Ezra 4
4The enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were rebuilding a Temple to the LORD, the God of Israel.H6862H3063H1144H8085H1121H1473H1129H1964H3068H430H34782So they approached Zerubbabel and the other leaders and said, "Let us build with you, for we worship your God just as you do. We have sacrificed to him ever since King Esarhaddon of Assyria brought us here."H5066H2216H7218H1H559H1129H1875H430H2076H3117H634H4428H804H59273But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other leaders of Israel replied, "You may have no part in this work. We alone will build the Temple for the LORD, the God of Israel, just as King Cyrus of Persia commanded us."H2216H3442H7605H7218H1H3478H559H1129H1004H430H3162H1129H3068H430H3478H4428H3566H4428H6539H66804Then the local residents tried to discourage and frighten the people of Judah to keep them from their work.H5971H776H7503H3027H5971H3063H926H1089H11295They bribed agents to work against them and to frustrate their plans. This went on during the entire reign of King Cyrus of Persia and lasted until King Darius of Persia took the throne.H7936H3289H6565H6098H3117H3566H4428H6539H4438H1867H4428H65396Years later when Xerxes began his reign, the enemies of Judah wrote a letter of accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.H4438H325H8462H4438H3789H7855H3427H3063H33897Even later, during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, the enemies of Judah, led by Bishlam, Mithredath, and Tabeel, sent a letter to Artaxerxes in the Aramaic language, and it was translated for the king.H3117H783H3789H1312H4990H2870H7605H3674H783H4428H6539H3791H5406H3789H762H8638H7628Rehum the governor and Shimshai the court secretary wrote the letter, telling King Artaxerxes about the situation in Jerusalem.H7348H1169H2942H8124H5613H3790H2298H104H5922H3390H783H4430H36609They greeted the king for all their colleagues—the judges and local leaders, the people of Tarpel, the Persians, the Babylonians, and the people of Erech and Susa (that is, Elam).H116H7348H1169H2942H8124H5613H7606H3675H1784H671H2967H670H756H896H7801H1723H596210They also sent greetings from the rest of the people whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal had deported and relocated in Samaria and throughout the neighboring lands of the province west of the Euphrates RiverH7606H524H1768H7229H3358H620H1541H3488H1994H7149H8115H7606H5675H5103H370611This is a copy of their letter: "To King Artaxerxes, from your loyal subjects in the province west of the Euphrates River.H1836H6573H104H1768H7972H5922H783H4430H5649H606H5675H5103H370612"The king should know that the Jews who came here to Jerusalem from Babylon are rebuilding this rebellious and evil city. They have already laid the foundation and will soon finish its walls.H1934H3046H4430H3062H1768H5559H4481H3890H5922H858H3390H1124H4779H873H7149H3635H3635H7792H2338H78713And the king should know that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, it will be much to your disadvantage, for the Jews will then refuse to pay their tribute, customs, and tolls to you.H3046H1934H3705H4430H2006H1791H7149H1124H7792H3635H3809H5415H4061H1093H1983H5142H674H443014"Since we are your loyal subjects and do not want to see the king dishonored in this way, we have sent the king this information.H3705H6903H3606H1768H4415H4416H1965H3809H749H2370H4430H6173H5922H1836H7972H3046H443015We suggest that a search be made in your ancestors' records, where you will discover what a rebellious city this has been in the past. In fact, it was destroyed because of its long and troublesome history of revolt against the kings and countries who controlled it.H1240H5609H1799H2H7912H5609H1799H3046H1791H7149H4779H7149H5142H4430H4083H5648H849H1459H4481H5957H3118H5922H1836H1791H7149H271816We declare to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, the province west of the Euphrates River will be lost to you."H586H3046H4430H2006H1791H7149H1124H7792H3635H1836H6903H383H3809H2508H5675H510317Then King Artaxerxes sent this reply: "To Rehum the governor, Shimshai the court secretary, and their colleagues living in Samaria and throughout the province west of the Euphrates River. Greetings.H7972H4430H6600H5922H7348H1169H2942H8124H5613H7606H3675H3488H8115H7606H5675H5103H8001H370618"The letter you sent has been translated and read to me.H5407H7972H5922H6568H7123H692519I ordered a search of the records and have found that Jerusalem has indeed been a hotbed of insurrection against many kings. In fact, rebellion and revolt are normal there!H4481H7761H2942H1240H7912H1791H7149H4481H5957H3118H5376H5922H4430H4776H849H564820Powerful kings have ruled over Jerusalem and the entire province west of the Euphrates River, receiving tribute, customs, and tolls.H1934H8624H4430H5922H3390H7990H3606H5675H5103H4061H1093H1983H305221Therefore, issue orders to have these men stop their work. That city must not be rebuilt except at my express command.H7761H3705H2942H989H479H1400H989H1791H7149H3809H1124H5705H2941H7761H448122Be diligent, and don't neglect this matter, for we must not permit the situation to harm the king's interests."H1934H2095H7960H5922H5648H1836H4101H2257H7680H5142H443023When this letter from King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum, Shimshai, and their colleagues, they hurried to Jerusalem. Then, with a show of strength, they forced the Jews to stop building.H116H4481H1768H6573H4430H783H5407H7123H6925H7348H8124H5613H3675H236H924H3390H5922H3062H1994H989H153H242924So the work on the Temple of God in Jerusalem had stopped, and it remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of King Darius of Persia.H116H989H5673H1005H426H3390H1934H989H5705H8648H8140H4437H1868H4430H6540
