rsv Ezra:4:1-5 SEEK
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Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the LORD ,
the God of Israel ,
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they approached Zerub '
babel and the heads of fathers '
houses and said to them , "
Let us build with you ;
for we worship your God as you do ,
and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of E '
sar-had '
don king of Assyria who brought us here ."
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But Zerub '
babel ,
Jeshua ,
and the rest of the heads of fathers '
houses in Israel said to them , "
You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God ;
but we alone will build to the LORD ,
the God of Israel ,
as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us ."
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Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah ,
and made them afraid to build ,
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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 .