Beginning

4 ¶ Now when the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the sons of the captivity built the temple unto the LORD God of Israel,

² then they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the fathers and said unto them, Let us build with you, for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon, king of Assur, who brought us up here.

³ But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build a house unto our God; but we alone will build unto the LORD God of Israel as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.

⁴ Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah and troubled them in building

⁵ and hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their counsel, all the days of Cyrus, king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius, king of Persia.

⁶ ¶ And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote accusations against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

⁷ And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes, king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue and interpreted in the Syrian tongue.

⁸ Rehum, the chancellor, and Shimshai, the scribe, wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes, the king, in this sort:

⁹ Then wrote Rehum, the chancellor, and Shimshai, the scribe, and the rest of their companions, the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, the Dehavites, and the Elamites,

¹⁰ and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Asnappar (Sennacherib) brought over and set in the cities of Samaria and the rest that are on the other side of the river, and of Cheenet.

¹¹ This is the copy of the letter that they sent: Unto Artaxerxes, the king: Thy servants, the men of the other side of the river, and of Cheenet.

¹² Be it known unto the king that the Jews who came up from thee to us are come unto Jerusalem, building the rebellious and the bad city, and have founded the walls thereof and joined the foundations.

¹³ Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city is rebuilt, and the walls founded, they will not pay toll, tribute, and custom, and so the revenue of the kings shall be reduced.

¹⁴ Now because we are salted with the salt of the palace, and it is not just unto us to see the king’s dishonour; therefore, we have sent to make this known unto the king,

¹⁵ that search may be made in the book of the records of our fathers; so shalt thou find in the book of the records and know that this city is a rebellious city and hurtful unto kings and provinces and that from old time they form rebellions in the midst of her, for which cause this city was destroyed.

¹⁶ We notify the king that if this city is built again, and its walls founded, the portion on the other side of the river shall no longer be yours.

¹⁷ ¶ The king sent this answer unto Rehum, the chancellor, and to Shimshai, the scribe, and to the rest of their companions that dwell in Samaria and to the rest of those of the other side of the river and to Cheenet.

¹⁸ The letter which you sent unto us has been plainly read before me.

¹⁹ And I commanded, and search has been made, and it is found that this city of old time has made insurrection against kings and that rebellion and sedition have been made in her

²⁰ and that there have been mighty kings in Jerusalem, who have ruled over all that is beyond the river, and that toll, tribute, and custom, was paid unto them.

²¹ Give ye now commandment to cause these men to cease and that this city not be built until another commandment shall be given from me.

²² Take heed now that ye not fail to do this; why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?

²³ Now when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai, the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews and made them to cease by force and power.

²⁴ Then the work of the house of God which was at Jerusalem ceased. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius, king of Persia.

5 ¶ Then the prophets, Haggai, the prophet, and Zechariah, the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel unto them.

² Then Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, rose up and began to build the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and with them were the prophets of God helping them.

³ ¶ At the same time Tatnai, captain of this side the river, and Shetharboznai, and their companions came to them and said thus unto them, Who has commanded you to build this house and to make up this wall?

⁴ Then we said unto them regarding this, These are the names of the men that make this building!

⁵ For the eyes of their God were upon the elders of the Jews, and they could not cause them to cease until the matter came to Darius, and then they returned answer by letter concerning this matter.

⁶ The copy of the letter that Tatnai, captain of this side the river, and Shetharboznai, and his companions, the Apharsachites, which were on this side the river, sent unto Darius, the king:

⁷ they sent a letter unto him, in which was written thus; Unto Darius, the king, all peace.

⁸ Be it known unto the king that we went into the province of Judea, to the house of the great God, which is being built with stones of marble, and the timbers are laid in the walls, and this work is going fast and prospers in their hands.

⁹ Then we asked the elders and said unto them thus, Who commanded you to build this house and to found these walls?

¹⁰ We asked their names also, to notify thee, that we might write the names of the men that were at the head of them.

¹¹ And thus they returned us answer, saying, We are servants of the God of heaven and earth and rebuild the house that was built many years ago, which the great king of Israel built and founded.

¹² But after our fathers raged against the God of heaven, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried the people away into Babylon.

¹³ But in the first year of Cyrus the king of Babylon the same King Cyrus made a decree to build this house of God.

¹⁴ And the vessels also of gold and silver of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple that was in Jerusalem and had brought them into the temple of Babylon, those did Cyrus, the king take out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered unto Sheshbazzar, whom he had made captain;

¹⁵ and said unto him, Take these vessels, go, carry them into the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be built in his place.

¹⁶ Then the same Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God which was in Jerusalem, and since that time until now it is being built, and it is not yet finished.

¹⁷ Now, therefore, if it seems good to the king, let there be a search made in the king’s treasure house, which is there in Babylon, whether it is so, that a decree was made by Cyrus, the king, to build this house of God in Jerusalem, and let the king send unto us his will concerning this matter.