Ezra 5
5At that time the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem. They prophesied in the name of the God of Israel who was over them.H5029H2292H5029H2148H1247H5714H5013H5922H3062H3061H3390H8036H426H3479H59222Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jehozadak responded by starting again to rebuild the Temple of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them and helped them.H116H6966H2217H1247H7598H3443H1247H3136H8271H1124H1005H426H3390H5974H5029H426H55833But Tattenai, governor of the province west of the Euphrates River, and Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues soon arrived in Jerusalem and asked, "Who gave you permission to rebuild this Temple and restore this structure?"H2166H858H8674H6347H5675H5103H8370H3675H560H3652H5922H4479H7761H2942H1124H1836H1005H3635H1836H8464They also asked for the names of all the men working on the Temple.H116H560H3660H4479H581H8036H1400H1124H1836H11475But because their God was watching over them, the leaders of the Jews were not prevented from building until a report was sent to Darius and he returned his decision.H5870H426H1934H5922H7868H3062H3809H989H1994H989H5705H2941H1946H1868H116H8421H5407H5922H18366This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai the governor, Shethar-bozenai, and the other officials of the province west of the Euphrates River sent to King Darius.H6573H104H8674H6347H5675H5103H8370H3675H671H5675H5103H7972H5922H1868H44307"To King Darius. Greetings.H7972H6600H5922H1459H3790H1836H1868H4430H3606H80018"The king should know that we went to the construction site of the Temple of the great God in the province of Judah. It is being rebuilt with specially prepared stones, and timber is being laid in its walls. The work is going forward with great energy and success.H1934H3046H4430H236H4083H3061H1005H7229H426H1124H1560H69H636H7761H3797H1791H5673H5648H629H6744H30289"We asked the leaders, 'Who gave you permission to rebuild this Temple and restore this structure?'H116H7593H479H7868H560H3660H4479H7761H2942H1124H1836H1005H3635H1836H84610And we demanded their names so that we could tell you who the leaders were.H7593H8036H638H3046H3790H8036H1400H721711"This was their answer: 'We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the Temple that was built here many years ago by a great king of Israel.H3660H8421H6600H560H586H1994H5649H426H8065H772H1124H1005H1934H1124H1836H7690H8140H6928H7229H4430H3479H1124H363512But because our ancestors angered the God of heaven, he abandoned them to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who destroyed this Temple and exiled the people to Babylonia.H3861H4481H2H7265H426H8065H7265H3052H1994H3028H5020H4430H895H3679H5642H1836H1005H1541H5972H1541H89513However, King Cyrus of Babylon, during the first year of his reign, issued a decree that the Temple of God should be rebuilt.H1297H2298H8140H3567H4430H895H4430H3567H7761H2942H1124H1836H1005H42614King Cyrus returned the gold and silver cups that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple of God in Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of Babylon. These cups were taken from that temple and presented to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom King Cyrus appointed as governor of Judah.H3984H638H1768H1722H3702H1005H426H5020H5312H4481H1965H3390H2987H1965H895H1994H3567H4430H5312H4481H1965H895H3052H8036H8340H7761H634715The king instructed him to return the cups to their place in Jerusalem and to rebuild the Temple of God there on its original site.H560H5376H412H3984H236H5182H1994H1965H3390H1005H426H1124H5922H87016So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the Temple of God in Jerusalem. The people have been working on it ever since, though it is not yet completed.'H116H858H1791H8340H3052H787H1005H426H3390H4481H116H5705H3705H1124H3809H800017"Therefore, if it pleases the king, we request that a search be made in the royal archives of Babylon to discover whether King Cyrus ever issued a decree to rebuild God's Temple in Jerusalem. And then let the king send us his decision in this matter."H3705H2006H2869H5922H4430H1240H4430H1596H1005H8536H895H2006H383H2942H7761H4481H3567H4430H1124H1791H1005H426H3390H4430H7972H7470H5922H1836
Ezra 6
