Ezr 6:1-15 | NASB1995 | STEP | Then King Darius issued a decree , and search was made in the archives , where the treasures were stored in Babylon .

Ezra 6:1-15

1 Then King Darius issued a decree, and ^asearch was made in the ^{▼▼ Lit house of the books}archives, where the treasures were stored in Babylon. 2 In ^{▼▼ Aram Achmetha}Ecbatana in the fortress, which is ^din the province of Media, a scroll was found and there was written in it as follows: “Memorandum— 3 ^e“In the first year of King Cyrus, Cyrus the king issued a decree: ‘Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the ^{▼▼ Lit house}temple, the place where sacrifices are offered, be rebuilt and let its foundations be ^{▼▼ Or fixed, laid}retained, its height being 60 cubits and its width 60 cubits; 4 ^hwith three layers of huge stones and ^{▼▼ So Gr; Aram a layer of new timber}one layer of timbers. And let the cost be paid from the ^{▼▼ Lit king’s house}royal treasury. 5 ‘Also let ^kthe gold and silver utensils of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be returned and ^{▼▼ Lit go}brought to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; and you shall put them in the house of God.’

6 “Now therefore, ^mTattenai, governor of the province beyond the ^{▼▼ I.e. Euphrates River, and so throughout the ch}River, Shethar-bozenai and ^{▼▼ Aram their}your colleagues, the officials of the provinces beyond the ^{▼▼ I.e. Euphrates River, and so throughout the ch}River, ^{▼▼ Lit be distant}keep away from there. 7 “Leave this work on the house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site. 8 “Moreover, ^rI issue a decree concerning what you are to do for these elders of Judah in the rebuilding of this house of God: the full cost is to be paid to these people from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the provinces beyond the River, and that without delay. 9 “Whatever is needed, both young bulls, rams, and lambs for a burnt offering to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and anointing oil, as the priests in Jerusalem request, it is to be given to them daily without fail, 10 that they may offer ^{▼▼ Lit pleasing; or sweet-smelling sacrifices}acceptable sacrifices to the God of heaven and ^tpray for the life of the king and his sons. 11 “And I issued a decree that ^uany man who violates this edict, a timber shall be drawn from his house and he shall be impaled on it and ^vhis house shall be made a refuse heap on account of this. 12 “May the God who ^whas caused His name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who ^{▼▼ Lit sends his hand}attempts to change it, so as to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued this decree, let it be carried out with all diligence!”

The Temple Completed and Dedicated

13 Then ^yTattenai, the governor of the province beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues carried out the decree with all diligence, just as King Darius had sent. 14 And ^zthe elders of the Jews ^{▼▼ Lit were building and succeeding}were successful in building through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And ^{▼▼ Lit built and finished}they finished building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decree ^acof Cyrus, ^adDarius, and ^aeArtaxerxes king of Persia. 15 This ^{▼▼ Lit house}temple was completed ^{▼▼ Lit until}on the third day of the ^ahmonth Adar; it was the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.