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]

²³ As soon as the copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum and Shimshai the secretary and their associates,^(D) 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^(E) king of Persia.

A Man With a Measuring Line

2 ^[a]Then I looked up, and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand. ² I asked, “Where are you going?”

He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is.”^(A)

³ While the angel who was speaking to me was leaving, another angel came to meet him ⁴ and said to him: “Run, tell that young man, ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls^(B) because of the great number^(C) of people and animals in it.^{(D) 5} And I myself will be a wall^(E) of fire^(F) around it,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will be its glory^(G) within.’^(H)

⁶ “Come! Come! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the Lord, “for I have scattered^(I) you to the four winds of heaven,”^(J) declares the Lord.^(K)

⁷ “Come, Zion! Escape,^(L) you who live in Daughter Babylon!”^{(M) 8} For this is what the Lord Almighty says: “After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye^(N)— ⁹ I will surely raise my hand against them so that their slaves will plunder them.^[b](O) Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me.^(P)

¹⁰ “Shout^(Q) and be glad, Daughter Zion.^(R) For I am coming,^(S) and I will live among you,”^(T) declares the Lord.^{(U) 11} “Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people.^(V) I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.^{(W) 12} The Lord will inherit^(X) Judah^(Y) as his portion in the holy land and will again choose^(Z) Jerusalem. ¹³ Be still^(AA) before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.^(AB)”