Ezra 5–6

5TH CHAPTER

Work Resumed on the Temple

¹The prophet Haggai and Zechariah, grandson of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of Israel’s God, who was over them. ²Then Zerubbabel, who was Shealtiel’s son, and Jeshua, who was Jozadak’s son, began to rebuild God’s temple in Jerusalem. God’s prophets were with them and supported them. 

³At the same time, Governor Tattenai ⸤from the province⸥ west of the Euphrates River, Shethar Bozenai, and their group went to the Jews and asked them, “Who gave you permission to rebuild this temple and finish its walls?” ⁴They also asked the Jews for the names of the men who were working on this building. 

⁵But the leaders of the Jews were under God’s watchful eye. They couldn’t be stopped until Darius received a report and sent a reply to it. 

Permission Requested from Darius

⁶Here is a copy of the letter Governor Tattenai ⸤from the province⸥ west of the Euphrates River, Shethar Bozenai and his group (the Persians west of that river) sent to King Darius. ⁷They sent him the following report: 

To King Darius, 

We wish you peace and prosperity in everything you do. 

⁸Your Majesty should know that we went to the province of Judah, to the temple of the great God. The temple is being built with large stones and with wooden beams laid in its walls. The builders are doing an excellent job and making rapid progress. ⁹We asked their leaders the following question: “Who gave you permission to rebuild this temple and finish its walls?” ¹⁰For your information, we also asked them for their names so that we would have a record of the men who were their leaders. ¹¹This was their reply to us: 

“We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth. We are rebuilding the temple that was originally built many years ago by a great king of Israel. ¹²But because our ancestors made the God of heaven angry, he handed them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (a Chaldean). So Nebuchadnezzar destroyed this temple and deported its people to Babylon. 

¹³“However, in the first year of the reign of King Cyrus of Babylon, Cyrus gave permission for God’s temple to be rebuilt. ¹⁴In addition, Cyrus took out of a temple in Babylon the gold and silver utensils that belonged to God’s temple. (Nebuchadnezzar had taken them out of God’s temple in Jerusalem and brought them into a temple in Babylon.) Cyrus gave them to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor. ¹⁵Cyrus told him, ‘Take these utensils. Place them in the temple in Jerusalem. Rebuild God’s temple on its original site.’ ¹⁶Then Sheshbazzar laid the foundation of God’s temple in Jerusalem. The temple has been under construction from that time until now, but it still isn’t finished.” 

¹⁷If it pleases Your Majesty, allow someone to search the king’s archives in Babylon to determine whether King Cyrus gave permission for the temple of God to be rebuilt in Jerusalem. Then please send us Your Majesty’s decision on this matter. 

6TH CHAPTER

King Darius Finds King Cyrus’ Memorandum

¹Then King Darius gave the order to search the library where the archives were stored in Babylon. ²A scroll was found in the palace of Ecbatana, which is in the province of Media. This was written on it: 

MEMORANDUM 

³Date: Cyrus’ first year as king 

From: King Cyrus 

Subject: God’s temple in Jerusalem 

The temple should be rebuilt as a place to offer sacrifices. Its foundation should be laid. It should be 90 feet high and 90 feet wide ⁴with three rows of large stones and a row of wood. The king’s palace will pay for it. ⁵In addition, Cyrus took out of a temple in Babylon the gold and silver utensils that belonged to God’s temple. (Nebuchadnezzar had taken them out of God’s temple in Jerusalem and brought them into a temple in Babylon.) They should be returned to their proper place in the temple in Jerusalem. You should put each one in God’s temple. 

⁶Governor Tattenai ⸤from the province⸥ west of the Euphrates, Shethar Bozenai, and those of your group (the Persians west of the river): 

You must stay away from there. ⁷Don’t interfere with the work on God’s temple. Let the governor of the Jews and the leaders of Judah rebuild God’s temple on its ⸤original⸥ foundation. ⁸I am issuing this decree about how you must help the Jewish leaders rebuild God’s temple: 

The cost ⸤for this⸥ should be paid out of the king’s own money from the taxes ⸤on the province⸥ west of the Euphrates. Full payment should be made to these men so that the work is not interrupted. ⁹Also, whatever the priests in Jerusalem need for burnt offerings to the God of heaven—young bulls, rams, lambs, wheat, salt, wine, and olive oil—should be provided for them each day. Make sure that nothing is omitted. ¹⁰Then they can offer sacrifices that please the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons. 

¹¹I am also issuing a decree that if anyone tampers with my orders, that person should be impaled on a beam torn from his own house and his house should be turned into a pile of rubble.¹²May the God whose name is worshiped there cause the downfall of each king and nation who tries to tamper with my orders or tries to destroy the temple of the God in Jerusalem. 

I, Darius, have issued a decree. It’s to be carried out exactly as ordered. 

¹³Then Governor Tattenai ⸤from the province⸥ west of the Euphrates River, Shethar Bozenai, and their group did exactly what King Darius had ordered. ¹⁴So the Jewish leaders continued to make progress because of the message from the prophet Haggai and Zechariah, the grandson of Iddo. They finished building as the God of Israel had ordered and as Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes (the kings of Persia) had ordered. ¹⁵This temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar in the sixth year of King Darius’ reign. 

The Temple Is Completed and Dedicated

¹⁶Then the people of Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the others who had returned from exile celebrated at the dedication of God’s temple. ¹⁷At the dedication of God’s temple, they sacrificed 100 bulls, 200 rams, and 400 lambs. They sacrificed 12 male goats as an offering for sin, one goat for each of the tribes of Israel. 

¹⁸The priests were assigned to their divisions and the Levites to their groups ⸤to lead⸥ the worship of God in Jerusalem by following the directions written in the Book of Moses. 

The Passover Is Celebrated

¹⁹On the fourteenth day of the first month, those who had returned from exile celebrated the Passover. ²⁰Since the priests and Levites had cleansed themselves, all of them were ⸤now⸥ clean.^bThey killed the Passover lambs for all the people who had returned from exile, for the rest of the priests, and for themselves. ²¹The lambs were eaten by the Israelites who had returned from exile and by all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of the non-Jews in the land to worship the Lord God of Israel. ²²So for seven days they celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread because the Lord had made them joyful. The Lord had made the king of Assyria change his mind so that he supported the people in their work on the temple of God, the God of Israel.