Ezra 4:7-23

The Letter to King Artaxerxes

7In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam and aMithredath and Tabeel and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written bin Aramaic and translated.
Hebrew  written in Aramaic and translated in Aramaic, indicating that 4:8–6:18 is in Aramaic; another interpretation is  The letter was written in the Aramaic script and set forth in the Aramaic language
8Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows: 9Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the djudges, the egovernors, the officials, the Persians, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the fElamites, 10and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble gOsnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River. 11(This is a copy of the letter that they sent.) “To Artaxerxes the king: Your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River, send greeting. And now 12be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are hfinishing the walls and repairing the foundations. 13Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay itribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired. 14Now because we eat the salt of the palace and it is not fitting for us to witness the king’s dishonor, therefore we send and inform the king, 15in order that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will find in the book of the records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and that sedition was stirred up in it from of old. That was why this city was laid waste. 16We make known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River.”

The King Orders the Work to Cease

17The king sent an answer: “To Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe and the rest of their associates who live in Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River, greeting. And now 18the letter that you sent to us has been jplainly read before me. 19And I made a decree, and search has been made, and it has been found that this city from of old has risen against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it. 20And mighty kings have been over Jerusalem, kwho ruled over the whole province Beyond the River, to whom ltribute, custom, and toll were paid. 21Therefore make a decree that these men be made to cease, and that this city be not rebuilt, until a decree is made by me. 22And take care not to be slack in this matter. Why should damage grow to the hurt of the king?”

23Then, when the copy of King Artaxerxesletter was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their associates, they went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease.

Ezra 5:6-17

Tattenai’s Letter to King Darius

6This is a copy of the letter that mTattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and his associates, the ngovernors who were in the province Beyond the River, sent to Darius the king. 7They sent him a report, in which was written as follows: “To Darius the king, all peace. 8Be it known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with huge stones, and timber is laid in the walls. This work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands. 9Then we asked those elders and spoke to them thus: oWho gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?’ 10We also asked them their names, for your information, that we might write down the names of their leaders.
Aramaic of the men at their heads
11And this was their reply to us: ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, qwhich a great king of Israel built and rfinished. 12 sBut because our fathers had angered the God of heaven, he tgave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried away the people to Babylonia. 13 uHowever, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree that this house of God should be rebuilt. 14 vAnd the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought into the temple of Babylon, these Cyrus the king took out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to one whose name was wSheshbazzar, whom he had made governor; 15and he said to him, “Take these vessels, go and put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its site.” 16Then this xSheshbazzar came and ylaid the foundations of the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and from that time until now it has been in building, and it is znot yet finished.’ 17Therefore, if it seems good to the king, aalet search be made in the royal archives there in Babylon, to see whether a decree was issued by Cyrus the king for the rebuilding of this house of God in Jerusalem. And let the king send us his pleasure in this matter.”

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