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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 ,
*
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 ."
*
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 ."
*
Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah ,
and made them afraid to build ,
*
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 .
*
And in the reign of Ahasu-e '
rus ,
in the beginning of his reign ,
they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem .
*
And in the days of Ar-ta-xerx '
es ,
Bishlam and Mith '
redath and Tab '
eel and the rest of their associates wrote to Ar-ta-xerx '
es king of Persia ;
the letter was written in Aramaic and translated .
*
Rehum the commander and Shim '
shai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Ar-ta-xerx '
es the king as follows --
*
then wrote Rehum the commander ,
Shim '
shai the scribe ,
and the rest of their associates ,
the judges ,
the governors ,
the officials ,
the Persians ,
the men of Erech ,
the Babylonians ,
the men of Susa ,
that is ,
the Elamites ,
*
and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnap '
par deported and settled in the cities of Sama '
ria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River ,
and now
*
this is a copy of the letter that they sent -- "
To Ar-ta-xerx '
es the king :
Your servants ,
the men of the province Beyond the River ,
send greeting .
And now
*
be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem .
They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city ;
they are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations .
*
Now be it known to the king that ,
if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished ,
they will not pay tribute ,
custom ,
or toll ,
and the royal revenue will be impaired .
*
Now because we eat the salt of the palace and it is not fitting for us to witness the king '
s dishonor ,
therefore we send and inform the king ,
*
in order that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers .
You will find in the book of the records and learn that this city is a rebellious city ,
hurtful to kings and provinces ,
and that sedition was stirred up in it from of old .
That was why this city was laid waste .
*
We make known to the king that ,
if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished ,
you will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River ."
*
The king sent an answer : "
To Rehum the commander and Shim '
shai the scribe and the rest of their associates who live in Sama '
ria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River ,
greeting .
And now
*
the letter which you sent to us has been plainly read before me .
*
And I made a decree ,
and search has been made ,
and it has been found that this city from of old has risen against kings ,
and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it .
*
And mighty kings have been over Jerusalem ,
who ruled over the whole province Beyond the River ,
to whom tribute ,
custom ,
and toll were paid .
*
Therefore make a decree that these men be made to cease ,
and that this city be not rebuilt ,
until a decree is made by me .
*
And take care not to be slack in this matter ;
why should damage grow to the hurt of the king ?"
*
Then ,
when the copy of King Ar-ta-xerx '
es '
letter was read before Rehum and Shim '
shai the scribe and their associates ,
they went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease .
*
Then the work on the house of God which is in Jerusalem stopped ;
and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia .
*
Now the prophets ,
Haggai and Zechari '
ah the son of Iddo ,
prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem ,
in the name of the God of Israel who was over them .
*
Then Zerub '
babel the son of She-al '
ti-el and Jeshua the son of Jo '
zadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God which is in Jerusalem ;
and with them were the prophets of God ,
helping them .
*
At the same time Tat '
tenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and She '
thar-boz '
enai and their associates came to them and spoke to them thus , "
Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure ?"
*
They also asked them this , "
What are the names of the men who are building this building ?"
*
But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews ,
and they did not stop them till a report should reach Darius and then answer be returned by letter concerning it .
*
The copy of the letter which Tat '
tenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and She '
thar-boz '
enai and his associates the governors who were in the province Beyond the River sent to Darius the king ;
*
they sent him a report ,
in which was written as follows : "
To Darius the king ,
all peace .
*
Be it known to the king that we went to the province of Judah ,
to the house of the great God .
It is being built with huge stones ,
and timber is laid in the walls ;
this work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands .
*
Then we asked those elders and spoke to them thus , `
Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure ?'
*
We also asked them their names ,
for your information ,
that we might write down the names of the men at their head .
*
And this was their reply to us : `
We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth ,
and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago ,
which a great king of Israel built and finished .
*
But because our fathers had angered the God of heaven ,
he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnez '
zar king of Babylon ,
the Chalde '
an ,
who destroyed this house and carried away the people to Babylonia .
