1 Esdras 2:16–30

^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.