Chronological

4 And the enemies of Judah and of Benjamin heard, that the sons of (the) captivity builded a temple to the Lord God of Israel;

² and they came to Zerubbabel, and to the princes of (the) fathers, and said to them, Build we with you, for so as ye do, we seek your God (and they came to Zerubbabel, and to the leaders of the families, and said to them, Let us build with you, for we seek your God, as ye do); lo! we have offered sacrifices (to him) from the days of Esarhaddon, king of Assur, that brought us hither into this land.

³ And Zerubbabel, and Joshua, and the other princes of the fathers of Israel, said to them, It is not to us and to you, that we build an house to our God; but we us-selves alone shall build an house to the Lord our God, as Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us. (And Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the other leaders of the families of the tribes of Israel, said to them, It is of no concern to thee, that we build a House for our God; yea, we shall build by ourselves the House for the Lord our God, as Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.)

⁴ And it was done, that the people of the land hindered the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building. (And then it was done, that the people of the land hindered the hands of the people of Judah, and made them afraid to continue building.)

⁵ And they hired counsellors against the Jews, that they should destroy the counsel, or purpose, of the Jews, in all the days of Cyrus, king of Persia, and unto the realm of Darius, king of Persia. (And they bribed court officials to work against the Jews, in all the days of Cyrus, the king of Persia, and into the reign of Darius, the king of Persia.)

⁶ And in the realm of Ahasuerus, he is (also) called Artaxerxes, in the beginning of his realm, they writed accusing against the dwellers of Judah and of Jerusalem; (And then in the kingdom of Ahasuerus, who is also called Artaxerxes, at the beginning of his reign, they wrote accusations against the inhabitants of Judah and of Jerusalem;)

⁷ and in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam wrote, and Mithredath, and Tabeel, and others, that were in the counsel of them, to Artaxerxes, king of Persia. And the epistle of accusing was written in the language of Syria, and it was read in the word of Syria. (yea, in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, and Mithredath, and Tabeel, and their counsellors, or their officials, wrote to Artaxerxes, the king of Persia. And their letter of accusation was written in the Aramaic language, and it was read aloud in Aramaic.)

⁸ Rehum, B’el T’em, and Shimshai, the scribe, wrote such an epistle from Jerusalem to king Artaxerxes, [on this manner]; (And Rehum, the chancellor, and Shimshai, the provincial secretary, also wrote a letter from Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes, in this manner;)

⁹ Rehum, B’el T’em, and Shimshai, the scribe, and [the] other counsellors of them (From Rehum, the chancellor, and Shimshai, the provincial secretary, and their counsellors, or their officials), (the) Dinaites, Apharsathchites, and Tarpelites, Apharistes, Archevites, men of Babylon, Susanchites, Dehavites, (and) men of Elam,

¹⁰ and others of heathen men, which the great and glorious Asnapper translated, and made them to dwell in the cities of Samaria, and in other countries beyond the flood, in peace. (and others of the heathen, whom the great and glorious Asnapper carried off captive, and made them live in the cities of Samaria, and in other places in the province west of the Euphrates River, peace to you.)

¹¹ This is the exemplar of the epistle, that they sent to the king. To Artaxerxes, king, thy servants, men beyond the flood, say health to thee. (This is the text of the letter that they sent to the king. To King Artaxeres, from thy servants, we men here in the province west of the Euphrates River, who desire good health and prosperity for thee.)

¹² Be it known to the king, that the Jews, which went up from thee, be come to us in Jerusalem, a rebel and full evil city, which they build (again), and they make the ground walls thereof, and they array the walls above. (Be it known to the king, that the Jews, who left thee, have come to us here in Jerusalem, yea, a rebellious and very evil city, which they now rebuild, and they have laid the foundations, and now raise up the walls on top of them.)

¹³ Now therefore be it known to the king, that if that city be builded (again), and the walls thereof be restored, they shall not give tribute, and toll, and annual rents, and this trespass, or harm, shall come to the king. (And so now let it be known to the king, that if that city is rebuilt, and its walls be restored, then they will not pay tribute, or taxes, or tolls, or annual rents, and that this harm shall come to the king.)

