Ezr 4:24, 6:1-15, 7:1, 8, 11-26, Neh 2:1-8, 3:1 | ESV | STEP | Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped , and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia .

1 Then Darius the king made a decree, and ^asearch was made in Babylonia, in the house of the archives where the documents were stored. 2 And in Ecbatana, the citadel that is ^bin the province of Media, a scroll was found on which this was written: “A record. 3 In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king issued a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be rebuilt, the place where sacrifices were offered, and let its foundations be retained. Its height shall be sixty cubits ^{▼▼A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters} and its breadth sixty cubits, 4 ^dwith three layers of great stones and one layer of timber. Let the cost be paid from the royal treasury. 5 And also ^elet the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that is in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and brought back to the temple that is in Jerusalem, each to its place. You shall put them in the house of God.”

6 “Now therefore, ^fTattenai, governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, ^gand your ^{▼▼Aramaic their} associates the governors who are in the province Beyond the River, keep away. 7 Let the work on this 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, ⁱI make a decree regarding what you shall do for these elders of the Jews for the rebuilding of this house of God. The cost is to be paid to these men in full and without delay from the royal revenue, the tribute of the province from Beyond the River. 9 And whatever is needed—bulls, rams, or sheep for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, or oil, as the priests at Jerusalem require—let that be given to them day by day without fail, 10 that they may offer pleasing sacrifices to the God of heaven ^jand pray for the life of the king and his sons. 11 Also I make a decree that if anyone alters this edict, a beam shall be pulled out of his house, and he shall be impaled on it, and ^khis house shall be made a dunghill. 12 May the God ^lwho has caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who shall put out a hand to alter this, or to destroy this house of God that is in Jerusalem. I Darius make a decree; let it be done with all diligence.”

The Temple Finished and Dedicated

13 Then, according to the word sent by Darius the king, ^mTattenai, the governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates did with all diligence what Darius the king had ordered. 14 ⁿAnd the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and ^oby decree of Cyrus and ^pDarius and ^qArtaxerxes king of Persia; 15 and this house was finished on the third day of the ^rmonth of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

Ezra 7:1

Ezra Sent to Teach the People

1 Now after this, ^sin the reign of ^tArtaxerxes king of Persia, ^uEzra the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah,

Ezra 7:8

8 And Ezra ^{▼▼Aramaic he} came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.

Ezra 7:11-26

11 This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, a man learned in matters of the commandments of the Lord and his statutes for Israel: 12 “Artaxerxes, ^wking of kings, to Ezra the priest, the ^xscribe of the Law of the God of heaven. Peace. ^{▼▼Aramaic Perfect (probably a greeting)} ^zAnd now 13 ^aaI make a decree that anyone of the people of Israel or their priests or Levites in my kingdom, who freely offers to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. 14 For you are sent by the king ^aband his seven counselors to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which is in your hand, 15 and also to carry the silver and gold that the king ^acand his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, ^adwhose dwelling is in Jerusalem, 16 ^aewith all the silver and gold that you shall find in the whole province of Babylonia, and ^afwith the freewill offerings of the people and the priests, vowed willingly for the house of their God that is in Jerusalem. 17 With this money, then, you shall with all diligence buy bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and ^agyou shall offer them on the altar of the house of your God that is in Jerusalem. 18 Whatever seems good to you and your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do, according to the will of your God. 19 The vessels that have been given you for the service of the house of your God, you shall deliver before the God of Jerusalem. 20 And whatever else is required for the house of your God, which it falls to you to provide, you may provide it out of the king’s treasury.

21 “And I, Artaxerxes the king, make a decree to all the treasurers in the province Beyond the River: Whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, requires of you, let it be done with all diligence, 22 up to 100 talents ^{▼▼A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms} of silver, 100 cors ^{▼▼A cor was about 6 bushels or 220 liters} of wheat, 100 baths ^{▼▼A bath was about 6 gallons or 22 liters} of wine, 100 baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much. 23 Whatever is decreed by the God of heaven, let it be done in full for the house of the God of heaven, lest his wrath be against the realm of the king and his sons. 24 We also notify you that it shall not be lawful to impose ^aktribute, custom, or toll on anyone of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the doorkeepers, the temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.

25 “And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, ^alappoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God. ^amAnd those who do not know them, you shall teach. 26 Whoever will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be strictly executed on him, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of his goods or for imprisonment.”

Nehemiah 2:1-8

Nehemiah Sent to Judah

1 In the month of Nisan, ^anin the twentieth year of King ^aoArtaxerxes, when wine was before him, ^apI took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. 2 And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but ^aqsadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. 3 I said to the king, ^ar“Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, ^aswhen the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” 4 Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed ^atto the God of heaven. 5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.” 6 And the king said to me ( ^authe queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me ^avwhen I had given him a time. 7 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me ^awto the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of ^axthe fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, ^ayfor the good hand of my God was upon me.

Nehemiah 3:1

Rebuilding the Wall

1 Then ^azEliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built ^bathe Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and ^bbset its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the ^bcTower of Hananel.