Ezra 4:4–24

⁴Then ^fthe people of the land ^gweakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, ⁵and hired counsellers against them, to ^hfrustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. ⁶And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an ⁱaccusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. ⁷And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, ^jMithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of ^kthe letter was written ^lin the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue.

⁸Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort: ⁹then wrote Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions; ^mthe Dinaites, the ⁿApharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the ⁿApharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the ^oSusanchites, the Dehavites, and the ^pElamites, ¹⁰and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble ^qAsnappar brought over, and set in the cities of ^rSamaria, and the rest that are on this side the river, ^sand at such a time. ¹¹This is the copy of the letter that they sent unto him, even unto Artaxerxes the king:

Thy servants the men on this side the river, and at such a time. ¹²Be it known unto the king, that the Jews which came up from thee to us are come unto Jerusalem, building the rebellious and the bad city, and have set up the walls thereof, and joined the foundations. ¹³Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be builded, and the walls set up again, then will they not pay ^ttoll, tribute, and custom, and so thou shalt endamage the revenue of the kings. ¹⁴Now because we have maintenance from the king’s palace, and it was not meet for us to see the king’s dishonour, therefore have we sent and certified the king; ¹⁵that search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers: so shalt thou find in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful unto kings and provinces, and that they have moved sedition within the same of old time: for which cause was this city destroyed. ¹⁶We certify the king that, if this city be builded again, and the walls thereof set up, by this means thou shalt have no portion on this side the river.

¹⁷Then sent the king an answer unto Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions that dwell in Samaria, and unto the rest beyond the river:

^uPeace, and at such a time. ¹⁸The letter which ye sent unto us hath been ^xplainly read before me. ¹⁹And I commanded, and search hath been made, and it is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein. ²⁰There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, which have ^yruled over all countries beyond the river; and ^ttoll, tribute, and custom, was paid unto them. ²¹Give ye now commandment to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not builded, until another commandment shall be given from me. ²²Take heed now that ye fail not to do this: why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?

²³Now when the copy of king Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power. ²⁴Then ceased the work of the house of the God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

V.