1 Esdras 2–7

^aIn the first year of Cyrus king of the Persians, that the word of the Lord might be accomplished, that he had promised by the mouth of Jeremie; ²the Lord ^craised up the spirit of Cyrus the king of the Persians, and he made proclamation through all his kingdom, and also by writing, ³saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of the Persians; The Lord of Israel, the most high Lord, hath ^bmade me king of the whole world, ⁴and commanded me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Jewry. ⁵If therefore there be any of you that are of his people, let the Lord, even his Lord, be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem that is in Judea, and build the house of the Lord of Israel: for he is the Lord that dwelleth in Jerusalem. ⁶Whosoever then dwell in the places about, let them help him, (those, I say, that are his neighbours) with gold and with silver, ⁷with gifts, with horses, and with cattle, and other things, which have been set forth by vow, for the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem.

⁸Then the chief of the families of Judea and of the tribe of Benjamin stood up; the priests also, and the Levites, and all they whose ^cmind the Lord had moved to go up, and to build a house for the Lord at Jerusalem, ⁹and they that dwelt round about them, and helped them in all things with silver and gold, with horses and cattle, and with very many free gifts of a great number whose minds were stirred up thereto. ¹⁰King Cyrus also brought forth the holy vessels, ^dwhich Nabuchodonosor had carried away from Jerusalem, ^dand had set up in his ^etemple of idols. ¹¹Now when Cyrus king of the Persians had brought them forth, he delivered them to Mithridates his treasurer: ¹²and by him they were delivered to Sanabassar the governor of Judea. ¹³And this was the number of them; A thousand golden cups, and a thousand of silver, censers of silver twenty nine, vials of gold thirty, and of silver two thousand four hundred and ten, and a thousand other vessels. ¹⁴So all the vessels of gold and of silver, which were carried away, were five thousand four hundred threescore and nine. ¹⁵These were brought back by Sanabassar, together with them of the captivity, from Babylon to Jerusalem.

^16fBut in the time of Artaxerxes king of the Persians, Belemus, and Mithridates, and Tabellius, and Rathumus, and Beeltethmus, and Semellius the ^gsecretary, with others that were in commission with them, dwelling in Samaria and other places, wrote unto him against them that dwelt in Judea and Jerusalem these letters following; ¹⁷To king Artaxerxes our lord, Thy servants, Rathumus the ^hstorywriter, and Semellius the ^gscribe, and the rest of their council, and the judges that are in ⁱCelosyria and ^ikPhenice. ¹⁸Be it now known to the lord king, that the Jews that are come up from you to us, being come into Jerusalem, (that rebellious and wicked city,) do build the marketplaces, and repair the walls of it, and do lay the foundation of the temple. ¹⁹Now if this city and the walls thereof be made up again, they will not only refuse to give tribute, but also rebel against kings. ²⁰And forasmuch as the things pertaining to the temple are now in hand, we think it meet not to neglect such a matter, ²¹but to speak unto our lord the king, to the intent that, if it be thy pleasure, it may be sought out in the books of thy fathers: ²²and thou shalt find in the chronicles what is written concerning these things, and shalt understand that that city was rebellious, troubling both kings and cities: ²³and that the Jews were rebellious, and raised always wars therein; for the which cause even this city was made desolate. ²⁴Wherefore now we do declare unto thee, O lord the king, that if this city be built again, and the walls thereof set up anew, thou shalt from henceforth have no passage into ⁱCoelosyria and Phenice.

²⁵Then the king wrote back again to Rathumus the ^hstorywriter, ^lto Beeltethmus, ^lto Semellius the ^gscribe, and to the rest that were in commission, and dwellers in Samaria and Syria and Phenice, after this manner; ²⁶I have read the epistle which ye have sent unto me: therefore I commanded to make diligent search, and it hath been found that that city was from the beginning practising against kings; ²⁷and the men therein were given to rebellion and war: and that mighty kings and fierce were in Jerusalem, who reigned and exacted tributes in ⁱCoelosyria and Phenice. ²⁸Now therefore I have commanded to hinder those men from building the city, and heed to be taken that there be no more done in it; ²⁹and that those wicked workers proceed no further to the annoyance of kings. ³⁰Then king Artaxerxes his letters being read, Rathumus, and Semellius the ^gscribe, and the rest that were in commission with them, removing in haste towards Jerusalem with a troop of horsemen and a multitude of people in battle array, began to hinder the builders; and the building of the temple in Jerusalem ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of the Persians.

