The Daily Audio Bible

²⁴ Then the work of the house of God in Jerusalem ceased. So it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Restoration of the Temple Resumed

5 Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. ² Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Joshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, helping them.

³ At the same time Tattenai, governor of the province Beyond the River, and Shethar-Bozenai and their companions came to them and said to them, “Who issued a command for you to build this house and complete this structure?” ⁴ They also asked them, “What are the names of the men building this building?” ⁵ But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, so that they could not cause them to cease building until a command came from Darius. Consequently, they sent a letter concerning this matter.

⁶ This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor of the province Beyond the River, and Shethar-Bozenai and his colleagues, the officials who were in the province Beyond the River, sent to Darius the king.

⁷ This is the document that they sent to him, containing accordingly what follows:

“To Darius the king:

“All peace.

⁸ “May it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judah, to the temple of the great God, which is built with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls, and this work goes diligently, and prospers in their hands.

⁹ “Then we questioned those elders and said to them, ‘Who issued a command for you to build this house and complete this structure?’ ¹⁰ Also, we asked for their names in order to notify you and to document the names of the men that were their leaders.

¹¹ “Thus they returned us an answer, saying,

“ ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth and are rebuilding the temple that was built these many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed. ¹² Afterwards, our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, so He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and carried the people away into Babylon.

¹³ “ ‘However, in the first year of Cyrus the king of Babylon, King Cyrus made a decree to rebuild this house of God. ¹⁴ The vessels also of gold and silver of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and placed them into the temple of Babylon, those Cyrus the king withdrew from the temple of Babylon and had them delivered to the one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor. ¹⁵ King Cyrus said to him, “Take these vessels, go, carry them to the temple in Jerusalem and let the house of God be built its site.”

¹⁶ “ ‘So that same Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God in Jerusalem. Since that time even until now it has been under construction, yet it is not finished.’

¹⁷ “Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, let there be search made in the king’s treasure house there in Babylon to ascertain if it is so that a decree was made of Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem. May the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter.”

The Decree of Darius

6 Then Darius the king issued a decree and a search was made in the house of records, where the treasures were stored in Babylon. ² At Ecbatana, in the provincial palace of the Medes, a scroll was found, and in it the following record was written:

³ “In the first year of Cyrus the king, the same Cyrus the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God at Jerusalem:

“Let the house be rebuilt, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations of it be strongly laid, to a height of sixty cubits,^[a] and a width of sixty cubits. ⁴ Let it consist of three rows of great stones and a row of new timber, and let the expenses be paid from the king’s treasury. ⁵ Also, let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be returned and brought back to their places in the temple in Jerusalem. Put them in the house of God.

⁶ “Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the province Beyond the River, and Shethar-Bozenai, along with your colleagues, the officials who are in the province Beyond the River, stay far away from there. ⁷ Let the work of this house of God alone. Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in its place.

⁸ “Moreover, I issue a decree concerning what you shall do for the elders of these Jews for the rebuilding of this house of God:

“The cost is to be paid to these men, in full and without delay, from the royal revenue, the tribute of the province Beyond the River. ⁹ Whatever they need—whether young bulls, rams, and lambs for the burnt offerings to the God of heaven, or wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the appointment of the priests in Jerusalem—let it be given them daily without fail, ¹⁰ so that they may offer acceptable sacrifices to the God of heaven, as well as pray for the life of the king and of his sons.

¹¹ “Also, I have issued a decree that whoever shall violate this word, the timber will be pulled down from his house and arranged so that he may be hanged on it. Thus shall his house be made a dunghill for this. ¹² May the God who has caused His name to dwell there overthrow all kings and people who stretch forth their hand to violate or destroy this house of God in Jerusalem.

“I, Darius, have issued the decree; so let it be done diligently.”

Completion and Dedication of the Temple

¹³ In compliance, Tattenai, governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-Bozenai, and their companions speedily accomplished what Darius the king had decreed. ¹⁴ The rebuilding by the elders of the Jews prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built, and finished it, according to the decree of the God of Israel and according to the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. ¹⁵ This temple was finished on the third day of the month Adar during the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

¹⁶ The children of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the descendants of the captivity kept the dedication of this house of God with joy. ¹⁷ At the dedication of this house of God, they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and as a sin offering for all Israel, they offered twelve goats (according to the number of the tribes of Israel). ¹⁸ They appointed the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their orders for the service of God in Jerusalem, as it had been written in the Book of Moses.

The Passover

¹⁹ The children of the captivity kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. ²⁰ Because the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together, all of them were pure. So, they slaughtered the Passover lambs for all the descendants of the captivity, both for their brothers the priests and for themselves. ²¹ Then they ate together, both the children of Israel who had come out of captivity and all those who had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the nations of the land, in order to seek the Lord God of Israel. ²² With joy they observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days because the Lord had made them joyful. He had turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them and strengthened their hands in the work on the house of God, who is the God of Israel.

⁵ Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom you believed, even as the Lord gave to each one? ⁶ I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. ⁷ So then neither is he who plants nor he who waters anything, but God who gives the increase. ⁸ Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. ⁹ For we are laborers together with God: You are God’s vineyard; you are God’s building.

¹⁰ According to the grace of God which has been given to me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, but another builds on it. Now let each one take heed how he builds on it. ¹¹ For no one can lay another foundation than that which was laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or stubble, ¹³ each one’s work will be revealed. For the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. ¹⁴ If anyone’s work which he has built on the foundation endures, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss. But he himself will be saved, still going through the fire.

¹⁶ Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? ¹⁷ If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy. And you are His temple.

¹⁸ Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool that he may be wise. ¹⁹ For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness,”^{[a] 20} and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.”^{[b] 21} Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: ²² whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come, all are yours, ²³ and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

Psalm 29

A Psalm of David.