Chronological
4 2 The building of the Temple is hindered, and how, 11 Letters to Artaxerxes, and the answer.
1 But [a]the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard, that the children of the captivity built the Temple unto the Lord God of Israel.
2 And they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief fathers, and said unto them, We will build with you: for we seek the Lord your God as ye do, and we have sacrificed unto him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, which brought us up hither.
3 Then Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief fathers of Israel said unto them, It is not for you, but for us to build the house unto our God: [b]for we ourselves together will build it unto the Lord God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.
4 Wherefore the people of the land [c]discouraged the people of Judah, and troubled them in building.
5 And they [d]hired counselors against them, to hinder their devise all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
6 And in the reign of [e]Ahasuerus (in the beginning of his reign) wrote they an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
7 And in the days of [f]Artachshashta, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions wrote when it was peace, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia, and the writing of the letter was the Aramites writing, and the thing declared was in the language of the Aramites.
8 Rehum the [g]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 their companions [h]Dinai, and Apharsathcai, Tarpelai, Persia, Archevai, Bablai, Shushanchai, Dehave, Elamai,
10 And the rest of the people whom the great and noble [i]Osnapper brought over, and set in the cities of Samaria, and other that are beyond the [j]River and [k]Cheeneth.
11 ¶ This is the copy of the letter that they sent unto King Artaxerxes, THY SERVANTS the men beyond the River and Cheeneth, salute thee.
12 Be it known unto the King that the Jews, which came up from thee to us, are come unto Jerusalem (a city rebellious and wicked) and build, and lay the foundations of the walls, and have joined the foundations.
13 Be it known now unto the king, that if this city be built, and the foundations of the walls laid, they will not give toll, tribute, nor [l]custom: so shalt thou hinder the king’s tribute.
14 Now therefore because [m]we have been brought up in the King’s palace, it was not meet for us to see the King’s dishonor: for this cause have we sent and certified the King,
15 That one may search in the book of the Chronicles of thy fathers, and thou shalt find in the book of the Chronicles, and perceive that this city is rebellious and noisome unto kings and provinces, and that they have moved sedition of old time, for the which cause this city was destroyed.
16 We certify the king therefore, that if this city be built, and the foundation of the walls laid, by this means the portion beyond the River shall not be thine.
17 ¶ The King sent an answer unto Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions that dwelt in Samaria, and unto the other beyond the River, [n]Shelam and [o]Cheeth.
18 ¶ The letter which ye sent unto us, hath been openly read before me,
19 And I have commanded and they have searched, and found, that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and hath rebelled, and rebellion hath been committed therein.
20 There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, which have ruled over all beyond the River, and toll, tribute and custom was given unto them.
21 Make ye now a decree that those men may cease, and that the city be not built, till I have given another commandment.
22 Take heed now that ye fail not to do this: why should damage grow to hurt the king?
23 When the copy of king Artaxerxes’s letter was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in all the haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and caused them to cease by force and power.
24 Then [p]ceased the work of the house of God, which was in Jerusalem, and did stay unto the second year of Darius king of Persia.
5 1 Haggai and Zechariah do prophesy. 3 The work of the Temple goeth forward contrary to the mind of Tattenai. 6 His letters to Darius.
1 Then [q](A)Haggai a Prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo a Prophet prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah, and Jerusalem, in the Name of the God of Israel, even unto them.
2 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose, and began to build the house of God at Jerusalem, and with them were the Prophets of God, which [r]helped them.
3 ¶ At the same time came to them Tattenai which was captain beyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai, and their companions, and said thus unto them, Who hath given you commandment to build this house, and to lay the foundations of these walls?
4 [s]Then said we unto them after this manner, What are the names of the men that build this building?
5 But the [t]eye of their God was upon the Elders of the Jews, that they could not cause them to cease, till the matter came to Darius: and then they answered by letters thereunto.
6 The copy of the letter, that Tattenai captain beyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai and his companions, Persians, (which were beyond the river) sent unto King Darius.
7 They sent a letter unto him, wherein it 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 built with [u]great stones, and beams are laid in the walls, and this work is wrought speedily, and prospereth in their hands.
9 Then asked we those Elders, and said unto them thus, Who hath given you commandment to build this house, and to lay the foundation of these walls?
10 We asked their names also that we might certify thee, and that we might write the names of the men that were their rulers.
11 But they answered us thus, and said, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was built of old and many years ago, which a [v]great king of Israel (B)built, and founded it.
12 But after that our fathers had provoked the God of heaven unto wrath, (C)he gave them over into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babel the Chaldean, and he destroyed this house, and carried the people away captive unto Babel.
13 But in the [w]first year of Cyrus king of Babel, King Cyrus made a decree to build this house of God.
14 And the vessels of gold and silver of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the Temple, that was in Jerusalem, and brought them into the Temple of Babel, those did Cyrus the king take out of the Temple of Babel, and they gave them unto one [x]Sheshbazzar by his name, whom he had made captain.
