things ,
besides all that was willingly offered .
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King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the house of the LORD ,
which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and put in the temple of his gods ;
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and Cyrus king of Persia brought them out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer ,
and counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah .
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This is the number of them :
thirty gold platters ,
one thousand silver platters ,
twenty-nine knives ,
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thirty gold basins ,
four hundred and ten silver basins of a similar kind ,
and one thousand other articles .
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All the articles of gold and silver were five thousand four hundred .
All these Sheshbazzar took with the captives who were brought from Babylon to Jerusalem .
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Now these are the people of the province who came back from the captivity ,
of those who had been carried away ,
whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon ,
and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah ,
everyone to his own city .
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Those who came with Zerubbabel were Jeshua ,
Nehemiah ,
Seraiah ,
Reelaiah ,
Mordecai ,
Bilshan ,
Mispar ,
Bigvai ,
Rehum ,
and Baanah .
The number of the men of the people of Israel :
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the people of Parosh ,
two thousand one hundred and seventy-two ;
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the people of Shephatiah ,
three hundred and seventy-two ;
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the people of Arah ,
seven hundred and seventy-five ;
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the people of Pahath-Moab ,
of the people of Jeshua and Joab ,
two thousand eight hundred and twelve ;
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the people of Elam ,
one thousand two hundred and fifty-four ;
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the people of Zattu ,
nine hundred and forty-five ;
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the people of Zaccai ,
seven hundred and sixty ;
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the people of Bani ,
six hundred and forty-two ;
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the people of Bebai ,
six hundred and twenty-three ;
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the people of Azgad ,
one thousand two hundred and twenty-two ;
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the people of Adonikam ,
six hundred and sixty-six ;
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the people of Bigvai ,
two thousand and fifty-six ;
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the people of Adin ,
four hundred and fifty-four ;
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the people of Ater of Hezekiah ,
ninety-eight ;
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the people of Bezai ,
three hundred and twenty-three ;
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the people of Jorah ,
one hundred and twelve ;
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the people of Hashum ,
two hundred and twenty-three ;
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the people of Gibbar ,
ninety-five ;
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the people of Bethlehem ,
one hundred and twenty-three ;
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the men of Netophah ,
fifty-six ;
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the men of Anathoth ,
one hundred and twenty-eight ;
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the people of Azmaveth ,
forty-two ;
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the people of Kirjath Arim ,
Chephirah ,
and Beeroth ,
seven hundred and forty-three ;
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the people of Ramah and Geba ,
six hundred and twenty-one ;
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the men of Michmas ,
one hundred and twenty-two ;
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the men of Bethel and Ai ,
two hundred and twenty-three ;
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the people of Nebo ,
fifty-two ;
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the people of Magbish ,
one hundred and fifty-six ;
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the people of the other Elam ,
one thousand two hundred and fifty-four ;
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the people of Harim ,
three hundred and twenty ;
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the people of Lod ,
Hadid ,
and Ono ,
seven hundred and twenty-five ;
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the people of Jericho ,
three hundred and forty-five ;
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the people of Senaah ,
three thousand six hundred and thirty .
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The priests :
the sons of Jedaiah ,
of the house of Jeshua ,
nine hundred and seventy-three ;
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the sons of Immer ,
one thousand and fifty-two ;
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the sons of Pashhur ,
one thousand two hundred and forty-seven ;
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the sons of Harim ,
one thousand and seventeen .
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The Levites :
the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel ,
of the sons of Hodaviah ,
seventy-four .
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The singers :
the sons of Asaph ,
one hundred and twenty-eight .
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The sons of the gatekeepers :
the sons of Shallum ,
the sons of Ater ,
the sons of Talmon ,
the sons of Akkub ,
the sons of Hatita ,
and the sons of Shobai ,
one hundred and thirty-nine in all .
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The Nethinim :
the sons of Ziha ,
the sons of Hasupha ,
the sons of Tabbaoth ,
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the sons of Keros ,
the sons of Siaha ,
the sons of Padon ,
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the sons of Lebanah ,
the sons of Hagabah ,
the sons of Akkub ,
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the sons of Hagab ,
the sons of Shalmai ,
the sons of Hanan ,
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the sons of Giddel ,
the sons of Gahar ,
the sons of Reaiah ,
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the sons of Rezin ,
the sons of Nekoda ,
the sons of Gazzam ,
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the sons of Uzza ,
the sons of Paseah ,
the sons of Besai ,
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the sons of Asnah ,
the sons of Meunim ,
the sons of Nephusim ,
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the sons of Bakbuk ,
the sons of Hakupha ,
the sons of Harhur ,
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the sons of Bazluth ,
the sons of Mehida ,
the sons of Harsha ,
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the sons of Barkos ,
the sons of Sisera ,
the sons of Tamah ,
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the sons of Neziah ,
and the sons of Hatipha .
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The sons of Solomon '
s servants :
the sons of Sotai ,
the sons of Sophereth ,
the sons of Peruda ,
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the sons of Jaala ,
the sons of Darkon ,
the sons of Giddel ,
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the sons of Shephatiah ,
the sons of Hattil ,
the sons of Pochereth of Zebaim ,
and the sons of Ami .
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All the Nethinim and the children of Solomon '
s servants were three hundred and ninety-two .
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And these were the ones who came up from Tel Melah ,
Tel Harsha ,
Cherub ,
Addan ,
and Immer ;
but they could not identify their father '
s house or their genealogy ,
whether they were of Israel :
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the sons of Delaiah ,
the sons of Tobiah ,
and the sons of Nekoda ,
six hundred and fifty-two ;
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and of the sons of the priests :
the sons of Habaiah ,
the sons of Koz ,
and the sons of Barzillai ,
who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite ,
and was called by their name .
