¹⁷ The king sent word to Rehum, B’el T’em, and to Shimshai, the scribe, and to others that were in the counsel of them, to the dwellers of Samaria, and to others beyond the flood, and said, Health and peace. (And the king sent word by a letter, saying, To Rehum, the chancellor, and to Shimshai, the provincial secretary, and to their counsellors, or to their officials, who be inhabitants of Samaria, and to the others who live throughout the province west of the Euphrates River, health and peace to all of you.)

¹⁸ The accusing (The accusation), which ye sent to us, was read openly before me;

¹⁹ and it was commanded of me, and they reckoned, and they found, that that city rebelleth of eld days against kings, and dissensions and battles be raised therein; (and I commanded that they search in The Chronicles, and indeed they found, that that city in days of old rebelled against kings, and dissensions and battles were raised up there;)

²⁰ for why there were in Jerusalem full strong kings, which also were lords of all the country that is beyond the flood; also those kings took tribute, and toll, and rents. (for there were very strong kings in Jerusalem, who were also lords of all the province that is west of the Euphrates River; and those kings took tribute, or taxes, and tolls, and rents.)

²¹ Now therefore hear ye the sentence, that ye forbid those men to build, and that that city be not builded (again), till if peradventure it be commanded of me. (And so now listen ye to my decree, which is, that ye forbid those men to continue to build, and that that city not be rebuilt, unless, and until, I command it to be done.)

²² See ye, that this behest be not fulfilled negligently, and evil increase little and little against (the) kings. (See ye, that this command be not carelessly fulfilled, for then evil would increase little by little against the king.)

²³ Therefore the exemplar of the commandment of king Artaxerxes was read before Rehum, B’el T’em, and Shimshai, the scribe, and their counsellors; and they went in haste into Jerusalem to the Jews, and they forbade them to build, with arm and might. (And so when the text of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, the chancellor, and Shimshai, the provincial secretary, and their counsellors, or their officials, they went in haste to the Jews in Jerusalem, and with might and arms, or weapons, they forbade them to continue building.)

²⁴ Then the work of God’s house in Jerusalem was left [off], and it was not made till to the second year of the realm of Darius, king of Persia. (And so the work on the House of God in Jerusalem was stopped, and it was not started again until the second year of the reign of Darius, the king of Persia.)