Ezra 6

New International Version

The Decree of Darius

6 King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives^(A) stored in the treasury at Babylon. ²A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media, and this was written on it:

Memorandum:

³In 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.^(B) It is to be sixty cubits^[a] high and sixty cubits wide, ⁴with three courses^(C) of large stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid by the royal treasury.^(D) ⁵Also, the gold^(E) 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.^(F)

⁶Now then, Tattenai,^(G) governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai^(H) and you other officials of that province, stay away from there. ⁷Do 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.

⁸Moreover, 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,^(I) from the revenues^(J) of Trans-Euphrates, so that the work will not stop. ⁹Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, male lambs for burnt offerings^(K) 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, ¹⁰so that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the well-being of the king and his sons.^(L)

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

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

Completion and Dedication of the Temple

¹³Then, because of the decree King Darius had sent, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates^(Q) carried it out with diligence. ¹⁴So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching^(R) 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,^(S) Darius^(T) and Artaxerxes,^(U) kings of Persia. ¹⁵The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.^(V)

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

The Passover

¹⁹On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles celebrated the Passover.^(AB) ²⁰The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were all ceremonially clean. The Levites slaughtered^(AC) the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their relatives the priests and for themselves. ²¹So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves^(AD) from the unclean practices^(AE) of their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the Lord,^(AF) the God of Israel. ²²For seven days they celebrated with joy the Festival of Unleavened Bread,^(AG) because the Lord had filled them with joy by changing the attitude^(AH) of the king of Assyria so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel.

Footnotes

Ezra 6:3 That is, about 90 feet or about 27 meters
Ezra 6:17 Or purification offering

Proverbs 27:21-27

New International Version

²¹The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,^(A)
but people are tested by their praise.

²²Though you grind a fool in a mortar,
grinding them like grain with a pestle,
you will not remove their folly from them.

²³Be sure you know the condition of your flocks,^(B)
    give careful attention to your herds;
²⁴for riches do not endure forever,^(C)
    and a crown is not secure for all generations.
²⁵When the hay is removed and new growth appears
    and the grass from the hills is gathered in,
²⁶the lambs will provide you with clothing,
    and the goats with the price of a field.
²⁷You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed your family
    and to nourish your female servants.

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Hebrews 4

New International Version

A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God

4 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.^(A) ²For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.^[a]^(B) ³Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,

“So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’”^[b]^(C)

And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. ⁴For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.”^[c]^(D) ⁵And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”^(E)

⁶Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience,^(F) ⁷God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:

“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.”^[d]^(G)

⁸For if Joshua had given them rest,^(H) God would not have spoken^(I) later about another day. ⁹There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; ¹⁰for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works,^[e]^(J) just as God did from his.^(K) ¹¹Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.^(L)

¹²For the word of God^(M) is alive^(N) and active.^(O) Sharper than any double-edged sword,^(P) it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.^(Q) ¹³Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.^(R) Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Jesus the Great High Priest

¹⁴Therefore, since we have a great high priest^(S) who has ascended into heaven,^[f]^(T) Jesus the Son of God,^(U) let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.^(V) ¹⁵For we do not have a high priest^(W) who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are^(X)—yet he did not sin.^(Y) ¹⁶Let us then approach^(Z) God’s throne of grace with confidence,^(AA) so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Footnotes

Hebrews 4:2 Some manuscripts because those who heard did not combine it with faith
Hebrews 4:3 Psalm 95:11; also in verse 5
Hebrews 4:4 Gen. 2:2
Hebrews 4:7 Psalm 95:7,8
Hebrews 4:10 Or labor
Hebrews 4:14 Greek has gone through the heavens