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Ezra 4-5
New King James Version

Resistance to Rebuilding the Temple

4 Now when (A)the [a]adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the Lord God of Israel, 2 they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him (B)since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.” 3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel said to them, (C)“You may do nothing with us to build a [b]house for our God; but we alone will build to the Lord God of Israel, as (D)King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.” 4 Then (E)the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, 5 and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of (F)Darius king of Persia.

Rebuilding of Jerusalem Opposed

6 In the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

7 In the days of (G)Artaxerxes also, [c]Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabel, and the rest of their companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the letter was written in (H)Aramaic script, and translated into the Aramaic language. 8 [d]Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes in this fashion:

9 [e]From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions—representatives of (I)the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the people of Persia and Erech and Babylon and [f]Shushan, the Dehavites, the Elamites, 10 (J)and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnapper took captive and settled in the cities of Samaria and the remainder beyond [g]the River—(K)and[h] so forth.

11 (This is a copy of the letter that they sent him.)

To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the men of the region beyond the River, [i]and so forth:

12 Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem, and are building the (L)rebellious and evil city, and are finishing its (M)walls and repairing the foundations. 13 Let it now be known to the king that, if this city is built and the walls completed, they will not pay (N)tax, tribute, or custom, and the king’s treasury will be diminished. 14 Now because we receive support from the palace, it was not proper for us to see the king’s dishonor; therefore we have sent and informed the king, 15 that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. And you will find in the book of the records and know that this city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, and that they have incited sedition within the city in former times, for which cause this city was destroyed.

16 We inform the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, the result will be that you will have no dominion beyond the River.

17 The king sent an answer:

To Rehum the commander, to Shimshai the scribe, to the rest of their companions who dwell in Samaria, and to the remainder beyond the River:

Peace, [j]and so forth.

18 The letter which you sent to us has been clearly read before me. 19 And [k]I gave the command, and a search has been made, and it was found that this city in former times has revolted against kings, and rebellion and sedition have been fostered in it. 20 There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem, who have (O)ruled over all the region (P)beyond the River; and tax, tribute, and custom were paid to them. 21 Now [l]give the command to make these men cease, that this city may not be built until the command is given by me.

22 Take heed now that you do not fail to do this. Why should damage increase to the hurt of the kings?

23 Now when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem against the Jews, and by force of arms made them cease. 24 Thus the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem ceased, and it was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Restoration of the Temple Resumed(Q)

5 Then the prophet (R)Haggai and (S)Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. 2 So (T)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of [m]Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and (U)the prophets of God were with them, helping them.

3 At the same time (V)Tattenai the governor of the region beyond [n]the River and Shethar-Boznai and their companions came to them and spoke thus to them: (W)“Who has commanded you to build this [o]temple and finish this wall?” 4 (X)Then, accordingly, we told them the names of the men who were constructing this building. 5 But (Y)the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, so that they could not make them cease till a report could go to Darius. Then a (Z)written answer was returned concerning this matter. 6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai sent:

The governor of the region beyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai, (AA)and his companions, the Persians who were in the region beyond the River, to Darius the king.

7 (They sent a letter to him, in which was written thus.)

To Darius the king:

All peace.

8 Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judea, to the [p]temple of the great God, which is being built with [q]heavy stones, and timber is being laid in the walls; and this work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands.

9 Then we asked those elders, and spoke thus to them: (AB)“Who commanded you to build this temple and to finish these walls?” 10 We also asked them their names to inform you, that we might write the names of the men who were chief among them.

11 And thus they returned us an answer, saying: “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the [r]temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built (AC)and completed. 12 But (AD)because our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of (AE)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and (AF)carried the people away to Babylon. 13 However, in the first year of (AG)Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to build this [s]house of God. 14 Also, (AH)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 (AI)one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor. 15 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.’ 16 Then the same Sheshbazzar came and (AJ)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 (AK)it is not finished.”

17 Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, (AL)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.

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 4:1 enemies
  2. Ezra 4:3 Temple
  3. Ezra 4:7 Or in peace
  4. Ezra 4:8 The original language of Ezra 4:8 through 6:18 is Aramaic.
  5. Ezra 4:9 Lit. Then
  6. Ezra 4:9 Or Susa
  7. Ezra 4:10 The Euphrates
  8. Ezra 4:10 Lit. and now
  9. Ezra 4:11 Lit. and now
  10. Ezra 4:17 Lit. and now
  11. Ezra 4:19 Lit. by me a decree has been put forth
  12. Ezra 4:21 put forth a decree
  13. Ezra 5:2 Jehozadak, 1 Chr. 6:14
  14. Ezra 5:3 The Euphrates
  15. Ezra 5:3 Lit. house
  16. Ezra 5:8 Lit. house
  17. Ezra 5:8 Lit. stones of rolling, stones too heavy to be carried
  18. Ezra 5:11 Lit. house
  19. Ezra 5:13 Temple
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Ezra 4-5
New International Version

