² “Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.”

¹⁰ In Judah it was said,^[a] “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.”

²³ Then, when the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their associates, they went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease. ²⁴ Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Rebuilding Begins Anew

5 Now the prophets, ^(A)Haggai and ^(B)Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. ^2 (C)Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and ^(D)Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were ^(E)with them, supporting them.

^31 (A)Then 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 are.”

¹⁰ Whatever your hand finds to do, ^(A)do it with your might,^{[a] (B)}for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.