¹⁴ Therefore we be mindful of the salt, that is, of meats made savory with salt, that we ate in thy palace, and for we held it unleaveful to see the harms of the king (and for we found it unacceptable to see the king harmed in any way), therefore we have sent and told (this) to the king;

¹⁵ that thou account (for) and seek in the books of [the] stories of thy fathers, and thou shalt find (it) written in (the) chronicles, and (then) thou shalt know, that that city Jerusalem is a rebel city, and that it harmeth kings and provinces, and that battles be raised therein of eld days; wherefore also that city was destroyed. (and that if thou search in the books of the stories of thy fathers, thou shalt find it written in The Chronicles, and then thou shalt know, that this city Jerusalem hath long been a rebellious city, and that it harmeth kings and provinces, and that battles be raised up there from days of old, or the olden days; and for that reason the city was destroyed.)

¹⁶ We tell to the king, that if that city be builded (again), and the walls thereof be restored, thou shalt not have possession beyond the flood. (We say to the king, that if that city is rebuilt, and its walls be restored, then thou shalt not have power, or authority, in the province west of the Euphrates River.)

¹⁷ The king sent word to Rehum, B’el T’em, and to Shimshai, the scribe, and to others that were in the counsel of them, to the dwellers of Samaria, and to others beyond the flood, and said, Health and peace. (And the king sent word by a letter, saying, To Rehum, the chancellor, and to Shimshai, the provincial secretary, and to their counsellors, or to their officials, who be inhabitants of Samaria, and to the others who live throughout the province west of the Euphrates River, health and peace to all of you.)

¹⁸ The accusing (The accusation), which ye sent to us, was read openly before me;

¹⁹ and it was commanded of me, and they reckoned, and they found, that that city rebelleth of eld days against kings, and dissensions and battles be raised therein; (and I commanded that they search in The Chronicles, and indeed they found, that that city in days of old rebelled against kings, and dissensions and battles were raised up there;)

²⁰ for why there were in Jerusalem full strong kings, which also were lords of all the country that is beyond the flood; also those kings took tribute, and toll, and rents. (for there were very strong kings in Jerusalem, who were also lords of all the province that is west of the Euphrates River; and those kings took tribute, or taxes, and tolls, and rents.)

²¹ Now therefore hear ye the sentence, that ye forbid those men to build, and that that city be not builded (again), till if peradventure it be commanded of me. (And so now listen ye to my decree, which is, that ye forbid those men to continue to build, and that that city not be rebuilt, unless, and until, I command it to be done.)

²² See ye, that this behest be not fulfilled negligently, and evil increase little and little against (the) kings. (See ye, that this command be not carelessly fulfilled, for then evil would increase little by little against the king.)

²³ Therefore the exemplar of the commandment of king Artaxerxes was read before Rehum, B’el T’em, and Shimshai, the scribe, and their counsellors; and they went in haste into Jerusalem to the Jews, and they forbade them to build, with arm and might. (And so when the text of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, the chancellor, and Shimshai, the provincial secretary, and their counsellors, or their officials, they went in haste to the Jews in Jerusalem, and with might and arms, or weapons, they forbade them to continue building.)

²⁴ Then the work of God’s house in Jerusalem was left [off], and it was not made till to the second year of the realm of Darius, king of Persia. (And so the work on the House of God in Jerusalem was stopped, and it was not started again until the second year of the reign of Darius, the king of Persia.)

5 Forsooth Haggai, the prophet, and Zechariah, the prophet, the son of Iddo, prophesied, prophesying in the name of (the) God of Israel, to the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem.

² Then Zerubbabel, the son of Salathiel, and Joshua, the son of Jozadak, rose up, and began to build (again) the temple of God in Jerusalem; and with them rose up the prophets of God, helping them. (And then Zerubbabel, the son of Salathiel, and Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, rose up, and began to rebuild the Temple of God in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God rose up with them, to help them.)

³ And in that time Tatnai, that was duke beyond the flood, and Shetharboznai, and the counsellors of them, came to them; and said thus to them, Who gave counsel to you to build this house (again), and to restore these walls? (And at that time, Tatnai, who was the governor of the province west of the Euphrates River, and Shetharboznai, and their counsellors, or their officials, came to them; and said to them thus, Who gave counsel to you to rebuild this House, and to restore these walls?)

⁴ To the which thing we answered to them, and told them, which were the names of (the) men (what the names of the men were), (who were the) authors of that building.