Opposition to the Rebuilding

4 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building(A) a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, 2 they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, “Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon(B) king of Assyria, who brought us here.”(C)

3 But Zerubbabel, Joshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, “You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.”(D)

4 Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building.[a](E) 5 They bribed officials to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Later Opposition Under Xerxes and Artaxerxes

6 At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes,[b](F) they lodged an accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.(G)

7 And in the days of Artaxerxes(H) king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic script and in the Aramaic(I) language.[c][d]

8 Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows:

9 Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary, together with the rest of their associates(J)—the judges, officials and administrators over the people from Persia, Uruk(K) and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa,(L) 10 and the other people whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal(M) deported and settled in the city of Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates.(N)

11 (This is a copy of the letter they sent him.)

To King Artaxerxes,

From your servants in Trans-Euphrates:

12 The king should know that the people who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are restoring the walls and repairing the foundations.(O)

13 Furthermore, the king should know that if this city is built and its walls are restored, no more taxes, tribute or duty(P) will be paid, and eventually the royal revenues will suffer.[e] 14 Now since we are under obligation to the palace and it is not proper for us to see the king dishonored, we are sending this message to inform the king, 15 so that a search may be made in the archives(Q) of your predecessors. In these records you will find that this city is a rebellious city, troublesome to kings and provinces, a place with a long history of sedition. That is why this city was destroyed.(R) 16 We inform the king that if this city is built and its walls are restored, you will be left with nothing in Trans-Euphrates.

17 The king sent this reply:

To Rehum the commanding officer, Shimshai the secretary and the rest of their associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates:(S)

Greetings.

18 The letter you sent us has been read and translated in my presence. 19 I issued an order and a search was made, and it was found that this city has a long history of revolt(T) against kings and has been a place of rebellion and sedition. 20 Jerusalem has had powerful kings ruling over the whole of Trans-Euphrates,(U) and taxes, tribute and duty were paid to them. 21 Now issue an order to these men to stop work, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order. 22 Be careful not to neglect this matter. Why let this threat grow, to the detriment of the royal interests?(V)

23 As soon as the copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum and Shimshai the secretary and their associates,(W) they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and compelled them by force to stop.

24 Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius(X) king of Persia.

Tattenai’s Letter to Darius

5 Now Haggai(Y) the prophet and Zechariah(Z) the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied(AA) to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. 2 Then Zerubbabel(AB) son of Shealtiel and Joshua(AC) son of Jozadak set to work(AD) to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.

3 At that time Tattenai,(AE) governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai(AF) and their associates went to them and asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and to finish it?”(AG) 4 They[f] also asked, “What are the names of those who are constructing this building?” 5 But the eye of their God(AH) was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received.

6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates, the officials of Trans-Euphrates, sent to King Darius. 7 The report they sent him read as follows:

To King Darius:

Cordial greetings.

8 The king should know that we went to the district of Judah, to the temple of the great God. The people are building it with large stones and placing the timbers in the walls. The work(AI) is being carried on with diligence and is making rapid progress under their direction.

9 We questioned the elders and asked them, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and to finish it?”(AJ) 10 We also asked them their names, so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information.

11 This is the answer they gave us:

“We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple(AK) that was built many years ago, one that a great king of Israel built and finished. 12 But because our ancestors angered(AL) the God of heaven, he gave them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean, king of Babylon, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon.(AM)

13 “However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree(AN) to rebuild this house of God. 14 He even removed from the temple[g] of Babylon the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to the temple[h] in Babylon.(AO) Then King Cyrus gave them to a man named Sheshbazzar,(AP) whom he had appointed governor, 15 and he told him, ‘Take these articles and go and deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem. And rebuild the house of God on its site.’

16 “So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God(AQ) in Jerusalem. From that day to the present it has been under construction but is not yet finished.”

17 Now if it pleases the king, let a search be made in the royal archives(AR) of Babylon to see if King Cyrus did in fact issue a decree to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision in this matter.

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 4:4 Or and troubled them as they built
  2. Ezra 4:6 Hebrew Ahasuerus
  3. Ezra 4:7 Or written in Aramaic and translated
  4. Ezra 4:7 The text of 4:8–6:18 is in Aramaic.
  5. Ezra 4:13 The meaning of the Aramaic for this clause is uncertain.
  6. Ezra 5:4 See Septuagint; Aramaic We.
  7. Ezra 5:14 Or palace
  8. Ezra 5:14 Or palace
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Ezra 3
Ezra 6
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