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Proverbs 25:2
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Proverbs 25:2
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
2 It is the glory of God to conceal things,
but the glory of kings is to search things out.(A)
Proverbs 25:2
New International Version
Proverbs 25:2
New International Version
2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;
to search out a matter is the glory of kings.(A)
Deuteronomy 29:29
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Deuteronomy 29:29
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
29 The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and to our children forever, to observe all the words of this law.
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Deuteronomy 29:29
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Deuteronomy 29:29
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29 The secret things belong to the Lord our God,(A) but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.(B)
Romans 11:33-34
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Romans 11:33-34
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
33 O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!(A)
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?”(B)
Romans 11:33-34
New International Version
Romans 11:33-34
New International Version
Doxology
Footnotes
- Romans 11:33 Or riches and the wisdom and the
- Romans 11:34 Isaiah 40:13
Job 11:7-8
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Job 11:7-8
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Job 42:3
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Job 42:3
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me that I did not know.(A)
Job 42:3
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Job 42:3
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Job 38:4-39:30
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Job 38:4-39:30
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.(A)
5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone(B)
7 when the morning stars sang together
and all the heavenly beings[a] shouted for joy?(C)
8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors
when it burst out from the womb,(D)
9 when I made the clouds its garment
and thick darkness its swaddling band,(E)
10 and prescribed bounds for it,
and set bars and doors,(F)
11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come and no farther,
and here shall your proud waves be stopped’?(G)
12 “Have you commanded the morning since your days began
and caused the dawn to know its place,(H)
13 so that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth,
and the wicked be shaken out of it?(I)
14 It is changed like clay under the seal,
and it is dyed[b] like a garment.
15 Light is withheld from the wicked,
and their uplifted arm is broken.(J)
16 “Have you entered into the springs of the sea
or walked in the recesses of the deep?(K)
17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you,
or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?(L)
18 Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?
Declare, if you know all this.(M)
19 “Where is the way to the dwelling of light,
and where is the place of darkness,
20 that you may take it to its territory
and that you may discern the paths to its home?(N)
21 Surely you know, for you were born then,
and the number of your days is great!(O)
22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow,
or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,(P)
23 which I have reserved for the time of trouble,
for the day of battle and war?(Q)
24 What is the way to the place where the light is distributed
or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?(R)
25 “Who has cut a channel for the torrents of rain
and a way for the thunderbolt,(S)
26 to bring rain on a land where no one lives,
on the desert, which is empty of human life,(T)
27 to satisfy the waste and desolate land,
and to make the ground put forth grass?(U)
28 “Has the rain a father,
or who has fathered the drops of dew?(V)
29 From whose womb did the ice come forth,
and who has given birth to the hoarfrost of heaven?(W)
30 The waters become hard like stone,
and the face of the deep is frozen.
31 “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades
or loose the cords of Orion?(X)
32 Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season,
or can you guide the Bear with its children?
33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you establish their rule on the earth?(Y)
34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
so that a flood of waters may cover you?(Z)
35 Can you send forth lightnings, so that they may go
and say to you, ‘Here we are’?(AA)
36 Who has put wisdom in the inward parts[c]
or given understanding to the mind?[d](AB)
37 Who has the wisdom to number the clouds?
Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens
38 when the dust runs into a mass
and the clods cling together?
39 “Can you hunt the prey for the lion
or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,(AC)
40 when they crouch in their dens
or lie in wait in their covert?(AD)
41 Who provides for the raven its prey,
when its young ones cry to God
and wander about for lack of food?(AE)
39 “Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?
Do you observe the calving of the deer?(AF)
2 Can you number the months that they fulfill,
and do you know the time when they give birth,
3 when they crouch to give birth to their offspring
and are delivered of their young?(AG)
4 Their young ones become strong; they grow up in the open;
they go forth and do not return to them.
5 “Who has let the wild ass go free?
Who has loosed the bonds of the swift ass,(AH)
6 to which I have given the steppe for its home,
the salt land for its dwelling place?(AI)
7 It scorns the tumult of the city;
it does not hear the shouts of the driver.
8 It ranges the mountains as its pasture,
and it searches after every green thing.
9 “Is the wild ox willing to serve you?