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These sought their listing among those who were registered by genealogy ,
but they were not found ;
therefore they were excluded from the priesthood as defiled .
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And the governor said to them that they should not eat of the most holy things till a priest could consult with the Urim and Thummim .
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The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty ,
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besides their male and female servants ,
of whom there were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven ;
and they had two hundred men and women singers .
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Their horses were seven hundred and thirty-six ,
their mules two hundred and forty-five ,
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their camels four hundred and thirty-five ,
and their donkeys six thousand seven hundred and twenty .
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Some of the heads of the fathers '
houses ,
when they came to the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem ,
offered freely for the house of God ,
to erect it in its place :
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According to their ability ,
they gave to the treasury for the work sixty-one thousand gold drachmas ,
five thousand minas of silver ,
and one hundred priestly garments .
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So the priests and the Levites ,
some of the people ,
the singers ,
the gatekeepers ,
and the Nethinim ,
dwelt in their cities ,
and all Israel in their cities .
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And when the seventh month had come ,
and the children of Israel were in the cities ,
the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem .
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Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brethren the priests ,
and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brethren ,
arose and built the altar of the God of Israel ,
to offer burnt offerings on it ,
as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God .
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Though fear had come upon them because of the people of those countries ,
they set the altar on its bases ;
and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD ,
both the morning and evening burnt offerings .
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They also kept the Feast of Tabernacles ,
as it is written ,
and offered the daily burnt offerings in the number required by ordinance for each day .
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Afterwards they offered the regular burnt offering ,
and those for New Moons and for all the appointed feasts of the LORD that were consecrated ,
and those of everyone who willingly offered a freewill offering to the LORD .
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From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD ,
although the foundation of the temple of the LORD had not been laid .
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They also gave money to the masons and the carpenters ,
and food ,
drink ,
and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to the sea ,
to Joppa ,
according to the permission which they had from Cyrus king of Persia .
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Now in the second month of the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem ,
Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel ,
Jeshua the son of Jozadak ,
and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites ,
and all those who had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem ,
began work and appointed the Levites from twenty years old and above to oversee the work of the house of the LORD .
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Then Jeshua with his sons and brothers ,
Kadmiel with his sons ,
and the sons of Judah ,
arose as one to oversee those working on the house of God :
the sons of Henadad with their sons and their brethren the Levites .
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When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD ,
the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets ,
and the Levites ,
the sons of Asaph ,
with cymbals ,
to praise the LORD ,
according to the ordinance of David king of Israel .
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And they sang responsively ,
praising and giving thanks to the LORD : "
For He is good ,
For His mercy endures forever toward Israel ."
Then all the people shouted with a great shout ,
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 heads of the fathers '
houses ,
old men who had seen the first temple ,
wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes .
Yet 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 ,
and the sound was heard afar off .
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Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the LORD God of Israel ,
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they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers '
houses ,
and said to them , "
Let us build with you ,
for we seek your God as you do ;
and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria ,
who brought us here ."
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But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers '
houses of Israel said to them , "
You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God ;
but we alone will build to the LORD God of Israel ,
as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us ."
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Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah .
They troubled them in building ,
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and hired counselors 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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In the reign of Ahasuerus ,
in the beginning of his reign ,
they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem .
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In the days of Artaxerxes also ,
Bishlam ,
Mithredath ,
Tabel ,
and the rest of their companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia ;
and the letter was written in Aramaic script ,
and translated into the Aramaic language .
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Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes in this fashion :
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From Rehum the commander ,
Shimshai the scribe ,
and the rest of their companions--representatives of the Dinaites ,
the Apharsathchites ,
the Tarpelites ,
the people of Persia and Erech and Babylon and Shushan ,
the Dehavites ,
the Elamites ,
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and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnapper took captive and settled in the cities of Samaria and the remainder beyond the River --
and so forth .
* (
This is a copy of the letter that they sent him )
To King Artaxerxes from your servants ,
the men of the region beyond the River ,
and so forth :
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Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem ,
and are building the rebellious and evil city ,
and are finishing its walls and repairing the foundations .
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Let it now be known to the king that ,
if this city is built and the walls completed ,
they will not pay tax ,
tribute ,
or custom ,
and the king '
s treasury will be diminished .
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Now because we receive support from the palace ,
it was not proper for us to see the king '
s dishonor ;
therefore we have sent and informed the king ,
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that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers .
And you will find in the book of the records and know that this city is a rebellious city ,
harmful to kings and provinces ,
and that they have incited sedition within the city in former times ,
for which cause this city was destroyed .
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We inform the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed ,
the result will be that you will have no dominion beyond the River .
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The king sent an answer :
To Rehum the commander ,
to Shimshai the scribe ,
to the rest of their companions who dwell in Samaria ,
and to the remainder beyond the River :
Peace ,
and so forth .
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The letter which you sent to us has been clearly read before me .
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And I gave the command ,
and a search has been made ,
and it was found that this city in former times has revolted against kings ,
and rebellion and sedition have been fostered in it .
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There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem ,
who have ruled over all the region beyond the River ;
and tax ,
tribute ,
and custom were paid to them .
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Now give the command to make these men cease ,
that this city may not be built until the command is given by me .
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Take heed now that you do not fail to do this .
Why should damage increase to the hurt of the kings ?
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Now when the copy of King Artaxerxes '
letter was read before Rehum ,
Shimshai the scribe ,
and their companions ,
they went up in haste to Jerusalem against the Jews ,
and by force of arms made them cease .
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Thus the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem ceased ,
and it was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia .
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Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo ,
prophets ,
prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem ,
in the name of the God of Israel ,
who was over them .