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Ezra 4
EasyEnglish Bible
Ezra 4
EasyEnglish Bible
Enemies try to stop the work
4 The Israelites who had returned to Jerusalem from exile were building the temple for the Lord, Israel's God. The enemies of the people of Judah and Benjamin heard that the Israelites had begun to build.[a] 2 They went to speak to Zerubbabel and to the leaders of the Israelite families. They said, ‘Let us help you to build the temple. We also want to worship your God. We have lived in this country since Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, brought us here. All this time we have made sacrifices to your God.’
3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the other leaders of Israel's people said, ‘No. You cannot help us to build the temple for our God. We must build it by ourselves for the Lord, Israel's God. That is what Cyrus, king of Persia, has commanded us to do.’
4 Then the people who lived near them tried to make Judah's people afraid. They tried to stop them building. 5 They paid bribes to government officers to work against the Israelite builders. Then they could not do the work. They continued to do this all the time that King Cyrus ruled Persia, until Darius became king.
More trouble for the Jews
6 When Xerxes became king of Persia, Judah's enemies wrote a letter to him.[b] They said that the people who lived in Jerusalem and the rest of Judah were doing a bad thing.
7 Later, when Artaxerxes was king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and their friends wrote a letter to him. They wrote it in the Aramaic language. People translated it for the king to understand. 8 Rehum, the city's ruler, and Shimshai, his officer, wrote this letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes. This is what it said:
9 Rehum, your ruler, and Shimshai, his officer, write this letter to you. The other officers who work with us also send this letter to you. They are the judges and other officers and leaders, together with the people who came here from Erech, Babylon and Susa (the Elamites).[c] 10 It also comes from people of other nations who came to live in Samaria's cities. The great King Ashurbanipal sent those people to live in Samaria and in the region that is on the west side of the River Euphrates.[d]
11 This is the letter that they sent to Artaxerxes:
‘To King Artaxerxes,
from your servants in the land west of the Euphrates river.
12 We want to tell the king what the Jews here are doing. They came here to Jerusalem from Babylon. Jerusalem has always been a bad city whose people do not obey their rulers. Now they are building the city again. They are building the city's walls and the foundations for other buildings.
13 So you should know that there will be trouble. If they build this city again, with its walls, they will not pay any more taxes to you. You will not receive any more money from them as their king. 14 We serve you as our king. We do not want you to lose honour. So we have sent this letter to you. 15 You should look for the books where your ancestors recorded news about Jerusalem. Then you will read many bad things about this city. You will see that its people have always turned against their rulers. Since long ago, they have not obeyed the kings or the region's officers. It is because they are so wicked that Babylon's army destroyed the city. 16 So we are telling the king that you should not let these people build up this city again, with its walls. If they do that, you will no longer have any authority in this region that is west of the Euphrates river.’
17 The king of Persia sent this reply:
‘To Rehum, my ruler, Shimshai, his officer, and all their friends in Samaria and in other parts of the region west of the Euphrates river. I thank you for your news.
18 People have translated the letter that you sent to me. They read it for me to listen to. 19 Then I commanded them to look in the old books. I have seen what the books say about Jerusalem. It is true that its people have always turned against the kings that ruled them. Since long ago, they have never obeyed their rulers. 20 In the past, powerful kings have ruled over Jerusalem and all the region west of the Euphrates river. They received many kinds of taxes from the people there. 21 Now you must command these people to stop their work. They must not build the city again until I decide to let them do it. 22 You must be very careful to make sure that they stop. We do not want the danger to our kingdom to become any greater. Our authority to rule them as kings must continue.’
23 Rehum, his officer, Shimshai, and their friends heard what the king's letter said. So they immediately took it to the Jews in Jerusalem. They used their power to command the Jews to stop their work.
24 So the people did no more work on God's temple in Jerusalem. The work stopped until the second year that King Darius ruled Persia.
Footnotes
- 4:1 Judah and Benjamin were the two Israelite tribes that had been taken to Babylon as prisoners. Now they had returned to Jerusalem and the other towns of their home country.
- 4:6 Xerxes was the son of King Darius. He was also called Ahasuerus. In this part of his book, Ezra is describing things that happened later, after the temple had been built. Now they were building the city's walls (verse 12).
- 4:9 Elamites were people who lived in a country east of Israel.
- 4:10 The kings of Assyria moved prisoners to go and live a long way from their homes. Foreign people had come to live in Samaria, which had been part of Israel's kingdom. The Assyrians did not want the Israelites to take back the land for themselves.
