²¹ “I, Artaxerxes the king, hereby send this decree to all the treasurers in the province west of the Euphrates River^[a]: ‘You are to give Ezra, the priest and teacher of the law of the God of heaven, whatever he requests of you. ²² You are to give him up to 7,500 pounds^[b] of silver, 500 bushels^[c] of wheat, 550 gallons of wine, 550 gallons of olive oil,^[d] and an unlimited supply of salt. ²³ Be careful to provide whatever the God of heaven demands for his Temple, for why should we risk bringing God’s anger against the realm of the king and his sons? ²⁴ I also decree that no priest, Levite, singer, gatekeeper, Temple servant, or other worker in this Temple of God will be required to pay tribute, customs, or tolls of any kind.’

⁸ “The king should know that we went to the construction site of the Temple of the great God in the province of Judah. It is being rebuilt with specially prepared stones, and timber is being laid in its walls. The work is going forward with great energy and success.

⁹ “We asked the leaders, ‘Who gave you permission to rebuild this Temple and restore this structure?’ ¹⁰ And we demanded their names so that we could tell you who the leaders were.

¹¹ “This was their answer: ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the Temple that was built here many years ago by a great king of Israel. ¹² But because our ancestors angered the God of heaven, he abandoned them to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon,^[a] who destroyed this Temple and exiled the people to Babylonia. ¹³ However, King Cyrus of Babylon,^[b] during the first year of his reign, issued a decree that the Temple of God should be rebuilt. ¹⁴ King Cyrus returned the gold and silver cups that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple of God in Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of Babylon. These cups were taken from that temple and presented to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom King Cyrus appointed as governor of Judah. ¹⁵ The king instructed him to return the cups to their place in Jerusalem and to rebuild the Temple of God there on its original site. ¹⁶ So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the Temple of God in Jerusalem. The people have been working on it ever since, though it is not yet completed.’

¹⁷ “Therefore, if it pleases the king, we request that a search be made in the royal archives of Babylon to discover whether King Cyrus ever issued a decree to rebuild God’s Temple in Jerusalem. And then let the king send us his decision in this matter.”

¹² “The king should know that the Jews who came here to Jerusalem from Babylon are rebuilding this rebellious and evil city. They have already laid the foundation and will soon finish its walls. ¹³ And the king should know that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, it will be much to your disadvantage, for the Jews will then refuse to pay their tribute, customs, and tolls to you.

¹⁴ “Since we are your loyal subjects^[e] and do not want to see the king dishonored in this way, we have sent the king this information. ¹⁵ We suggest that a search be made in your ancestors’ records, where you will discover what a rebellious city this has been in the past. In fact, it was destroyed because of its long and troublesome history of revolt against the kings and countries who controlled it. ¹⁶ We declare to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, the province west of the Euphrates River will be lost to you.”

¹⁸ “The letter you sent has been translated and read to me. ¹⁹ I ordered a search of the records and have found that Jerusalem has indeed been a hotbed of insurrection against many kings. In fact, rebellion and revolt are normal there! ²⁰ Powerful kings have ruled over Jerusalem and the entire province west of the Euphrates River, receiving tribute, customs, and tolls. ²¹ Therefore, issue orders to have these men stop their work. That city must not be rebuilt except at my express command. ²² Be diligent, and don’t neglect this matter, for we must not permit the situation to harm the king’s interests.”