Will it spend the night at your crib?(AJ)
10 Can you tie it in the furrow with ropes,
or will it harrow the valleys after you?
11 Will you depend on it because its strength is great,
and will you hand over your labor to it?
12 Do you have faith in it that it will return
and bring your grain to your threshing floor?[e]
13 “The ostrich’s wings flap wildly,
though its pinions lack plumage.[f]
14 For it leaves its eggs to the earth
and lets them be warmed on the ground,
15 forgetting that a foot may crush them
and that a wild animal may trample them.
16 It deals cruelly with its young, as if they were not its own;
though its labor should be in vain, yet it has no fear;(AK)
17 because God has made it forget wisdom
and given it no share in understanding.(AL)
18 When it spreads its plumes aloft,[g]
it laughs at the horse and its rider.
19 “Do you give the horse its might?
Do you clothe its neck with mane?(AM)
20 Do you make it leap like the locust?
Its majestic snorting is terrible.(AN)
21 It paws[h] violently, exults mightily;
it goes out to meet the weapons.(AO)
22 It laughs at fear and is not dismayed;
it does not turn back from the sword.
23 Upon it rattle the quiver,
the flashing spear, and the javelin.
24 With fierceness and rage it swallows the ground;
it cannot stand still at the sound of the trumpet.(AP)
25 When the trumpet sounds, it says ‘Aha!’
From a distance it smells the battle,
the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.(AQ)
26 “Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars
and spreads its wings toward the south?
27 Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up
and makes its nest on high?(AR)
28 It lives on the rock and makes its home
in the fastness of the rocky crag.
29 From there it spies the prey;
its eyes see it from far away.(AS)
30 Its young ones suck up blood,
and where the slain are, there it is.”(AT)
Job 38:4-39:30
New International Version
Job 38:4-39:30
New International Version
4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?(A)
Tell me, if you understand.(B)
5 Who marked off its dimensions?(C) Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line(D) across it?
6 On what were its footings set,(E)
or who laid its cornerstone(F)—
7 while the morning stars(G) sang together(H)
and all the angels[a](I) shouted for joy?(J)
8 “Who shut up the sea behind doors(K)
when it burst forth from the womb,(L)
9 when I made the clouds its garment
and wrapped it in thick darkness,(M)
10 when I fixed limits for it(N)
and set its doors and bars in place,(O)
11 when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;(P)
here is where your proud waves halt’?(Q)
12 “Have you ever given orders to the morning,(R)
or shown the dawn its place,(S)
13 that it might take the earth by the edges
and shake the wicked(T) out of it?(U)
14 The earth takes shape like clay under a seal;(V)
its features stand out like those of a garment.
15 The wicked are denied their light,(W)
and their upraised arm is broken.(X)
16 “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea
or walked in the recesses of the deep?(Y)
17 Have the gates of death(Z) been shown to you?
Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?(AA)
18 Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?(AB)
Tell me, if you know all this.(AC)
19 “What is the way to the abode of light?
And where does darkness reside?(AD)
20 Can you take them to their places?
Do you know the paths(AE) to their dwellings?
21 Surely you know, for you were already born!(AF)
You have lived so many years!
22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow(AG)
or seen the storehouses(AH) of the hail,(AI)
23 which I reserve for times of trouble,(AJ)
for days of war and battle?(AK)
24 What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,(AL)
or the place where the east winds(AM) are scattered over the earth?(AN)
25 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,
and a path for the thunderstorm,(AO)
26 to water(AP) a land where no one lives,
an uninhabited desert,(AQ)
27 to satisfy a desolate wasteland
and make it sprout with grass?(AR)
28 Does the rain have a father?(AS)
Who fathers the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb comes the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens(AT)
30 when the waters become hard as stone,
when the surface of the deep is frozen?(AU)
31 “Can you bind the chains[b] of the Pleiades?
Can you loosen Orion’s belt?(AV)
32 Can you bring forth the constellations(AW) in their seasons[c]
or lead out the Bear[d] with its cubs?(AX)
33 Do you know the laws(AY) of the heavens?(AZ)
Can you set up God’s[e] dominion over the earth?
