Ezra:5:6-17
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This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai sent :
The governor of the region beyond the River ,
and Shethar-Boznai ,
and his companions ,
the Persians who were in the region beyond the River ,
to Darius the king .
* (
They sent a letter to him ,
in which was written thus )
To Darius the king :
All peace .
*
Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judea ,
to the temple of the great God ,
which is being built with heavy stones ,
and timber is being laid in the walls ;
and this work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands .
*
Then we asked those elders ,
and spoke thus to them : "
Who commanded you to build this temple and to finish these walls ?"
*
We also asked them their names to inform you ,
that we might write the names of the men who were chief among them .
*
And thus they returned us an answer ,
saying : "
We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth ,
and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago ,
which a great king of Israel built and completed .
*
But because our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath ,
He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon ,
the Chaldean ,
who destroyed this temple and carried the people away to Babylon .
*
However ,
in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon ,
King Cyrus issued a decree to build this house of God .
*
Also ,
the gold and silver articles of the house of God ,
which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem and carried into the temple of Babylon--those King Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon ,
and they were given to one named Sheshbazzar ,
whom he had made governor .
*
And he said to him , "
Take these articles ;
go ,
carry them to the temple site that is in Jerusalem ,
and let the house of God be rebuilt on its former site .'
*
Then the same Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem ;
but from that time even until now it has been under construction ,
and it is not finished ."
*
Now therefore ,
if it seems good to the king ,
let a search be made in the king '
s treasure house ,
which is there in Babylon ,
whether it is so that a decree was issued by King Cyrus to build this house of God at Jerusalem ,
and let the king send us his pleasure concerning this matter .
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