A Plot to Hinder the Work

4 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin learned that the descendants of the Babylonian^[a] captivity had built their Temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, ² they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the families^[b] with this message: “Let’s build along with you, because, like you, we seek your God, as do you, and we’ve been making sacrifices to him since the reign of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, who brought us here.”

³ But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of the families^[c] of Israel replied, “You have no part in our plans for^[d] building a temple to our God, because we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, in accordance with the decree issued by King Cyrus, king of Persia.”

The Plot Succeeds—for a While

⁴ After this, the non-Israeli inhabitants^[e] of the land undermined^[f] the people of Judah, harassing them in their construction work ⁵ by bribing their consultants in order to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of Cyrus, king of Persia until Darius became king.^[g]