34 “Can you raise your voice to the clouds
and cover yourself with a flood of water?(BA)
35 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?(BB)
Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who gives the ibis wisdom[f](BC)
or gives the rooster understanding?[g](BD)
37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
Who can tip over the water jars(BE) of the heavens(BF)
38 when the dust becomes hard(BG)
and the clods of earth stick together?(BH)
39 “Do you hunt the prey for the lioness
and satisfy the hunger of the lions(BI)
40 when they crouch in their dens(BJ)
or lie in wait in a thicket?(BK)
41 Who provides food(BL) for the raven(BM)
when its young cry out to God
and wander about for lack of food?(BN)
39 “Do you know when the mountain goats(BO) give birth?
Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?(BP)
2 Do you count the months till they bear?
Do you know the time they give birth?(BQ)
3 They crouch down and bring forth their young;
their labor pains are ended.
4 Their young thrive and grow strong in the wilds;
they leave and do not return.
5 “Who let the wild donkey(BR) go free?
Who untied its ropes?
6 I gave it the wasteland(BS) as its home,
the salt flats(BT) as its habitat.(BU)
7 It laughs(BV) at the commotion in the town;
it does not hear a driver’s shout.(BW)
8 It ranges the hills(BX) for its pasture
and searches for any green thing.
9 “Will the wild ox(BY) consent to serve you?(BZ)
Will it stay by your manger(CA) at night?
10 Can you hold it to the furrow with a harness?(CB)
Will it till the valleys behind you?
11 Will you rely on it for its great strength?(CC)
Will you leave your heavy work to it?
12 Can you trust it to haul in your grain
and bring it to your threshing floor?
13 “The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,
though they cannot compare
with the wings and feathers of the stork.(CD)
14 She lays her eggs on the ground
and lets them warm in the sand,
15 unmindful that a foot may crush them,
that some wild animal may trample them.(CE)
16 She treats her young harshly,(CF) as if they were not hers;
she cares not that her labor was in vain,
17 for God did not endow her with wisdom
or give her a share of good sense.(CG)
18 Yet when she spreads her feathers to run,
she laughs(CH) at horse and rider.
19 “Do you give the horse its strength(CI)
or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
20 Do you make it leap like a locust,(CJ)
striking terror(CK) with its proud snorting?(CL)
21 It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength,(CM)
and charges into the fray.(CN)
22 It laughs(CO) at fear, afraid of nothing;
it does not shy away from the sword.
23 The quiver(CP) rattles against its side,
along with the flashing spear(CQ) and lance.
24 In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;
it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.(CR)
25 At the blast of the trumpet(CS) it snorts, ‘Aha!’
It catches the scent of battle from afar,
the shout of commanders and the battle cry.(CT)
26 “Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom
and spread its wings toward the south?(CU)
27 Does the eagle soar at your command
and build its nest on high?(CV)
28 It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night;
a rocky crag(CW) is its stronghold.
29 From there it looks for food;(CX)
its eyes detect it from afar.
30 Its young ones feast on blood,
and where the slain are, there it is.”(CY)
Footnotes
- Job 38:7 Hebrew the sons of God
- Job 38:31 Septuagint; Hebrew beauty
- Job 38:32 Or the morning star in its season
- Job 38:32 Or out Leo
- Job 38:33 Or their
- Job 38:36 That is, wisdom about the flooding of the Nile
- Job 38:36 That is, understanding of when to crow; the meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
1 Kings 4:29-34
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
1 Kings 4:29-34
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Fame of Solomon’s Wisdom
29 God gave Solomon very great wisdom, discernment, and breadth of understanding as vast as the sand on the seashore,(A) 30 so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt.(B) 31 He was wiser than anyone else, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, children of Mahol; his fame spread throughout all the surrounding nations.(C) 32 He composed three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five.(D) 33 He would speak of trees, from the cedar that is in the Lebanon to the hyssop that grows in the wall; he would speak of animals, and birds, and reptiles, and fish. 34 People came from all the nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.(E)
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1 Kings 4:29-34
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1 Kings 4:29-34
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Solomon’s Wisdom
29 God gave Solomon wisdom(A) and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand(B) on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East,(C) and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.(D) 31 He was wiser(E) than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs(F) and his songs(G) numbered a thousand and five. 33 He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop(H) that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings(I) of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.[a]
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 4:34 In Hebrew texts 4:21-34 is numbered 5:1-14.
