The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Ezra 04
1 Now when the adversaries of Judah
and Benjamin heard that the children of
the captivity were building a temple to
Yahweh, the God of Israel,
2 they came near to Zerubbabel, and to
the heads of fathers’ households, and said
to them, “Let us build with you,for we seek
your God as you do; and we have been
sacrificing to him since the days of Esar
Haddon king of Assyria, who brought us
up here.”
3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of
the heads of fathers’ households of Israel
said to them, “You have nothing to do with
us in building a house to our God; but we
ourselves together will build to Yahweh,
the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of
Persia has commanded us.”
4 Then the people of the land weakened
the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building.
5 They hired counselors against them
to frustrate their purpose all the days of
Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign
of Darius king of Persia.
6 In the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an
accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and
Jerusalem.
7 In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam,
Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his
companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of
Persia; and the writing of the letter was
written in Syrian and delivered in the Syrian language.
8 Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai
the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem
to Artaxerxes the king as follows.
9 Then Rehum the chancellor, Shimshai
the scribe, and the rest of their companions, the Dinaites, and
the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the
Archevites, the Babylonians, the Shushanchites, the Dehaites, the Elamites,
10 and the rest of the nations whom the
great and noble Osnappar brought over
and settled in the city of Samaria, and in
the rest of the country beyond the River,
and so forth, wrote.
11 This is the copy of the letter that they
sent: To King Artaxerxes, from your servants,
the people beyond the River.
12 Be it known to the king that the Jews
who came up from you have come to us
to Jerusalem. They are building the rebellious and bad city, and have finished
the walls and repaired the foundations.
13 Be it known now to the king that if
this city is built and the walls finished, they
will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and in
the end it will be hurtful to the kings.
14 Now because we eat the salt of the
palace and it is not appropriate for us to
see the king’s dishonor, therefore we have
sent and informed the king,
15 that search may be made in the book
of the records of your fathers. You will see
in the book of the records, and know that
this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful to
kings and provinces, and that they have
started rebellions within it in the past.
That is why this city was destroyed.
16 We inform the king that if this city is
built and the walls finished, then you will
have no possession beyond the River.
17 Then the king sent an answer to Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the
scribe, and to the rest of their companions
who live in Samaria, and in the rest of the
country beyond the River: Peace.
18 The letter which you sent to us has
been plainly read before me.
19 I decreed, and search has been
made, and it was found that this city has
made insurrection against kings in the
past, and that rebellion and revolts have
been made in it.
20 There have also been mighty kings
over Jerusalem who have ruled over all
the country beyond the River; and tribute,
custom, and toll was paid to them.
21 Make a decree now to cause these
men to cease, and that this city not be built
until a decree is made by me.
22 Be careful that you not be slack doing so. Why should damage grow to the
hurt of the kings?
23 Then when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum,
Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went in haste to Jerusalem to the
Jews, and made them to cease by force of
arms.
24 Then work stopped on God’s house
which is at Jerusalem. It stopped until the
second year of the reign of Darius king of
Persia.