6King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives^q stored in the treasury at Babylon. ²A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media, and this was written on it:

Memorandum:

³In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem:

Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its foundations be laid.^r It is to be sixty cubits^a high and sixty cubits wide, ⁴with three courses^s of large stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid by the royal treasury.^t ⁵Also, the gold^u and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, are to be returned to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; they are to be deposited in the house of God.^v

⁶Now then, Tattenai,^w governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai^x and you other officials of that province, stay away from there. ⁷Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its site.

⁸Moreover, I hereby decree what you are to do for these elders of the Jews in the construction of this house of God:

Their expenses are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury,^y from the revenues^z of Trans-Euphrates, so that the work will not stop. ⁹Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, male lambs for burnt offerings^a to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and olive oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem—must be given them daily without fail, ¹⁰so that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the well-being of the king and his sons.^b

¹¹Furthermore, I decree that if anyone defies this edict, a beam is to be pulled from their house and they are to be impaled^c on it. And for this crime their house is to be made a pile of rubble.^d ¹²May God, who has caused his Name to dwell there,^e overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree or to destroy this temple in Jerusalem.

I Darius^f have decreed it. Let it be carried out with diligence.

Read in Logos

Footnotes

aThat is, about 90 feet or about 27 meters

Cross references

qSee Ezr 4:15
rSee Ezr 3:10; Hag 2:3
sSee 1 Ki 6:36
tver 8; Ezr 7:20
uSee 1 Ch 29:2
vSee Ezr 1:7
w Ezr 5:3
x Ezr 5:3
ySee ver 4
zSee 1 Sa 9:20
a Lev 1:3, 10
b Ezr 7:23; 1 Ti 2:1–2
cSee Dt 21:22–23; Est 2:23; 5:14; 9:14
d Ezr 7:26; Da 2:5; 3:29
eSee Ex 20:24; See Dt 12:5; See 2 Ch 6:2
fver 14