bbe Ezra:4:6-24 SEEK
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bbe @
Ezra:4:6 @
And in the time of Ahasuerus ,
when he first became king ,
they put on record a statement against the people of Judah and Jerusalem .
bbe @
Ezra:4:7 @
And in the time of Artaxerxes ,
Bishlam ,
Mithredath ,
Tabeel ,
and the rest of his friends ,
sent a letter to Artaxerxes ,
king of Persia ,
writing it in the Aramaean writing and language .
bbe @
Ezra:4:8 @
Rehum ,
the chief ruler ,
and Shimshai the scribe ,
sent a letter against Jerusalem ,
to Artaxerxes the king ;
bbe @
Ezra:4:9 @
The letter was sent by Rehum ,
the chief ruler ,
and Shimshai the scribe and their friends ;
the Dinaites and the Apharsathchites ,
the Tarpelites ,
the Apharsites ,
the Archevites ,
the Babylonians ,
the Shushanchites ,
the Dehaites ,
the Elamites ,
bbe @
Ezra:4:10 @
And the rest of the nations which the great and noble Osnappar took over and put in Samaria and the rest of the country over the river :
bbe @
Ezra:4:11 @
This is a copy of the letter which they sent to Artaxerxes the king :
Your servants living across the river send these words :
bbe @
Ezra:4:12 @
We give news to the king that the Jews who came from you have come to us at Jerusalem ;
they are building up again that uncontrolled and evil town ;
the walls are complete and they are joining up the bases .
bbe @
Ezra:4:13 @
The king may be certain that when the building of this town and its walls is complete ,
they will give no tax or payment in goods or forced payments ,
and in the end it will be a cause of loss to the kings .
bbe @
Ezra:4:14 @
Now because we are responsible to the king ,
and it is not right for us to see the king '
s honour damaged ,
we have sent to give the king word of these things ,
bbe @
Ezra:4:15 @
So that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers :
and you will see in the book of the records that this town has been uncontrolled ,
and a cause of trouble to kings and countries ,
and that there were outbursts against authority there in the past :
for which reason the town was made waste .
bbe @
Ezra:4:16 @
We give you word ,
that if the building of this town and its walls is made complete ,
there will be an end of your power in the country across the river .
bbe @
Ezra:4:17 @
Then the king sent an answer to Rehum ,
the chief ruler ,
and Shimshai the scribe ,
and their friends living in Samaria ,
and to the rest of those across the river ,
saying ,
Peace to you :
bbe @
Ezra:4:18 @
And now the sense of the letter which you sent to us has been made clear to me ,
bbe @
Ezra:4:19 @
And I gave orders for a search to be made ,
and it is certain that in the past this town has made trouble for kings ,
and that outbursts against authority have taken place there .
bbe @
Ezra:4:20 @
Further ,
there have been great kings in Jerusalem ,
ruling over all the country across the river ,
to whom they gave taxes and payments in goods and forced payments .
bbe @
Ezra:4:21 @
Give an order now ,
that these men are to do nothing more ,
and that the building of the town is to be stopped ,
till I give an order .
bbe @
Ezra:4:22 @
Be certain to do this with all care :
do not let trouble be increased to the king '
s damage .
bbe @
Ezra:4:23 @
Then ,
after reading the king '
s letter ,
Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their friends went quickly to Jerusalem ,
to the Jews ,
and had them stopped by force .
bbe @
Ezra:4:24 @
So the work of the house of God at Jerusalem came to an end ;
so it was stopped ,
till the second year of the rule of Darius ,
king of Persia .