15 And he said unto him, Take these vessels and go thy way, and put them in the Temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be built in his place.
16 Then came the same Sheshbazzar and laid the foundation of the house of God, which is in Jerusalem, and since that time even until now, hath it been in building, yet is it not finished.
17 Now therefore if it please the king, let there be search made in the house of the king’s [y]treasures, which is there in Babel, whether a decree hath been made by king Cyrus, to build this house of God in Jerusalem, and let the King send his mind concerning this.
6 At the commandment of Darius king of Persia, after the Temple was built and dedicated, the children of Israel keep the feast of unleavened bread.
1 Then king Darius gave commandment, and they made search in the [z]library of the treasures, which were there laid up in Babel.
2 And there was found in a [aa]coffer (in the palace that was in the province of the Medes) a volume, and therein was it thus written, as a memorial,
3 IN THE FIRST year of King Cyrus, King Cyrus made a decree for the house of God in Jerusalem, Let the house be built, even the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the walls thereof be joined together: let the height thereof be threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits,
4 Three [ab]orders of [ac]great stones, and one order of timber, and let the expenses be given of the king’s house.
5 And also let them render the vessels of the house of God (of gold and silver, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the Temple, which was in Jerusalem, and brought unto Babel) and let [ad]him go unto the Temple that is in Jerusalem to his place, and put them in the house of God.
6 Therefore Tattenai captain beyond the river, and Shethar-Boznai, (and their companions Apharsecai, which are beyond the River) be ye far [ae]from thence.
7 Suffer ye the work of this house of God, that the captain of the Jews and the Elders of the Jews may build this house of God in his place.
8 For I have given a commandment what ye shall do to the Elders of these Jews, for the building of this house of God, that of the revenues of the King, which is of the tribute beyond the River, there be incontinently expenses given unto these men that they [af]cease not.
9 And that which they shall have need of, let it be given unto them day by day, whether it be young bullocks, or rams, or lambs for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the appointment of the Priests that are in Jerusalem, that there be no fault,
10 That they may have to offer sweet odors unto the God of heaven, and pray for the king’s life, and for his sons.
11 And I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this sentence, the wood shall be pulled down from his house, and shall be set up, and he shall be hanged thereon, and his house shall be made a dunghill for this.
12 And the God that hath caused his Name [ag]to dwell there, destroy all kings and people that put to their hand to alter and to destroy this house of God, which is in Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree, let it be done with speed.
13 ¶ Then Tattenai the Captain beyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai and their companions, according to that which Darius had sent, so they did speedily.
14 So the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered by the prophesying of [ah]Haggai the Prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, and they built and finished it, by the appointment of the God of Israel, and by the commandment of Cyrus and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.
15 And this house was finished the third day of the month [ai]Adar, which was [aj]the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.
16 ¶ And the children of Israel, the Priests, and the Levites, and the residue of the children of the captivity kept the dedication of this house of God with joy,
17 And offered at the dedication of this house of God an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and twelve goats, for the sin of all Israel, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.
18 And they set the Priests in their order, and the Levites in their courses over the service of God in Jerusalem, as it is written in the (D)book of Moses.
19 And the children of the captivity kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.
20 (For the Priests and the Levites were purified altogether) and they killed the Passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the Priests, and for themselves.
21 So the children of Israel which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had [ak]separated themselves unto them, from the filthiness of the Heathen of the land to seek the Lord God of Israel, did eat,
22 And they kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the Lord had made them glad, and turned the heart of the king of [al]Assyria unto them, to [am]encourage them in the work of the house of God, even the God of Israel.
137 1 The people of God in their banishment seeing God’s true Religion decay, lived in great anguish and sorrow of heart: the which grief the Chaldeans did so little pity, 3 That they rather increased the same daily with taunts, reproaches and blasphemies against God. 7 Wherefore the Israelites desire God, first to punish the Edomites, who provoked the Babylonians against them, 8 And moved by the Spirit of God, prophesy the destruction of Babylon, where they were handled so tyrannously.
1 By the rivers of Babel we [a]sat, and there we wept, when we remembered Zion.
2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst [b]thereof.
3 Then they that led us captive, [c]required of us songs and mirth, when we had hanged up our harps, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
4 How shall we sing, said we, a song of the Lord in a strange land?
5 [d]If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget to play.
6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth: yea, if I prefer not Jerusalem to my [e]chief joy.
7 Remember the children of [f]Edom, O Lord, in the [g]day of Jerusalem, which said, Raze it, raze it to the foundation thereof.
8 O daughter of Babel, worthy to be destroyed, blessed shall he be that rewardeth thee, as thou hast served us.
9 [h]Blessed shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy children against the stones.
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