And the people of Israel who were present at that time kept the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread seven days.

No Passover like it had been kept in Israel since the times of the prophet Samuel;

In ancient times the events of his reign have been recorded—concerning those who sinned and acted wickedly toward the Lord beyond any other nation or kingdom and how they grieved the Lord deeply, so that the words of the Lord fell upon Israel.

saying, “Until the land has enjoyed its Sabbaths, it shall keep Sabbath all the time of its desolation until the completion of seventy years.”

Opposition to Rebuilding Jerusalem

In the time of King Artaxerxes of the Persians, Bishlam, Mithridates, Tabeel, Rehum, Beltethmus, the scribe Shimshai, and the rest of their associates living in Samaria and other places wrote him the following letter, against those who were living in Judea and Jerusalem:

And some joined them from the other nations of the land. And they erected the altar in its place, for all the peoples of the land were hostile to them and were stronger than they, and they offered sacrifices at the proper times and burnt offerings to the Lord morning and evening.

At the same time Sisinnes the governor of Syria and Phoenicia and Sathrabuzanes and their associates came to them and said,

Then this Sheshbazzar, after coming here, laid the foundations of the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem. Although it has been in process of construction from that time until now, it has not yet reached completion.’

with him was Eleazar son of Phinehas, and with them were Jozabad son of Jeshua and Moeth son of Binnui, the Levites. The whole was counted and weighed, and the weight of everything was recorded at that very time.

from the times of our ancestors, and we are in great sin to this day.

and to uncover a light for us in the house of the Lord our God and to give us food in the time of our servitude. Even in our bondage we were not forsaken by our Lord,

So let the leaders of the multitude stay, and let all those in our settlements who have foreign wives come at the time appointed

Jeshua and Anniuth and Sherebiah, Jadinus, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maiannas and Kelita, Azariah and Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, taught the law of the Lord, at the same time explaining what was read.