Esdra 4
Nuova Riveduta 2006
Esdra 4
Nuova Riveduta 2006
La costruzione del tempio interrotta
4 (A)Quando i nemici di Giuda e di Beniamino vennero a sapere che i reduci dall’esilio costruivano un tempio al Signore, Dio d’Israele, 2 si avvicinarono a Zorobabele e ai capi famiglia e dissero loro: «Noi vogliamo costruire con voi, perché, come voi, noi cerchiamo il vostro Dio, e gli offriamo sacrifici dal tempo di Esaraddon, re d’Assiria, che ci ha fatti venire in questo paese». 3 Ma Zorobabele, Iesua, e gli altri capi famiglia d’Israele risposero loro: «Non è compito vostro costruire insieme a noi una casa al nostro Dio; noi la costruiremo da soli al Signore, Dio d’Israele, come Ciro, re di Persia, ci ha ordinato».
4 Allora la gente del paese si mise a scoraggiare il popolo di Giuda, a molestarlo per impedirgli di fabbricare, 5 e a corrompere dei consiglieri perché facessero fallire il suo piano. Questo durò per tutta la vita di Ciro, re di Persia, e fino al regno di Dario, re di Persia.
6 Sotto il regno di Assuero, al principio del suo regno, scrissero un’accusa contro gli abitanti di Giuda e di Gerusalemme.
7 Poi, al tempo di Artaserse, Bislam, Mitredat, Tabeel e gli altri loro colleghi scrissero ad Artaserse, re di Persia. La lettera era scritta in caratteri aramaici e redatta in aramaico.
8 Reum, il governatore, e Simsai, il segretario, scrissero al re Artaserse una lettera contro Gerusalemme, in questi termini:
9 Reum, il governatore, Simsai, il segretario, e gli altri loro colleghi di Din, di Afarsatac, di Tarpel, di Afaras, di Erec, di Babilonia, di Susan, di Dea, di Elam, 10 e gli altri popoli che il grande e illustre Osnapar ha trasportati e stabiliti nella città di Samaria, e gli altri che stanno di là dal fiume… eccetera.
11 Questo è il testo della lettera che inviarono al re Artaserse: I tuoi servi, che risiedono oltre il fiume, eccetera.
12 Sappia il re che i Giudei che sono partiti da te e giunti in mezzo a noi a Gerusalemme, ricostruiscono la città ribelle e malvagia, ne rialzano le mura e ne restaurano le fondamenta. 13 Sappia dunque il re che se questa città si ricostruisce e se le sue mura si rialzano, essi non pagheranno più né tributo né imposta né pedaggio, e il tesoro dei re ne soffrirà. 14 Poiché noi mangiamo il sale del palazzo[a] e non ci sembra conveniente stare a vedere il danno del re, mandiamo al re questa informazione. 15 Si facciano delle ricerche nel libro delle memorie dei tuoi padri e, nel libro delle memorie, troverai e apprenderai che questa è una città ribelle, portatrice di sventure a re e a province, e che fin dai tempi antichi ci sono state rivolte. Per queste ragioni la città è stata distrutta. 16 Noi facciamo sapere al re che se questa città viene ricostruita e le sue mura vengono rialzate, tu non avrai più il dominio su questo lato del fiume[b].
17 Il re mandò questa risposta a Reum, il governatore, a Simsai, il segretario, e agli altri loro colleghi che stavano a Samaria e altrove di là dal fiume: «Salute, eccetera.
18 La lettera che ci avete mandato è stata fedelmente letta in mia presenza; 19 e io ho dato ordine di far delle ricerche. Si è trovato che fin dai tempi antichi codesta città è insorta contro i re e ci sono stati tumulti e rivolte. 20 Vi sono stati a Gerusalemme dei re potenti, che dominarono su tutto il paese che è di là dal fiume, e ai quali si pagavano tributi, imposte e pedaggio. 21 Date dunque ordine che quella gente sospenda i lavori, e che quella città non sia ricostruita finché non ne dia l’ordine io stesso. 22 Badate di non essere negligenti in questo, affinché la situazione non peggiori a danno dei re».
23 Non appena la copia della lettera del re Artaserse fu letta in presenza di Reum, di Simsai il segretario e dei loro colleghi, essi andarono in fretta a Gerusalemme dai Giudei e li obbligarono, a mano armata, a sospendere i lavori. 24 Allora fu sospesa l’opera della casa di Dio a Gerusalemme, e rimase sospesa fino al secondo anno del regno di Dario, re di Persia.
Footnotes
- Esdra 4:14 Poiché noi mangiamo il sale del palazzo, cioè siccome noi ricaviamo il nostro sostegno dal palazzo, o siccome siamo legati al re da un’alleanza inviolabile.
- Esdra 4:16 Il fiume, cioè l’Eufrate.
