Ezra 3–4

3^aAnd when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. ²Then stood up ^||Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and ^||Zerubbabel the son of ^||Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is ^bwritten in the law of Moses ^cthe man of God. ³And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord, even ^dburnt offerings morning and evening. ⁴They kept also the ^efeast of tabernacles, ^fas it is written, and offered ^gthe daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, ^†as the duty of every day required; ⁵And afterward offered the ^hcontinual burnt offering, both ⁱof the new moons, and of all the ^kset feasts of the Lord that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the Lord. ⁶From the first day of the ^lseventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the Lord. But ^†the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid. ⁷They gave money also unto the masons, and to the ^||carpenters; and ^mmeat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of ⁿJoppa, ^oaccording to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia.

^8*Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began ^pZerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and ^pJeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from ^qtwenty years old and upward, ^rto set forward the work of the house of the Lord. ⁹Then stood ^sJeshua with his sons and his brethren, ^sKadmiel and his sons, the sons of ^||Judah, ^†together, ^rto set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of ^tHenadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites. ¹⁰And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, they set the priests ^uin their apparel with ^wtrumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with ^xcymbals, to praise the Lord, ^yafter the ordinance of David king of Israel. ¹¹And they ^zsang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; ^abecause he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. ¹²But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, ^bthat had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: ¹³So 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 noise was heard afar off.

4Now when ^athe adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that ^†the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the Lord God of Israel; ²Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him ^bsince the days of Esar-haddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither. ^3*But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, ^cYe have nothing to do with us ^dto build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the Lord God of Israel, as ^eking Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us. ^4*Then ^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. ^6*And 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.

^8*Rehum 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. ^11*This 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. ^12*Be 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. ^21†Give 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. ^24*Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.