Ezra 4
Evangelical Heritage Version
Opposition to the Construction of the Second Temple
4 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, 2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the families. They said to them, “Let us build with you, because, like you, we seek your God, and we have been sacrificing to him[a] since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.”
3 Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel said to them, “We will not permit you to join us in building a house for our God, because we ourselves will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, just as King Cyrus of Persia commanded us.”
4 Then the people of the land kept discouraging[b] the people of Judah and kept trying to make them too frightened to build. 5 They kept bribing officials[c] against them to try to frustrate their plans. They did this throughout all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
6 During the reign of Xerxes,[d] at the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. 7 Then in Artaxerxes’ days, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabe’el, and the rest of his associates wrote to King Artaxerxes of Persia. A document was written in Aramaic and translated.[e] What follows is the Aramaic version.[f]
8 Rehum the head of the council and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter concerning Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows:
9 Heading: Rehum the head of the council with Shimshai the secretary and the rest of their associates: the judges, the rulers, the officials, the administrators, people from Uruk and Babylon, people from Susa (that is, the Elamites),[g] 10 and the rest of the peoples whom the great and glorious Ashurbanipal exiled and settled in the city of Samaria and the rest of the province called Trans-Euphrates.[h]
11 (This is a copy of the letter that they sent to him.)
To King Artaxerxes.
From your servants, men of the Trans-Euphrates.
Message:
12 The King should know that the Judeans who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. Soon they will have completed the walls, and they are now repairing the foundations.
13 Now let it be known to the King that if that city is rebuilt and the walls are completed, then taxes, tribute, and revenue will not be paid, and kings certainly will be harmed.
14 Now because we are duty-bound by an oath to the King[i] and do not wish to see the King dishonored, for that reason we are sending this letter to inform the King, 15 so that a search may be made in the book containing the memoranda of your predecessors. In this book of memoranda you will discover and come to know that this city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, producing rebellions within it from days of old. For this reason that city was destroyed. 16 We are informing the King that if that city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, then, because of that, you will retain possession of no portion of the Trans-Euphrates.
17 The king sent a reply:
To Rehum the head of the council, Shimshai the secretary, and the rest of their associates, who live in Samaria and the rest of the province called Trans-Euphrates.
Peace.
Message:
18 The document that you sent to us was translated and read in my presence. 19 So a decree was issued by me. They searched and found that from ancient days that city has risen up against kings, and rebellion and insurrection have been made in it. 20 Powerful kings were over Jerusalem, and they ruled throughout the entire Trans-Euphrates, and taxes, tribute, and revenue were paid to them. 21 Therefore, issue a decree to stop these men, and this city shall not be rebuilt until a decree is issued by me. 22 Moreover, continue to be diligent. Do not neglect to do this. Why should damage increase to harm kings?
23 Then, when a copy of Artaxerxes’ document was read in the presence of Rehum, Shimshai the secretary, and their associates, they immediately went to the Judeans in Jerusalem, and they stopped them with armed force. 24 In this way, the work on the house of God in Jerusalem was stopped. Also, it had previously been stopped until the second year[j] of the reign of King Darius of Persia.[k]
Footnotes
- Ezra 4:2 The translation follows the marginal Hebrew reading, which is supported by a Dead Sea Scroll and the ancient versions. The main Hebrew reading is have not been sacrificing.
- Ezra 4:4 Literally causing the hands to droop for
- Ezra 4:5 Or hiring lobbyists
- Ezra 4:6 The EHV uses the names of the Persian kings that have become the standard English names. These names derive from the Greek versions of the names rather than directly from the Hebrew or Persian forms of the names.
- Ezra 4:7 Presumably translated into Persian for the king. See verse 18.
- Ezra 4:7 E zra 4:7–6:18 is in Aramaic, as is Ezra 7:12–26. The letters are written in a kind of formal, stylized, bureaucratic Aramaic.
- Ezra 4:9 It is unclear which of these terms refer to offices and which refer to ethnic groups. Some translations understand all of them to be names of ethnic groups: Dinaites and Apharsathkites, Tarpelites, Persians, Urukites, Babylonians, Susanites, Dahavites, Elamites. If some of the words are names of office-holders, it is not clear in all cases which specific offices are referred to.
- Ezra 4:10 That is, the territory west of the Euphrates River, Syria-Palestine
- Ezra 4:14 Literally we eat the salt of the palace
- Ezra 4:24 That is, 520 bc
- Ezra 4:24 The hostile letter to the later King Artaxerxes illustrates the method that had been used to stop the work earlier, during the reign of Darius.
Ezra 4
Lexham English Bible
Resistance to Rebuilding the House of God
4 Now the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles[a] were building a temple for Yahweh the God of Israel. 2 And they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the families,[b] and they said to them, “Let us build with you. Like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him from the days of Esarhaddon the king of Assyria who brought us up here. 3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of the families[c] of Israel said to them, “It is not for you but for us to build a house for our God. For we ourselves alone will build it for Yahweh the God of Israel, just as Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”
4 Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah[d] and made them afraid to build 5 and bribed officials against them to frustrate their plan for all the days of Cyrus king of Persia until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Resistance to Rebuilding Jerusalem
6 In the reign of Ahasuerus, at the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. 7 And in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their colleagues wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated from Aramaic. 8 Rehum the royal officer and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows 9 (then Rehum the royal officer, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the envoys, the officials, the Persians, the Erechs, the Babylonians, the Susians (that is the Elamites) 10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and the rest of the province Beyond the River) and now 11 this is the copy of the letter which they sent to him:
“To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River. And now, 12 be it known to the king that the Jews who have come up from near you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are building the rebellious and wicked city. They are finishing the wall and repairing the foundation. 13 Now be it known to the king that if this city is built and the walls are finished, they will not pay tribute and toll, and the royal revenue will be reduced. 14 Now since we eat the salt of the palace and the dishonor of the king is not proper for us to see, we send and make this known to the king, 15 so that it may be investigated in the book of records of your ancestors.[e] You will find in the book of records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and they have rebelled in its midst from ancient times. Because of that this city was destroyed. 16 We make known to the king that if this city is built and the walls are finished, you will have nothing in the province Beyond the River.”
17 The king sent a reply: “To Rehum the royal officer, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates who live in Samaria and the rest of the province Beyond the River, greetings. And now 18 the letter that you sent to us has been translated and read before me. 19 And I issued[f] a decree, and they searched and found that this city from ancient days revolted against kings, and rebellion and sedition has been made in it. 20 Mighty kings have ruled over Jerusalem, governing all the province Beyond the River, to whom tribute, duty, and tax has been given. 21 So now, issue forth a decree that these men stop and this city not be built, until a decree is issued from me. 22 And be careful not to be negligent on this matter. Why should damage grow to hurt kings?”
23 Then when a copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their associates they returned in a hurry to Jerusalem against the Jews and they stopped them by force and power. 24 Then the work on the house of God in Jerusalem stopped, and was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
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