Ezra 4
New King James Version
Ezra 4
New King James Version
Resistance to Rebuilding the Temple
4 Now when (A)the [a]adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the Lord God of Israel, 2 they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him (B)since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.” 3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel said to them, (C)“You may do nothing with us to build a [b]house for our God; but we alone will build to the Lord God of Israel, as (D)King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.” 4 Then (E)the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, 5 and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of (F)Darius king of Persia.
Rebuilding of Jerusalem Opposed
6 In the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
7 In the days of (G)Artaxerxes also, [c]Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabel, and the rest of their companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the letter was written in (H)Aramaic script, and translated into the Aramaic language. 8 [d]Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes in this fashion:
9 [e]From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions—representatives of (I)the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the people of Persia and Erech and Babylon and [f]Shushan, the Dehavites, the Elamites, 10 (J)and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnapper took captive and settled in the cities of Samaria and the remainder beyond [g]the River—(K)and[h] so forth.
11 (This is a copy of the letter that they sent him.)
To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the men of the region beyond the River, [i]and so forth:
12 Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem, and are building the (L)rebellious and evil city, and are finishing its (M)walls and repairing the foundations. 13 Let it now be known to the king that, if this city is built and the walls completed, they will not pay (N)tax, tribute, or custom, and the king’s treasury will be diminished. 14 Now because we receive support from the palace, it was not proper for us to see the king’s dishonor; therefore we have sent and informed the king, 15 that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. And you will find in the book of the records and know that this city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, and that they have incited sedition within the city in former times, for which cause this city was destroyed.
16 We inform the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, the result will be that you will have no dominion beyond the River.
17 The king sent an answer:
To Rehum the commander, to Shimshai the scribe, to the rest of their companions who dwell in Samaria, and to the remainder beyond the River:
Peace, [j]and so forth.
18 The letter which you sent to us has been clearly read before me. 19 And [k]I gave the command, and a search has been made, and it was found that this city in former times has revolted against kings, and rebellion and sedition have been fostered in it. 20 There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem, who have (O)ruled over all the region (P)beyond the River; and tax, tribute, and custom were paid to them. 21 Now [l]give the command to make these men cease, that this city may not be built until the command is given by me.
22 Take heed now that you do not fail to do this. Why should damage increase to the hurt of the kings?
23 Now when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem against the Jews, and by force of arms made them cease. 24 Thus the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem ceased, and it was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Footnotes
- Ezra 4:1 enemies
- Ezra 4:3 Temple
- Ezra 4:7 Or in peace
- Ezra 4:8 The original language of Ezra 4:8 through 6:18 is Aramaic.
- Ezra 4:9 Lit. Then
- Ezra 4:9 Or Susa
- Ezra 4:10 The Euphrates
- Ezra 4:10 Lit. and now
- Ezra 4:11 Lit. and now
- Ezra 4:17 Lit. and now
- Ezra 4:19 Lit. by me a decree has been put forth
- Ezra 4:21 put forth a decree
Ezra 4
New International Version
Ezra 4
New International Version
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]
8 Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows:
9 Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary, together with the rest of their associates(J)—the judges, officials and administrators over the people from Persia, Uruk(K) and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa,(L) 10 and the other people whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal(M) deported and settled in the city of Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates.(N)
11 (This is a copy of the letter they sent him.)
To King Artaxerxes,
From your servants in Trans-Euphrates:
12 The king should know that the people who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are restoring the walls and repairing the foundations.(O)
13 Furthermore, the king should know that if this city is built and its walls are restored, no more taxes, tribute or duty(P) will be paid, and eventually the royal revenues will suffer.[e] 14 Now since we are under obligation to the palace and it is not proper for us to see the king dishonored, we are sending this message to inform the king, 15 so that a search may be made in the archives(Q) of your predecessors. In these records you will find that this city is a rebellious city, troublesome to kings and provinces, a place with a long history of sedition. That is why this city was destroyed.(R) 16 We inform the king that if this city is built and its walls are restored, you will be left with nothing in Trans-Euphrates.
17 The king sent this reply:
To Rehum the commanding officer, Shimshai the secretary and the rest of their associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates:(S)
Greetings.
18 The letter you sent us has been read and translated in my presence. 19 I issued an order and a search was made, and it was found that this city has a long history of revolt(T) against kings and has been a place of rebellion and sedition. 20 Jerusalem has had powerful kings ruling over the whole of Trans-Euphrates,(U) and taxes, tribute and duty were paid to them. 21 Now issue an order to these men to stop work, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order. 22 Be careful not to neglect this matter. Why let this threat grow, to the detriment of the royal interests?(V)
23 As soon as the copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum and Shimshai the secretary and their associates,(W) 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(X) king of Persia.
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Nuova Riveduta 2006 (NR2006)
Copyright © 2006 Società Biblica di Ginevra
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