*
However in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon ,
Cyrus the king made a decree that this house of God should be rebuilt .
*
And the gold and silver vessels of the house of God ,
which Nebuchadnez '
zar had taken out of the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought into the temple of Babylon ,
these Cyrus the king took out of the temple of Babylon ,
and they were delivered to one whose name was Shesh-baz '
zar ,
whom he had made governor ;
*
and he said to him , "
Take these vessels ,
go and put them in the temple which is in Jerusalem ,
and let the house of God be rebuilt on its site ."
*
Then this Shesh-baz '
zar came and laid the foundations of the house of God which is in Jerusalem ;
and from that time until now it has been in building ,
and it is not yet finished .'
*
Therefore ,
if it seem good to the king ,
let search be made in the royal archives there in Babylon ,
to see whether a decree was issued by Cyrus the king for the rebuilding of this house of God in Jerusalem .
And let the king send us his pleasure in this matter ."
*
Then Darius the king made a decree ,
and search was made in Babylonia ,
in the house of the archives where the documents were stored .
*
And in Ecbat '
ana ,
the capital which is in the province of Media ,
a scroll was found on which this was written : "
A record .
*
In the first year of Cyrus the king ,
Cyrus the king issued a decree :
Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem ,
let the house be rebuilt ,
the place where sacrifices are offered and burnt offerings are brought ;
its height shall be sixty cubits and its breadth sixty cubits ,
*
with three courses of great stones and one course of timber ;
let the cost be paid from the royal treasury .
*
And also let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God ,
which Nebuchadnez '
zar took out of the temple that is in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon ,
be restored and brought back to the temple which is in Jerusalem ,
each to its place ;
you shall put them in the house of God ."
* "
Now therefore ,
Tat '
tenai ,
governor of the province Beyond the River ,
She '
thar-boz '
enai ,
and your associates the governors who are in the province Beyond the River ,
keep away ;
*
let the work on this house of God alone ;
let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site .
*
Moreover I make a decree regarding what you shall do for these elders of the Jews for the rebuilding of this house of God ;
the cost is to be paid to these men in full and without delay from the royal revenue ,
the tribute of the province from Beyond the River .
*
And whatever is needed --
young bulls ,
rams ,
or sheep for burnt offerings to the God of heaven ,
wheat ,
salt ,
wine ,
or oil ,
as the priests at Jerusalem require --
let that be given to them day by day without fail ,
*
that they may offer pleasing sacrifices to the God of heaven ,
and pray for the life of the king and his sons .
*
Also I make a decree that if any one alters this edict ,
a beam shall be pulled out of his house ,
and he shall be impaled upon it ,
and his house shall be made a dunghill .
*
May the God who has caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people that shall put forth a hand to alter this ,
or to destroy this house of God which is in Jerusalem .
I Darius make a decree ;
let it be done with all diligence ."
*
Then ,
according to the word sent by Darius the king ,
Tat '
tenai ,
the governor of the province Beyond the River ,
She '
thar-boz '
enai ,
and their associates did with all diligence what Darius the king had ordered .
*
And the elders of the Jews built and prospered ,
through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechari '
ah the son of Iddo .
They finished their building by command of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Ar-ta-xerx '
es king of Persia ;
*
and this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar ,
in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king .
*
And the people of Israel ,
the priests and the Levites ,
and the rest of the returned exiles ,
celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy .
*
They offered at the dedication of this house of God one hundred bulls ,
two hundred rams ,
four hundred lambs ,
and as a sin offering for all Israel twelve he-goats ,
according to the number of the tribes of Israel .
*
And they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their courses ,
for the service of God at Jerusalem ,
as it is written in the book of Moses .
*
On the fourteenth day of the first month the returned exiles kept the passover .
*
For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together ;
all of them were clean .
So they killed the passover lamb for all the returned exiles ,
for their fellow priests ,
and for themselves ;
*
it was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile ,
and also by every one who had joined them and separated himself from the pollutions of the peoples of the land to worship the LORD ,
the God of Israel .
