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.

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11 From you, Nineveh, has one come forth
    who plots evil against the Lord
    and devises wicked plans.

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Paul’s Trial Before Felix

24 Five days later the high priest Ananias(A) went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges(B) against Paul before the governor.(C) When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented his case before Felix: “We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation. Everywhere and in every way, most excellent(D) Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly.

“We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots(E) among the Jews(F) all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene(G) sect(H) and even tried to desecrate the temple;(I) so we seized him. [7] [a] By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him.”

The other Jews joined in the accusation,(J) asserting that these things were true.

10 When the governor(K) motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: “I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. 11 You can easily verify that no more than twelve days(L) ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12 My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple,(M) or stirring up a crowd(N) in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. 13 And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me.(O) 14 However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors(P) as a follower of the Way,(Q) which they call a sect.(R) I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets,(S) 15 and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection(T) of both the righteous and the wicked.(U) 16 So I strive always to keep my conscience clear(V) before God and man.

17 “After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor(W) and to present offerings. 18 I was ceremonially clean(X) when they found me in the temple courts doing this. There was no crowd with me, nor was I involved in any disturbance.(Y) 19 But there are some Jews from the province of Asia,(Z) who ought to be here before you and bring charges if they have anything against me.(AA) 20 Or these who are here should state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin— 21 unless it was this one thing I shouted as I stood in their presence: ‘It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.’”(AB)

22 Then Felix, who was well acquainted with the Way,(AC) adjourned the proceedings. “When Lysias the commander comes,” he said, “I will decide your case.” 23 He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard(AD) but to give him some freedom(AE) and permit his friends to take care of his needs.(AF)

24 Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus.(AG) 25 As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control(AH) and the judgment(AI) to come, Felix was afraid(AJ) and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” 26 At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him.

27 When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus,(AK) but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews,(AL) he left Paul in prison.(AM)

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 24:7 Some manuscripts include here him, and we would have judged him in accordance with our law. But the commander Lysias came and took him from us with much violence, ordering his accusers to come before you.

Psalm 2

Why do the nations conspire[a]
    and the peoples plot(A) in vain?
The kings(B) of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
    against the Lord and against his anointed,(C) saying,

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 2:1 Hebrew; Septuagint rage

But the eye of their God(A) 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.

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. The report they sent him read as follows:

To King Darius:

Cordial greetings.

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(B) is being carried on with diligence and is making rapid progress under their direction.

We questioned the elders and asked them, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and to finish it?”(C) 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(D) that was built many years ago, one that a great king of Israel built and finished. 12 But because our ancestors angered(E) 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.(F)

13 “However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree(G) to rebuild this house of God. 14 He even removed from the temple[a] 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[b] in Babylon.(H) Then King Cyrus gave them to a man named Sheshbazzar,(I) 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(J) 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(K) 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.

The Decree of Darius

King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives(L) stored in the treasury at Babylon. A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media, and this was written on it:

Memorandum:

In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem:

Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its foundations be laid.(M) It is to be sixty cubits[c] high and sixty cubits wide, with three courses(N) of large stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid by the royal treasury.(O) Also, the gold(P) and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, are to be returned to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; they are to be deposited in the house of God.(Q)

Now then, Tattenai,(R) governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai(S) and you other officials of that province, stay away from there. Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its site.

Moreover, I hereby decree what you are to do for these elders of the Jews in the construction of this house of God:

Their expenses are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury,(T) from the revenues(U) of Trans-Euphrates, so that the work will not stop. Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, male lambs for burnt offerings(V) to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and olive oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem—must be given them daily without fail, 10 so that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the well-being of the king and his sons.(W)

11 Furthermore, I decree that if anyone defies this edict, a beam is to be pulled from their house and they are to be impaled(X) on it. And for this crime their house is to be made a pile of rubble.(Y) 12 May God, who has caused his Name to dwell there,(Z) overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree or to destroy this temple in Jerusalem.

I Darius(AA) have decreed it. Let it be carried out with diligence.

Completion and Dedication of the Temple

13 Then, because of the decree King Darius had sent, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates(AB) carried it out with diligence. 14 So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching(AC) of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus,(AD) Darius(AE) and Artaxerxes,(AF) kings of Persia. 15 The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.(AG)

16 Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication(AH) of the house of God with joy. 17 For the dedication of this house of God they offered(AI) a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred male lambs and, as a sin offering[d] for all Israel, twelve male goats, one for each of the tribes of Israel. 18 And they installed the priests in their divisions(AJ) and the Levites in their groups(AK) for the service of God at Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.(AL)

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 5:14 Or palace
  2. Ezra 5:14 Or palace
  3. Ezra 6:3 That is, about 90 feet or about 27 meters
  4. Ezra 6:17 Or purification offering

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

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