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Ezra 4:1-5
Holman Christian Standard Bible

Opposition to Rebuilding the Temple

4 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin(A) heard that the returned exiles[a](B) were building a temple for Yahweh, the God of Israel, 2 they approached Zerubbabel and the leaders of the families and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we also worship your God and have been sacrificing to Him[b] since the time King Esar-haddon of Assyria[c] brought us here.”(C)

3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other leaders of Israel’s families answered them, “You may have no part with us in building a house for our God,(D) since we alone must build it for Yahweh, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.”(E) 4 Then the people who were already in the land[d] discouraged[e] the people of Judah and made them afraid(F) to build. 5 They also bribed officials to act against them to frustrate their plans(G) throughout the reign of King Cyrus of Persia and until the reign of King Darius of Persia.[f](H)

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Footnotes

  1. Ezra 4:1 Lit the sons of the exile
  2. Ezra 4:2 Alt Hb tradition reads have not been sacrificing
  3. Ezra 4:2 Esar-haddon reigned 681–669 b.c.
  4. Ezra 4:4 Lit people of the land
  5. Ezra 4:4 Lit relaxed the hands of
  6. Ezra 4:5 Darius reigned 521–486 b.c.
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Ezra 4:1-5
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.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezra 4:1 Literally “the sons of the exile”
  2. Ezra 4:2 Literally “fathers”
  3. Ezra 4:3 Literally “fathers”
  4. Ezra 4:4 Literally “the hands of the people of Judah”
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Ezra 3
Ezra 5
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Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

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Lexham English Bible (LEB)

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