⁵ Forsooth the eye of [the] God of them was made on the elder men of (the) Jews, and they might not forbid, or hinder, the Jews to build; and it pleased (them) that the thing should be told to Darius, and that then they should make satisfaction against that accusing. (But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, and so they did not forbid, or hinder, the Jews from continuing to build; and it pleased them to report all of this to Darius, but to take no action until he replied to them.)

⁶ This is the exemplar of the epistle, which Tatnai, duke of the country beyond the flood, and Shetharboznai, and his counsellors, (the) Apharsachites, which were beyond the flood, sent to king Darius. (This is the text of the letter, which Tatnai, the governor of the province west of the Euphrates River, and Shetharboznai, and his counsellors, or his officials, the Apharsachites, who also lived there in the province west of the Euphrates River, sent to King Darius.)

⁷ The word which they sent to him was written thus; All peace be to king Darius.

⁸ Be it known to the king, that we went to the province of Judea, to the house of [the] great God, which is (being) builded (again) with stone(s) unpolished, and wood (that) be set in the walls thereof, and that (the) work is builded diligently, and increaseth in the hands of them. (Be it known to the king, that we went to the province of Judah, to the House of the great God, which is being rebuilt with unpolished stones, and timber that be set in its walls, and that the work is being diligently done, and progresseth under their hands.)

⁹ Therefore we asked those eld(er) men, and thus we said to them, Who gave to you power to build (again) this house, and to restore these walls? (And so we asked those elders, and we said to them thus, Who gave you the authority to rebuild this House, and to restore these walls?)

¹⁰ But also we asked of them their names, that we should tell to thee; and we have written the names of those men, which they be, that be princes among them. (And we also asked them their names, so that we could tell them to thee; and we have listed the names of those men, who they be, who be the leaders of this work.)

¹¹ Soothly they answered by such (a) word, and said, We be the servants of (the) God of heaven and of earth; and we build (again) the temple that was builded before these many years, and which temple the great king of Israel had builded, and made (and we rebuild the Temple that was built here many years ago, which Temple the great king of Israel had built and furnished).

¹² But after that our fathers had stirred [the] God of heaven and of earth to wrathfulness, he betook them in(to) the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, (the) Chaldean, king of Babylon; and he destroyed this house, and translated the people thereof into Babylon (and carried off the people to Babylon).

¹³ And in the first year of Cyrus, king of Babylon, this Cyrus, king of Babylon, putted forth a commandment, that the house of God should be builded (again).

¹⁴ For why king Cyrus brought forth from the temple of Babylon also the golden and silveren vessels of God’s temple, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple, that was in Jerusalem, and had borne those away into the temple of Babylon, and those vessels were given to Sheshbazzar, by name, whom he made also prince (of Judah). (And King Cyrus brought forth from the temple in Babylon the gold and the silver vessels of the Temple of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple that was in Jerusalem, and had carried them away to that temple in Babylon, and those vessels were given to Sheshbazzar, by name, whom Cyrus had appointed to be the governor of Judah.)

¹⁵ And Cyrus said to him, Take these vessels, and go, and set them in the temple, that is in Jerusalem; and be the house of God builded (again) in the place where it was. (And Cyrus said to him, Take these vessels, and go, and put them in the Temple, that is in Jerusalem; and let the House of God be rebuilt in the place where it once was.)

¹⁶ Therefore then that Sheshbazzar came, and setted the foundaments of God’s temple in Jerusalem; and from that time till to now it is builded, and it is not yet fulfilled. (And so then that Sheshbazzar came, and laid the foundation of the Temple of God in Jerusalem; and from that time until now it is being rebuilt, but it is not yet finished.)

¹⁷ Now therefore, if it seemeth good to the king, reckon he in the biblet of the king, which is in Babylon, whether it be commanded of king Cyrus, that God’s house should be builded (again) in Jerusalem; and send he to us the will of the king on this thing. (And so now, if it seemeth good to the king, let a search be made in the library, or in the archives, of the king, which is there in Babylon, to determine whether it was commanded by King Cyrus, that the House of God should be rebuilt in Jerusalem, or not; and then send he to us the desire of the king on this matter.)

6 Then king Darius commanded, and they reckoned, or sought, in the biblet of books, which books were kept in Babylon. (Then King Darius commanded, and they searched through the books in the library, or in the archives, which books were kept in Babylon.)

