Ezra 4:17-24

Common English Bible

Artaxerxes responds

¹⁷The king sent this answer:

Greetings to Rehum the royal deputy and Shimshai the scribe and the rest of their colleagues who live in Samaria and elsewhere in the province Beyond the River. ¹⁸The entire letter that you sent to us has been read in translation for me. ¹⁹I issued an order; they searched and discovered that this city has revolted against kings over a long period of time. There has been much rebellion and revolt there. ²⁰However, there have been mighty kings over Jerusalem who also ruled over the whole province Beyond the River. Tribute and taxes and dues were paid to them.

²¹Therefore, issue an order to stop these people: this city is not to be rebuilt until I make a decree. ²²Be sure to carry out this order! Why should danger grow and threaten the king?

²³When the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their colleagues, they hurried to Jerusalem to oppose the Jews and made them stop by force of arms.^[a] ²⁴At that time the work on God’s house in Jerusalem stopped and was suspended until the second year of the rule of Persia’s King Darius.

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