² “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:

“‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed^(F) me to build^(G) a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. ³ Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them.

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

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

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

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

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