Ezra 3:1–6:22
3 And when the aseventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. 2 Then 1Jeshua the son of bJozadak 2and his brethren the priests, cand Zerubbabel the son of dShealtiel and his brethren, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is ewritten in the Law of Moses the man of God. 3 Though fear had come upon them because of the people of those countries, they set the altar on its 3bases; and they offered fburnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening burnt offerings. 4 gThey also kept the Feast of Tabernacles, has it is written, and ioffered the daily burnt offerings in the number required by ordinance for each day. 5 Afterwards they offered the jregular burnt offering, and those for New Moons and for all the appointed feasts of the Lord that were consecrated, and those of everyone who willingly offered a freewill offering to the Lord. 6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, although the foundation of the temple of the Lord had not been laid. 7 They also gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and kfood, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to the sea, to lJoppa, maccording to the permission which they had from Cyrus king of Persia.
Restoration of the Temple Begins
8 Now in the second month of the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, nZerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Jeshua the son of 4Jozadak, and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all those who had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, began work oand appointed the Levites from twenty years old and above to oversee the work of the house of the Lord. 9 Then Jeshua with his sons and brothers, Kadmiel with his sons, and the sons of 5Judah, arose as one to oversee those working on the house of God: the sons of Henadad with their sons and their brethren the Levites.
10 When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, pthe 6priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the qordinance 7of David king of Israel. 11 rAnd they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord:
s“For He is good,
tFor His mercy endures forever toward Israel.”
Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.
12 But many of the priests and Levites and uheads of the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy, 13 so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard afar off.
Resistance to Rebuilding the Temple
4 Now when athe 1adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the Lord God of Israel, 2 they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him bsince the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.” 3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel said to them, c“You may do nothing with us to build a 2house for our God; but we alone will build to the Lord God of Israel, as dKing Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.” 4 Then ethe people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, 5 and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of fDarius king of Persia.
Rebuilding of Jerusalem Opposed
6 In the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
7 In the days of gArtaxerxes also, 3Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabel, and the rest of their companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the letter was written in hAramaic script, and translated into the Aramaic language. 8 4Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes in this fashion:
9 5From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions—representatives of ithe Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the people of Persia and Erech and Babylon and 6Shushan, the Dehavites, the Elamites, 10 jand the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnapper took captive and settled in the cities of Samaria and the remainder beyond 7the River—kand 8so forth.
11 (This is a copy of the letter that they sent him)
To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the men of the region beyond the River, 9and so forth:
12 Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem, and are building the lrebellious and evil city, and are finishing its mwalls and repairing the foundations. 13 Let it now be known to the king that, if this city is built and the walls completed, they will not pay ntax, tribute, or custom, and the king’s treasury will be diminished. 14 Now because we receive support from the palace, it was not proper for us to see the king’s dishonor; therefore we have sent and informed the king, 15 that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. And you will find in the book of the records and know that this city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, and that they have incited sedition within the city in former times, for which cause this city was destroyed.
16 We inform the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, the result will be that you will have no dominion beyond the River.
To Rehum the commander, to Shimshai the scribe, to the rest of their companions who dwell in Samaria, and to the remainder beyond the River:
Peace, 1and so forth.
18 The letter which you sent to us has been clearly read before me. 19 And 2I gave the command, and a search has been made, and it was found that this city in former times has revolted against kings, and rebellion and sedition have been fostered in it. 20 There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem, who have oruled over all the region pbeyond the River; and tax, tribute, and custom were paid to them. 21 Now 3give the command to make these men cease, that this city may not be built until the command is given by me.
22 Take heed now that you do not fail to do this. Why should damage increase to the hurt of the kings?
23 Now when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem against the Jews, and by force of arms made them cease. 24 Thus the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem ceased, and it was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Restoration of the Temple Resumed
5 Then the prophet aHaggai and bZechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. 2 So cZerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of 1Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and dthe prophets of God were with them, helping them.
3 At the same time eTattenai the governor of the region beyond 2the River and Shethar-Boznai and their companions came to them and spoke thus to them: f“Who has commanded you to build this 3temple and finish this wall?” 4 gThen, accordingly, we told them the names of the men who were constructing this building. 5 But hthe eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, so that they could not make them cease till a report could go to Darius. Then a iwritten answer was returned concerning this matter. 6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai sent:
The governor of the region beyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai, jand his companions, the Persians who were in the region beyond the River, to Darius the king.
7 (They sent a letter to him, in which was written thus)
To Darius the king:
All peace.
8 Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judea, to the 4temple of the great God, which is being built with 5heavy stones, and timber is being laid in the walls; and this work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands.
9 Then we asked those elders, and spoke thus to them: k“Who commanded you to build this temple and to finish these walls?” 10 We also asked them their names to inform you, that we might write the names of the men who were chief among them.
11 And thus they returned us an answer, saying: “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the 6temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built land completed. 12 But mbecause our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of nNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and ocarried the people away to Babylon. 13 However, in the first year of pCyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to build this 7house of God. 14 Also, qthe gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem and carried into the temple of Babylon—those King Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon, and they were given to rone named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor. 15 And he said to him, ‘Take these articles; go, carry them to the temple site that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its former site.’ 16 Then the same Sheshbazzar came and slaid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem; but from that time even until now it has been under construction, and tit is not finished.”