III.Now when Darius reigned, he ^amade a great feast unto all his subjects, and unto all his household, and unto all the ^bprinces of ^cMedia and Persia, ²and to all the ^kgovernors and captains and lieutenants that were under him, ^dfrom India unto Ethiopia, of an hundred twenty and seven provinces. ³And when they had eaten and drunken, and being satisfied ^ewere gone home, then Darius the king ^ewent into his bedchamber, and slept, and soon after ^fawaked. ⁴Then three young men, that were of the guard that kept the king’s body, spake one to another; ⁵Let every one of us speak a sentence: he that shall overcome, and whose sentence shall seem wiser than the others, unto him shall the king Darius give great gifts, and great things in token of victory: ⁶as, ^gto be clothed in purple, to drink in gold, and to sleep upon gold, and ^ha chariot with bridles of gold, and a headtire of ^hfine linen, and ^gha chain about his neck: ⁷and he shall sit next to Darius because of his wisdom, and shall be called Darius his cousin. ⁸And then every one wrote his sentence, sealed it, and laid it under king Darius his pillow; ⁹and said that, when the king is risen, ⁱsome will give him the writings; and of whose side the king and ^jthe three ^bprinces of Persia shall judge that his sentence is the wisest, to him shall the victory be given, as was appointed. ¹⁰The first wrote, Wine is the strongest. ¹¹The second wrote, The king is strongest. ¹²The third wrote, Women are strongest: but above all things truth beareth away the victory.

¹³Now when the king was risen up, they took their writings, and delivered them unto him, and so he read them: ¹⁴and sending forth he called all the ^bprinces of Persia and Media, and the ^kgovernors, and the captains, and the lieutenants, and the chief officers; ¹⁵and sat him down in the royal seat of judgment; and the writings were read before them. ¹⁶And he said, Call the young men, and they shall declare their own sentences. So they were called, and came in. ¹⁷And he said unto them, Declare unto us your mind concerning the writings. Then began the first, who had spoken of the strength of wine; ¹⁸And he said thus, O ye men, how exceeding strong is wine! it causeth all men to err that drink it: ¹⁹it maketh the mind of the king and of the fatherless child to be all one; of the bondman and of the freeman, of the poor man and of the rich: ^20lit turneth also every thought into ^mjollity and mirth, so that a man remembereth neither sorrow nor debt: ²¹and it maketh every heart rich, so that a man remembereth neither king nor governor; and it maketh to speak all things by talents: ²²and when they are in their cups, they forget their love both to friends and brethren, and a little after draw out swords: ²³but when they are from the wine, they remember not what they have done. ²⁴O ye men, is not wine the strongest, that enforceth to do thus? And when he had so spoken, he held his peace.

IV.Then the second, that had spoken of the strength of the king, began to say, ²O ye men, do not men excel in strength, that bear rule over sea and land, and all things in them? ³But yet the king is more mighty: for he is lord of all these things, and hath dominion over them; and whatsoever he commandeth them they do. ⁴If he bid them make war the one against the other, they do it: if he send them out against the enemies, they go, and break down mountains, walls, and towers. ⁵They slay and are slain, and transgress not the king’s commandment: if they get the victory, they bring all to the king, as well the spoil, as all things else. ⁶Likewise for those that are no soldiers, and have not to do with wars, but use husbandry, when they have reaped again that which they had sown, they bring it to the king, and compel one another to pay tribute unto the king. ⁷And yet he is but one man: if he command to kill, they kill; if he command to spare, they spare; ⁸if he command to smite, they smite; if he command to make desolate, they make desolate; if he command to build, they build; ⁹if he command ^ato cut down, they cut down; if he command to plant, they plant. ¹⁰So all his people and his armies obey him: ^bfurthermore he lieth down, he eateth and drinketh, and taketh his rest: ¹¹and ^cthese keep watch round about him, neither may any one depart, and do his own business, neither disobey they him in any thing. ¹²O ye men, how should not the king be mightiest, when in such sort he is obeyed? And he held his tongue.

¹³Then the third, who had spoken of women, and of the truth, (this was ^dZorobabel) began to speak. ¹⁴O ye men, it is not the great king, nor the multitude of men, neither is it wine, that excelleth; who is it then that ruleth them, or hath the lordship over them? are they not women? ¹⁵Women have borne the king and all the people that bear rule by sea and land. ¹⁶Even of them came they: and they nourished them up that planted the vineyards, from whence the wine cometh. ^17eThese also make garments for men; these bring glory…