The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Esdras 02
1 In the *first year of King Cyrus of the
Persians, that the word of the Lord by the
mouth of Jeremy might be accomplished,
2 the Lord stirred up the spirit of King
Cyrus of the Persians, and he made a
proclamation throughout all his kingdom,
and also by writing,
3 saying, “Cyrus king ofthe Persians says:
The Lord of Israel, the Most High Lord, has
made me king of the whole world,
4 and commanded me to build him a
house at Jerusalem that is in Judea.
5 If therefore there are any of you that
are of his people, let the Lord, even his
Lord, be with him, and let him go up to
Jerusalem that is in Judea, and build the
house of the Lord of Israel. He is the Lord
who dwells in Jerusalem.
6 Therefore, of those who dwell in
various places, let those who are in his own
place help each one with gold, with silver,
7 with gifts, with horses, and cattle, beside
the other things which have been
added by vow for the temple of the Lord
which is in Jerusalem.
8 Then the chief of the families of Judah
and of the tribe of Benjamin stood up, with
the priests,the Levites, and all whose spirit
the Lord had stirred to go up, to build the
house for the Lord which is in Jerusalem.
9 Those who lived around them helped
theminallthings withsilver andgold, with
horses and cattle, and with very many gifts
that were vowed by a great number whose
minds were so moved.
10 King Cyrus also brought out the
holy vessels of the Lord, which
Nabuchodonosor had carried away from
Jerusalem and had stored in his temple of idols.
11 Now when King Cyrus of the Persians
had brought them out, he delivered them
to Mithradates his treasurer,
12 and by him they were delivered to
†Sanabassar the governor of Judea.
13 This was the number of them: one
thousand gold cups, one thousand silver
cups, twenty-nine silver censers, thirty
gold bowls, two thousand four hundredten
silver bowls, and one thousand other vessels.
14 So all the vessels of gold and of silver
were brought up, even five thousand four
hundred seventy-nine,
15 and were carried back by Sanabassar,
together with the returning exiles, from
Babylon to Jerusalem.
16 *In the time of King Artaxerxes of the
Persians, Belemus, Mithradates, Tabellius,
‡Rathumus, Beeltethmus, and §Samellius
the scribe, with their other associates,
dwelling in Samaria and other places,
wrote to him against those who lived in
Judea and Jerusalem the following letter:
17 “To King Artaxerxes our Lord, from
your servants, Rathumus the recorder,
Samellius the scribe, and the rest of
their council, and the judges who are in
Coelesyria and Phoenicia:
18 Let it now be known to our lord the
king, that the Jews that have come up from
you to us, having come to Jerusalem, are
building that rebellious and wicked city,
and are repairing its marketplaces and
walls, and are laying the foundation of a temple.
19 Now if this city is built and its walls
are finished, they will not only refuse to
give tribute, but will even stand up
against kings.
20 Since the things pertaining to the temple
are now in hand, we think it appropriate
not to neglect such a matter,
21 but to speak to our lord the king, to
the intent that, ifit is your pleasure, search
may be made in the books of your ancestors.
22 You will find in the chronicles what is
written concerning these things, and will
understand that that city was rebellious,
troubling both kings and cities,
23 and that the Jews were rebellious, and
kept starting wars there in the past. For
this cause, this city was laid waste.
24 Therefore now we do declare to you, O
lord the king, that if this city is built again,
and its walls set up again, you will from
then on have no passage into Coelesyria
and Phoenicia.”
25 Then the king wrote back again to
Rathumus the recorder, Beeltethmus,
Samellius the scribe, and to the rest that
of their associates who lived in Samaria,
Syria, and Phoenicia, as follows:
26 “I have read the letter which you have
sent to me. Therefore I commanded to
make search, and it has been found that
that city of old time has fought against
kings,
27 and the men were given to rebellion
and war in it, and that mighty and fierce
kings were in Jerusalem, who reigned and
exacted tribute in Coelesyria and Phoenicia.
28 Now therefore I have commanded to
prevent those men from building the city,
and heed to be taken that there be nothing
done contrary to this order,
29 and that those wicked doings proceed
no further to the annoyance of kings.”
30 Then King Artaxerxes, his letters being
read, Rathumus, and Samellius the
scribe, and the rest of their associates,
went in haste to Jerusalem with cavalry
and a multitude of people in battle array,
and began to hinder the builders. So the
building of the temple in Jerusalem ceased
until the second year of the reign of King
Darius of the Persians.