6So King Darius issued orders that a search be made in the Babylonian archives, which were stored in the treasury.H116H1868H4430H7761H2942H1240H1005H5609H8536H1596H5182H895 2But it was at the fortress at Ecbatana in the province of Media that a scroll was found. This is what it said.H7912H307H1001H4083H4076H2298H4040H1459H1799H3652H3790 3"Memorandum: "In the first year of King Cyrus's reign, a decree was sent out concerning the Temple of God at Jerusalem. "Let the Temple be rebuilt on the site where Jews used to offer their sacrifices, using the original foundations. Its height will be ninety feet, and its width will be ninety feet.H2298H8140H3567H4430H3567H4430H7761H2942H1005H426H3390H1005H1124H870H1684H1685H787H5446H7314H8361H521H6613H8361H521 4Every three layers of specially prepared stones will be topped by a layer of timber. All expenses will be paid by the royal treasury.H8532H5073H1560H69H5073H2323H636H5313H3052H4481H4430H1005 5Furthermore, the gold and silver cups, which were taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar from the Temple of God in Jerusalem, must be returned to Jerusalem and put back where they belong. Let them be taken back to the Temple of God."H638H1722H3702H3984H1005H426H5020H5312H4481H1965H3390H2987H895H8421H1946H1965H3390H870H5182H1005H426 6So King Darius sent this message: "Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the province west of the Euphrates River, and Shethar-bozenai, and your colleagues and other officials west of the Euphrates River—stay away from there!H3705H8674H6347H5675H5103H8370H3675H671H5675H5103H1934H7352H4481H8536 7Do not disturb the construction of the Temple of God. Let it be rebuilt on its original site, and do not hinder the governor of Judah and the elders of the Jews in their work.H5673H1791H1005H426H7662H6347H3062H7868H3062H1124H1791H1005H426H5922H870 8"Moreover, I hereby decree that you are to help these elders of the Jews as they rebuild this Temple of God. You must pay the full construction costs, without delay, from my taxes collected in the province west of the Euphrates River so that the work will not be interrupted.H4481H7761H2942H3964H5648H5974H7868H479H3062H1124H1791H1005H426H4430H5232H1768H4061H5675H5103H629H5313H1934H3052H479H1400H3809H989 9"Give the priests in Jerusalem whatever is needed in the way of young bulls, rams, and male lambs for the burnt offerings presented to the God of heaven. And without fail, provide them with as much wheat, salt, wine, and olive oil as they need each day.H4101H2818H1123H8450H1798H563H5928H426H8065H2591H4416H2562H4887H3983H3549H3390H1934H3052H3118H3118H3809H7960 10Then they will be able to offer acceptable sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for the welfare of the king and his sons.H1934H7127H5208H426H8065H6739H2417H4430H1123 11"Those who violate this decree in any way will have a beam pulled from their house. Then they will be tied to it and flogged, and their house will be reduced to a pile of rubble.H4481H7761H2942H3606H606H8133H1836H6600H636H5256H4481H1005H2211H4223H5922H1005H5648H5122H5922H1836 12May the God who has chosen the city of Jerusalem as the place to honor his name destroy any king or nation that violates this command and destroys this Temple."I, Darius, have issued this decree. Let it be obeyed with all diligence."H426H8036H7932H8536H4049H3606H4430H5972H7972H3028H8133H2255H1791H1005H426H3390H576H1868H7761H2942H5648H629 13Tattenai, governor of the province west of the Euphrates River, and Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues complied at once with the command of King Darius.H116H8674H6347H5675H5103H8370H3675H6903H1868H4430H7972H3660H5648H629 14So the Jewish elders continued their work, and they were greatly encouraged by the preaching of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo. The Temple was finally finished, as had been commanded by the God of Israel and decreed by Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, the kings of Persia.H7868H3062H1124H6744H5017H2292H5029H2148H1247H5714H1124H3635H4481H2941H426H3479H2942H3567H1868H783H4430H6540 15The Temple was completed on March 12, during the sixth year of King Darius's reign.H1836H1005H3319H5705H8532H3118H3393H144H1932H8353H8140H4437H1868H4430 16The Temple of God was then dedicated with great joy by the people of Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the people who had returned from exile.H1123H3479H3549H3879H7606H1123H1547H5648H2597H1836H1005H426H2305 17During the dedication ceremony for the Temple of God, 100 young bulls, 200 rams, and 400 male lambs were sacrificed. And 12 male goats were presented as a sin offering for the twelve tribes of Israel.H7127H2597H1836H1005H426H3969H8450H3969H1798H703H3969H563H2402H2409H5922H3606H3479H8648H6236H6841H5796H4510H7625H3479 18Then the priests and Levites were divided into their various divisions to serve at the Temple of God in Jerusalem, as prescribed in the Book of Moses.H6966H3549H6392H3879H4255H5922H5673H426H3390H3792H5609H4873 19On April 21 the returned exiles celebrated Passover.H1121H1473H6213H6453H702H6240H7223H2320 20The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were ceremonially clean. So they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves.H3548H3881H2891H259H2889H7819H6453H1121H1473H251H3548 21The Passover meal was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile and by the others in the land who had turned from their immoral customs to worship the LORD, the God of Israel.H1121H3478H7725H1473H914H2932H1471H776H1875H3068H430H3478H398 22Then they celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. There was great joy throughout the land because the LORD had caused the king of Assyria to be favorable to them, so that he helped them to rebuild the Temple of God, the God of Israel.H6213H2282H4682H7651H3117H8057H3068H8055H5437H3820H4428H804H2388H3027H4399H1004H430H430H3478
Dublin, OH
.H7936