² And one book was found in Ecbatana, which is a castle in the province of Media, and such a sentence of the king was written therein. (But one book was found in the city of Achmetha, in the province of Media, in the castle there, and this statement about the king was written in it;)

³ In the first year of king Cyrus, Cyrus the king deemed, or ordained, that the house of God, which is in Jerusalem, should be builded (again) in the place where they offer(ed) sacrifices, and that they set (a) foundament supporting the height of sixty cubits, and the length of sixty cubits, (In the first year of King Cyrus, King Cyrus ordained that the House of God, which was in Jerusalem, should be rebuilt in the place where they had offered sacrifices, and that they lay a foundation to support a height of sixty cubits, and a length of sixty cubits,)

⁴ and set they three orders of stones unpolished, and so the orders of new wood. And costs thereto should be given of the king’s house. (and build they the walls out of three rows, or three layers, of unpolished stones, and one row, or one layer, of new timber. And let its costs, or its expenses, be paid out of the king’s treasury.)

⁵ But also the golden and silveren vessels of God’s temple, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple of Jerusalem, and brought them to Babylon, be they yielded, and borne again into the temple of Jerusalem, and into their place, which vessels also be set in the temple of God. (And also let the gold and the silver vessels from the Temple of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the Temple in Jerusalem, and brought to Babylon, be given back, and returned to the Temple in Jerusalem, to be put again in their proper place in the Temple of God.)

⁶ Now therefore Tatnai, duke of the country that is beyond the flood, and Shetharboznai, and your counsellors, (the) Apharsachites, which be beyond the flood, depart ye far (away) from them; (And so now Tatnai, the governor of the province that is west of the Euphrates River, and Shetharboznai, and your counsellors, or your officials, the Apharsachites, who also live there in the province west of the Euphrates River, should go far away from these people, that is, they should leave them alone;)

⁷ and suffer ye, that that temple of God be made of the duke of (the) Jews, and of the elder men of them; and that they build (again) that house of God in his place. (and allow ye, that the Temple of God be rebuilt by the leader of the Jews, and their elders; yea, that they rebuild the House of God there in its place.)

⁸ But also it is commanded of me, that that behooveth to be made of those priests of (the) Jews, that the house of God be builded (again); that is, that costs be given busily to those men (out) of the ark, (or the coffer,) of the king, that is, of the tributes, that be given of the country beyond the flood, lest the work be hindered. (And it is also commanded by me, what behooveth to be done for those elders of the Jews, so that the House of God can be rebuilt; that is, that their costs, or their expenses, be given to them out of the king’s treasury, that is, from the taxes paid in the province west of the Euphrates River, so that the work shall not be hindered, or interrupted.)

⁹ That if it be needed, give they both calves, and lambs, and kids into burnt sacrifice to [the] God of heaven; (and also that) wheat, (and) salt, and wine, and oil, by the custom of (the) priests that be in Jerusalem, be given to them by each day, that no complaint be in any thing. (And that whatever the priests who be in Jerusalem need, give it to them, yea, calves, and lambs, and goat kids for the burnt sacrifices to the God of heaven; and also wheat, and salt, and wine, and oil, yea, whatever is needed for each day, so that no complaint be made about anything.)

¹⁰ And (then) offer they offerings to [the] God of heaven; and (also) pray they for the life of the king, and of his sons.

¹¹ Therefore this sentence is set of me, that if any man change this behest, a (piece of) wood be taken of his house, and be it raised up, and be he hanged thereon; soothly his house be forfeited. (And so this decree is given by me, that if anyone change this command, a piece of timber be taken from his house, and it be raised up, and let him be hanged upon it; and then his house be forfeited.)

¹² And God, that maketh his name to dwell there, destroy all the realms and people, that hold forth their hand to impugn and destroy that house of God, which is in Jerusalem. I Darius have deemed the sentence, which I will (to) be fulfilled diligently (I, Darius, have given this decree, which I command to be diligently fulfilled).

¹³ Therefore Tatnai, duke of the country beyond the flood, and Shetharboznai, and his counsellors, did execution, either fulfilled, so diligently, by that that king Darius had commanded. (And so Tatnai, the governor of the province west of the Euphrates River, and Shetharboznai, and his counsellors, or his officials, diligently fulfilled what King Darius had commanded.)