Job 29:16
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Job 29:16
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
16 I was a father to the needy,
and I championed the cause of the stranger.(A)
Job 29:16
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Job 29:16
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1 Kings 3:9-28
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1 Kings 3:9-28
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
9 Give your servant, therefore, an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil, for who can govern this great people of yours?”(A)
10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 God said to him, “Because you have asked this and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or for the life of your enemies but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right,(B) 12 I now do according to your word. Indeed, I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you, and no one like you shall arise after you.(C) 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with you.(D) 14 If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life.”(E)
15 Then Solomon awoke; it had been a dream. He came to Jerusalem, where he stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. He offered up burnt offerings and offerings of well-being and provided a feast for all his servants.(F)
Solomon’s Wisdom in Judgment
16 Later, two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 The one woman said, “Please, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth while she was in the house.(G) 18 Then on the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. We were together; there was no one else with us in the house; only the two of us were in the house. 19 Then this woman’s son died in the night because she lay on him. 20 She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while your servant slept. She laid him at her breast and laid her dead son at my breast.(H) 21 When I rose in the morning to nurse my son, I saw that he was dead, but when I looked at him closely in the morning, clearly it was not the son I had borne.” 22 But the other woman said, “No, the living son is mine, and the dead son is yours.” The first said, “No, the dead son is yours, and the living son is mine.” So they argued before the king.
23 Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son who is alive, and your son is dead,’ while the other says, ‘Not so! Your son is dead, and my son is the living one.’ ” 24 So the king said, “Bring me a sword,” and they brought a sword before the king. 25 The king said, “Divide the living boy in two; then give half to the one and half to the other.” 26 But the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because compassion for her son burned within her, “Please, my lord, give her the living boy; certainly do not kill him!” The other said, “It shall be neither mine nor yours; divide it.”(I) 27 Then the king responded, “Give her the living boy; do not kill him. She is his mother.” 28 All Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to execute justice.(J)
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1 Kings 3:9-28
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1 Kings 3:9-28
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9 So give your servant a discerning(A) heart to govern your people and to distinguish(B) between right and wrong. For who is able(C) to govern this great people of yours?”
10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked(D) for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment(E) in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked.(F) I will give you a wise(G) and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not(H) asked for—both wealth and honor(I)—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal(J) among kings. 14 And if you walk(K) in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”(L) 15 Then Solomon awoke(M)—and he realized it had been a dream.(N)
He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings(O) and fellowship offerings.(P) Then he gave a feast(Q) for all his court.
A Wise Ruling
16 Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me. 18 The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.
19 “During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. 21 The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”
22 The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.”
But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.
23 The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’”
24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. 25 He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
26 The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved(R) out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”
But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”
27 Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”
28 When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom(S) from God to administer justice.
Ezra 4:15
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Ezra 4:15
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
15 so that a search may be made in the annals of your ancestors. You will discover in the annals that this is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and that sedition was stirred up in it from long ago. On that account this city was laid waste.
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Ezra 4:15
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Ezra 4:15
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Ezra 4:19
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Ezra 4:19
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
19 So I made a decree, and someone searched and discovered that this city has risen against kings from long ago and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it.
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Ezra 4:19
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Ezra 4:19
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19 I issued an order and a search was made, and it was found that this city has a long history of revolt(A) against kings and has been a place of rebellion and sedition.
Job 40:2
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Job 40:2
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
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Footnotes
- 40.2 Traditional rendering of Heb Shaddai
Job 40:2
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Job 40:2
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Ezra 5:17-6:1
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Ezra 5:17-6:1
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17 And now, if it seems good to the king, have a search made in the royal archives there in Babylon, to see whether a decree was issued by King Cyrus for the rebuilding of this house of God in Jerusalem. Let the king send us his pleasure in this matter.”(A)
The Decree of Darius
6 Then King Darius made a decree, and they searched the archives where the documents were stored in Babylon.(B)
Ezra 5:17-6:1
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Ezra 5:17-6:1
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17 Now if it pleases the king, let a search be made in the royal archives(A) of Babylon to see if King Cyrus did in fact issue a decree to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision in this matter.
The Decree of Darius
6 King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives(B) stored in the treasury at Babylon.
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