6 ¶ Then Darius, the king, gave a commandment, and a search was made in the house of the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon.

² And there was found in the coffer of the palace that is in the province of the Medes, a roll, and therein was a record thus written:

³ In the first year of Cyrus, the king, the same Cyrus, the king, gave a commandment concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, that the house be built as a place for sacrifices to be offered, and let the walls thereof be covered; the height thereof sixty cubits, and the breadth thereof sixty cubits;

⁴ the orders, three of stones of marble and one order of new timber and let the expenses be given out of the king’s house.

⁵ And also let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which was at Jerusalem and brought unto Babylon, be restored and go again unto the temple which is at Jerusalem, to his place, and let them be placed in the house of God.

⁶ Now therefore, Tatnai, captain of the other side of the river, Shetharboznai, and your companions, the Apharsachites, who are on the other side of the river, remove yourselves from there.

⁷ Leave the work of this house of God unto the captain of the Jews and to their elders that they may build this house of God in his place.

⁸ And by me is given the commandment regarding what ye shall do with the elders of these Jews, to build this house of God: that of the king’s goods, of the tribute from the other side of the river, the expenses be given unto these men, that they not cease.

⁹ And that which they have need of, both young bullocks and rams and lambs for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the word of the priests which are at Jerusalem, let it be given them day by day that they not cease:

¹⁰ that they may offer sacrifices of sweet savours unto the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king, and of his sons.

¹¹ It is also given by my commandment that whoever shall alter this word, let a timber be pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him be hanged upon it, and let his house be made a dunghill for this.

¹² And the God that has caused his name to dwell there destroy all kings and people that shall put to their hand to alter or to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made the decree; let it be done with speed.

¹³ ¶ Then Tatnai, captain of the other side of the river, Shetharboznai, and their companions, speedily did according to that which Darius, the king, had sent.

¹⁴ And the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered according to the prophecy of Haggai, the prophet, and Zechariah, the son of Iddo. They built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel and according to the commandment of Cyrus and of Darius and of Artaxerxes, king of Persia.

¹⁵ And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius, the king.

¹⁶ And the sons of Israel, the priests and the Levites and the rest of the sons of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy,

¹⁷ and they offered at the dedication of this house of God one hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and as the sin of all Israel, twelve he goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

¹⁸ And they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their courses over the work of God, which is at Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of Moses.

¹⁹ And the sons of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month.

²⁰ For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them were pure, and killed the passover for all the sons of the captivity and for their brethren, the priests, and for themselves.

²¹ And the sons of Israel who had returned out of captivity and all those who had separated themselves unto them from the uncleanness of the Gentiles of the land, to seek the LORD God of Israel, ate

²² and kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy; for the LORD had made them joyful and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

7 ¶ Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, Ezra, the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,

² the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,

³ the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,

⁴ the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,

⁵ the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the first priest.

⁶ This Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a diligent scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.

⁷ And there went up some of the sons of Israel and of the priests and the Levites and the singers and the porters and the Nethinims, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes, the king.

⁸ And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, in the seventh year of the king.

⁹ For upon the first of the first month he began to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.

¹⁰ For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD and to do it and to teach in Israel his statutes and judgments.

¹¹ ¶ Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra, the priest, the scribe, a scribe of the words of the commandments of the LORD and of his statutes over Israel.

¹² Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra, the priest, perfect scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and to Cheenet.

¹³ By me is given commandment, that any of the people of Israel and of his priests and Levites in my realm, who desire of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee.

¹⁴ For thou art sent on behalf of the king and of his seven counsellors, to inquire of Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thy hand,

¹⁵ and to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors freely offer unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem,

¹⁶ and all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people and of the priests, who offer willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem;

¹⁷ Therefore, with diligence thou shalt buy with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their presents and their drink offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.

¹⁸ And whatever shall seem good to thee and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God.

¹⁹ The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, thou shalt restore before the God of Jerusalem.

²⁰ And whatever else shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have need to bestow, bestow it out of the king’s treasure house.

²¹ And by me, Artaxerxes, the king, is given the commandment to all the treasurers who are on the other side of the river, that whatever Ezra, the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily,

²² unto one hundred talents of silver and to one hundred measures of wheat and to one hundred baths of wine and to one hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much.

²³ Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be speedily done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?

²⁴ Also unto you we cause it to be known, that regarding all of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, and ministers of the house of this God, no one shall be able to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them.

²⁵ And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thy hand, set as judges and governors, who govern all the people that are on the other side of the river, all such as know the laws of thy God, and teach those that do not know them.

²⁶ And whoever will not do the law of thy God and the law of the king, let them be judged speedily, whether it be unto death or to banishment or to confiscation of goods or to imprisonment.

²⁷ ¶ Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to honour the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem,

²⁸ and has extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counsellors and before all the king’s mighty princes. And I, comforted according to the hand of the LORD my God upon me, gathered together the principals of Israel to go up with me.