Ezra 5–6

¹And prophesied have the prophets, (Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah son of Iddo) unto the Jews who are in Judah and in Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel—unto them. ²Then have Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua son of Jozadak, risen, and begun to build the house of God, that is in Jerusalem, and with them are the prophets of God supporting them.

³At that time come to them hath Tatnai, governor beyond the river, and Shethar-Boznai, and their companions, and thus they are saying to them, ‘Who hath made for you a decree this house to build, and this wall to finish?’ ⁴Then thus we have said to them, ‘What are the names of the men who are building this building?’ ⁵And the eye of their God hath been upon the elders of the Jews, and they have not caused them to cease till the matter goeth to Darius, and then they send back a letter concerning this thing. ⁶The copy of a letter that Tatnai, governor beyond the river, hath sent, and Shethar-Boznai and his companions, the Apharsachites who are beyond the river, unto Darius the king. ⁷A letter they have sent unto him, and thus is it written in it: ⁸‘To Darius the king, all peace! be it known to the king that we have gone to the province of Judah, to the great house of God, and it is built with rolled stones, and wood is placed in the walls, and this work is done speedily, and prospering in their hand. ⁹Then we have asked of these elders, thus we have said to them, Who hath made for you a decree this house to build, and this wall to finish? ¹⁰And also their names we have asked of them, to let thee know, that we might write the names of the men who are at their head.

¹¹‘And thus they have returned us word, saying, We are servants of the God of heaven and earth, and are building the house that was built many years before this, that a great king of Israel built and finished: ¹²but after that our fathers made the God of heaven angry, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon the Chaldean, and this house he destroyed, and the people he removed to Babylon; ¹³but in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree to build this house of God, ¹⁴and also, the vessels of the house of God, of gold and silver, that Nebuchadnezzar had taken forth out of the temple that is in Jerusalem, and brought them to the temple of Babylon, them hath Cyrus the king brought forth out of the temple of Babylon, and they have been given to one, Sheshbazzar is his name, whom he made governor, ¹⁵and said to him, These vessels lift up, go, put them down in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and the house of God is builded on its place. ¹⁶Then hath this Sheshbazzar come—he hath laid the foundations of the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and from thence even till now it hath been building, and is not finished.

¹⁷‘And now, if to the king it be good, let search be made in the treasure-house of the king, that is there in Babylon, whether it be that of Cyrus the king there was made a decree to build this house of God in Jerusalem, and the will of the king concerning this thing he doth send unto us.’

Chapter 6

¹Then Darius the king made a decree, and they sought in the house of the books of the treasuries placed there in Babylon, ²and there hath been found at Achmetha, in a palace that is in the province of Media, a roll, and a record thus written within it is: ³‘In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king hath made a decree concerning the house of God in Jerusalem: the house let be builded in the place where they are sacrificing sacrifices, and its foundations strongly laid; its height sixty cubits, its breadth sixty cubits; ⁴three rows of rolled stones, and a row of new wood, and the outlay let be given out of the king’s house.

⁵‘And also, the vessels of the house of God, of gold and silver, that Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple that is in Jerusalem, and brought to Babylon, let be given back, and go to the temple that is in Jerusalem, each to its place, and put them down in the house of God.

⁶‘Now, Tatnai, governor beyond the river, Shethar-Boznai, and their companions, the Apharsachites, who are beyond the river, be ye far from hence; ⁷let alone the work of this house of God, let the governor of the Jews, and the elders of the Jews, build this house of God on its place.

⁸‘And by me is made a decree concerning that which ye do with the elders of these Jews to build this house of God, that of the riches of the king, that are of the tribute beyond the river, speedily let the outlay be given to these men, that they cease not; ⁹and what they are needing—both young bullocks, and rams, and lambs for burnt-offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil according to the saying of the priests who are in Jerusalem—let be given to them day by day without fail, ¹⁰that they be bringing near sweet savours to the God of heaven, and praying for the life of the king, and of his sons.

¹¹‘And by me is made a decree, that any one who changeth this thing, let wood be pulled down from his house, and being raised up, let him be smitten on it, and his house let be made a dunghill for this. ¹²And God, who caused His name to dwell there, doth cast down any king and people that putteth forth his hand to change, to destroy this house of God that is in Jerusalem; I Darius have made a decree; speedily let it be done.’

¹³Then Tatnai, governor beyond the river, Shethar-Boznai, and their companions, according to that which Darius the king hath sent, so they have done speedily; ¹⁴and the elders of the Jews are building and prospering through the prophecy of Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah son of Iddo, and they have built and finished by the decree of the God of Israel, and by the decree of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. ¹⁵And this house hath gone out till the third day of the month Adar, that is in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. ¹⁶And the sons of Israel have made, and the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the sons of the captivity, a dedication of this house of God with joy, ¹⁷and have brought near for the dedication of this house of God, bullocks a hundred, rams two hundred, lambs four hundred; and young he-goats for a sin-offering for all Israel, twelve, according to the number of the tribes of Israel; ¹⁸and they have established the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, over the service of God that is in Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of Moses. ¹⁹And the sons of the captivity make the passover on the fourteenth of the first month, ²⁰for the priests and the Levites have been purified together—all of them are pure—and they slaughter the passover for all the sons of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves. ²¹And the sons of Israel, those returning from the captivity, and every one who is separated from the uncleanness of the nations of the land unto them, to seek to Jehovah, God of Israel, do eat, ²²and they make the feast of unleavened things seven days with joy, for Jehovah made them to rejoice, and turned round the heart of the king of Asshur unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

Chapter 7