² “Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, saying: ‘This people says, “The time has not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.” ’ ”

¹⁰ Then Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is failing, and there is so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall.”

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.

Restoration of the Temple Resumed^(A)

5 Then the prophet ^(B)Haggai and ^(C)Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. ² So ^(D)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of ^[a]Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and ^(E)the prophets of God were with them, helping them.

^10 (A)Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your ^(B)might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

^31 (A)But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”