¹⁴ Soothly the elder men of (the) Jews builded (the Temple), and had prosperity, by the prophecy of Haggai, the prophet, and (the prophecy) of Zechariah, the son of Iddo; and they builded (it), and made (it), for [the] God of Israel commanded (it), and for Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia, (also) commanded (it);

¹⁵ and they performed this house of God till to the third day of the month Adar, which is (in) the sixth year of the realm of king Darius. (and they finished this House of God on the third day of the month of Adar, or March, which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.)

¹⁶ And the sons of Israel, the priests and (the) deacons, and the others of the sons of (the) transmigration, that is, of them that came from the transmigration, made the hallowing of God’s house in joy; (And the Israelites, yea, the priests, and the Levites, and the others of the sons of the captivity, dedicated the House of God with great joy;)

¹⁷ and offered, in the hallowing of God’s house, an hundred calves, two hundred wethers, four hundred lambs, (and) twelve bucks of goats for the sin of all Israel, by the number of the lineages of Israel. (and offered, for the dedication of the House of God, a hundred calves, two hundred rams, and four hundred lambs, and for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve goat bucks, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.)

¹⁸ And they ordained (the) priests in their orders, and deacons in their whiles (and the Levites in their divisions), upon the works of God in Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of Moses.

¹⁹ And the sons of (the) transmigration made pask, in the fourteenth day of the first month. (And the sons of the captivity kept, or observed, the Passover on the fourteen day of the first month.)

²⁰ For the priests and deacons as one man were cleansed, all they were (made) clean to offer pask to all the sons of (the) transmigration, and to their brethren (the) priests, and to themselves. (For all the priests and the Levites cleansed themselves, yea, they were all purified, and then they killed the Passover lamb for all the sons of the captivity, and for their fellow priests, and for themselves.)

²¹ And the sons of Israel ate, that turned again from the transmigration, and each man ate, that had separated himself from all the defouling of heathen men of the land, for to seek the Lord God of Israel. (And then the Israelites, who had returned from the captivity, and also each man who had separated himself from all the defiling of the heathen of the land, to seek the Lord God of Israel, ate the Passover.)

²² And they made the solemnity of therf loaves seven days in gladness (And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy); for the Lord had made them glad, and had turned the heart of the king of Assur to them, (so) that he would help their hands in the work of the house of the Lord God of Israel.

137 On the floods of Babylon, there we sat, and wept; while we bethought on Zion. (By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, and wept; when we thought about Zion.)

² In sallows in the midst thereof; we hanged up our organs. (On the willows nearby; we hung up our harps.)

³ For they that led us prisoners; asked us there the words of songs. And they that led away us said; Sing ye to us an hymn of the songs of Zion. (For they who led us away as prisoners; told us to sing there. Yea, they who led us away said, Sing ye for us a hymn of the songs of Zion.)

⁴ How shall we sing a song of the Lord; in an alien land? (But how can we sing a song to the Lord, in a foreign, or a strange, land?)

⁵ If I forget thee, Jerusalem; my right hand be given to forgetting. (Yea, if I forget thee, Jerusalem; may my right hand forget how to play my harp/may my right hand wither away.)

⁶ My tongue cleave to my cheeks; if I bethink not on thee. If I purposed not of thee, Jerusalem; in the beginning of my gladness. (And may my tongue cleave to my cheeks; if I do not remember thee, Jerusalem. Yea, if I do not think of thee, as my greatest joy.)

⁷ Lord, have thou mind on the sons of Edom; for the day of Jerusalem. Which say, Extinguish ye, extinguish ye; till to the foundament therein. (Lord, remember what the Edomites did; on that day that Jerusalem fell. They said, Destroy ye it! destroy ye it! unto its foundations!)

⁸ Thou wretched daughter of Babylon; he is blessed, that yieldeth to thee thy yielding, which thou yieldest to us. (O wretched daughter of Babylon; happy is he, who doeth to thee, what thou hast done to us/happy be those, who repay thee, for all that thou hast done to us.)

⁹ He is blessed, that shall hold; and hurtle down his little children at the stone. (Happy is he/Happy be they, who shall take hold of thy little children; and hurtle them against a stone.)