*
And they kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy ;
for the LORD had made them joyful ,
and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them ,
so that he aided them in the work of the house of God ,
the God of Israel .
*
Now after this ,
in the reign of Ar-ta-xerx '
es king of Persia ,
Ezra the son of Serai '
ah ,
son of Azari '
ah ,
son of Hilki '
ah ,
*
son of Shallum ,
son of Zadok ,
son of Ahi '
tub ,
*
son of Amari '
ah ,
son of Azari '
ah ,
son of Merai '
oth ,
*
son of Zerahi '
ah ,
son of Uzzi ,
son of Bukki ,
*
son of Abi '
shu-a ,
son of Phin '
ehas ,
son of Elea '
zar ,
son of Aaron the chief priest --
*
this Ezra went up from Babylonia .
He was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses which the LORD the God of Israel had given ;
and the king granted him all that he asked ,
for the hand of the LORD his God was upon him .
*
And there went up also to Jerusalem ,
in the seventh year of Ar-ta-xerx '
es the king ,
some of the people of Israel ,
and some of the priests and Levites ,
the singers and gatekeepers ,
and the temple servants .
*
And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month ,
which was in the seventh year of the king ;
*
for on the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylonia ,
and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem ,
for the good hand of his God was upon him .
*
For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD ,
and to do it ,
and to teach his statutes and ordinances in Israel .
*
This is a copy of the letter which King Ar-ta-xerx '
es gave to Ezra the priest ,
the scribe ,
learned in matters of the commandments of the LORD and his statutes for Israel :
* "
Ar-ta-xerx '
es ,
king of kings ,
to Ezra the priest ,
the scribe of the law of the God of heaven .
And now
*
I make a decree that any one of the people of Israel or their priests or Levites in my kingdom ,
who freely offers to go to Jerusalem ,
may go with you .
*
For you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God ,
which is in your hand ,
*
and also to convey the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel ,
whose dwelling is in Jerusalem ,
*
with all the silver and gold which you shall find in the whole province of Babylonia ,
and with the freewill offerings of the people and the priests ,
vowed willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem .
*
With this money ,
then ,
you shall with all diligence buy bulls ,
rams ,
and lambs ,
with their cereal offerings and their drink offerings ,
and you shall offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem .
*
Whatever seems good to you and your brethren to do with the rest of the silver and gold ,
you may do ,
according to the will of your God .
*
The vessels that have been given you for the service of the house of your God ,
you shall deliver before the God of Jerusalem .
*
And whatever else is required for the house of your God ,
which you have occasion to provide ,
you may provide it out of the king '
s treasury .
* "
And I ,
Ar-ta-xerx '
es the king ,
make a decree to all the treasurers in the province Beyond the River :
Whatever Ezra the priest ,
the scribe of the law of the God of heaven ,
requires of you ,
be it done with all diligence ,
*
up to a hundred talents of silver ,
a hundred cors of wheat ,
a hundred baths of wine ,
a hundred baths of oil ,
and salt without prescribing how much .
*
Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven ,
let it be done in full for the house of the God of heaven ,
lest his wrath be against the realm of the king and his sons .
*
We also notify you that it shall not be lawful to impose tribute ,
custom ,
or toll upon any one of the priests ,
the Levites ,
the singers ,
the doorkeepers ,
the temple servants ,
or other servants of this house of God .
* "
And you ,
Ezra ,
according to the wisdom of your God which is in your hand ,
appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River ,
all such as know the laws of your God ;
and those who do not know them ,
you shall teach .
*
Whoever will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king ,
let judgment be strictly executed upon him ,
whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of his goods or for imprisonment ."
*
Blessed be the LORD ,
the God of our fathers ,
who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king ,
to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem ,
*
and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors ,
and before all the king '
s mighty officers .
I took courage ,
for the hand of the LORD my God was upon me ,
and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me .
*
These are the heads of their fathers '
houses ,
and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylonia ,
in the reign of Ar-ta-xerx '
es the king :