Opposition to Rebuilding the Temple

When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin(A) heard that the returned exiles[a](B) were building a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the family heads and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we also worship your God and have been sacrificing to him[b] since the time King Esar-haddon of Assyria brought us here.”(C)

But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other heads of Israel’s families answered them, “You may have no part with us in building a house for our God,(D) since we alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.”(E) Then the people who were already in the land[c] discouraged[d] the people of Judah and made them afraid(F) to build. They also bribed officials to act against them to frustrate their plans(G) throughout the reign of King Cyrus of Persia and until the reign of King Darius of Persia.(H)

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Footnotes

  1. 4:1 Lit the sons of the exile
  2. 4:2 Alt Hb tradition reads have not been sacrificing
  3. 4:4 Lit people of the land, also in v. 6
  4. 4:4 Lit weakened the hands of

Enemies Hinder the Work

Now when (A)the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that (B)the people of the exile were building a temple to the Lord God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ households, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for like you, we seek your God; (C)and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of (D)Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.” But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers’ households of Israel said to them, “(E)You have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build for the Lord God of Israel, (F)just as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.”

Then (G)the people of the land [a]discouraged the people of Judah, and frightened them from building, and bribed advisers against them to frustrate their advice all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezra 4:4 Lit slackened the hands of