Ezra 6

1 Thus King Darius ordered a search of the archives stored in the treasury of Babylon.

Then Darius the king made a decree, and they sought in the house of the scrolls of the treasuries placed there in Babylon,

2 And a scroll was found in the fortress of Ecbatana, in the province of Media, with the following written on it: Memorandum:

and there has been found at Achmetha, in a palace that [is] in the province of Media, a scroll, and a record thus written within it [is]:

3 In the first year of King Cyrus, he issued a decree concerning the house of God in Jerusalem: Let the house be rebuilt as a place for offering sacrifices, and let its foundations be firmly laid. It is to be sixty cubits high and sixty cubits wide,

“In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king has made a decree concerning the house of God in Jerusalem: let the house be built in the place where they are sacrificing sacrifices, and its foundations strongly laid; its height sixty cubits, its breadth sixty cubits;

4 with three layers of cut stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid from the royal treasury.

three rows of rolled stones, and a row of new wood, and let the outlay be given out of the king’s house.

5 Furthermore, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and carried to Babylon, must also be returned to the temple in Jerusalem and deposited in the house of God.

And also, the vessels of the house of God, of gold and silver, that Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple that [is] in Jerusalem, and brought to Babylon, let be given back, and go to the temple that [is] in Jerusalem, [each] to its place, and put [them] down in the house of God.

6 Therefore Darius decreed: To Tattenai governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and your associates and officials in the region: You must stay away from that place!

Now Tatnai, governor beyond the river, Shethar-Boznai, and their companions, the Apharsachites, who [are] beyond the river, be far from here;

7 Leave this work on the house of God alone. Let the governor and elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its original site.

let alone the work of this house of God, let the governor of the Jews, and [the] elders of the Jews, build this house of God on its place.

8 I hereby decree what you must do for these elders of the Jews who are rebuilding this house of God: The cost is to be paid in full to these men from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the provinces west of the Euphrates, so that the work will not be hindered.

And a decree is made by me concerning that which you do with [the] elders of these Jews to build this house of God, that of [the] riches of [the] king, that [are] of [the] tribute beyond [the] river, let the outlay be given speedily to these men, that they do not cease;

9 Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, as well as wheat, salt, wine, and oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem—must be given to them daily without fail.

and what they are needing—both young bullocks, and rams, and lambs for burnt-offerings to the God of the heavens, wheat, salt, wine, and oil according to the saying of the priests who [are] in Jerusalem—let be given to them day by day without fail,

10 Then they will be able to offer sacrifices of a sweet aroma to the God of heaven and to pray for the lives of the king and his sons.

that they are bringing sweet savors near to the God of the heavens, and praying for the life of the king, and of his sons.

11 I also decree that if any man interferes with this directive, a beam is to be torn from his house and raised up, and he is to be impaled on it. And his own house shall be made a pile of rubble for this offense.

And a decree is made by me, that anyone who changes this thing, let wood be pulled down from his house, and being raised up, let him be struck on it, and let his house be made a dunghill for this.

12 May God, who has caused His Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to alter this decree or to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued the decree. Let it be carried out with diligence.

And God, who caused His Name to dwell there, casts down any king and people that puts forth his hand to change, to destroy this house of God that [is] in Jerusalem; I Darius have made a decree; let it be done speedily.”

13 In response, Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates diligently carried out what King Darius had decreed.

Then Tatnai, governor beyond the river, Shethar-Boznai, and their companions, according to that which Darius the king has sent, so they have done speedily;

14 So the Jewish elders built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia.

and [the] elders of [the] Jews are building and prospering through [the] prophecy of Haggai [the] prophet, and Zechariah son of Iddo, and they have built and finished by [the] decree of [the] God of Israel, and by [the] decree of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

15 And this temple was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

And this house has gone out until the third day of the month Adar, that is [in] the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

16 Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy.

And the sons of Israel have made, [and] the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the sons of the captivity, a dedication of this house of God with joy,

17 For the dedication of the house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and a sin offering for all Israel of twelve male goats, one for each tribe of Israel.

and have brought near for the dedication of this house of God: one hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and twelve young male goats for a sin-offering for all Israel according to the number of the tribes of Israel;

18 They also appointed the priests by their divisions and the Levites by their groups to the service of God in Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.

and they have established the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, over the service of God that [is] in Jerusalem, as it is written in the scroll of Moses.

19 On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles kept the Passover.

And the sons of the captivity make the Passover on the fourteenth of the first month,

20 All the priests and Levites had purified themselves and were ceremonially clean. And the Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their priestly brothers, and for themselves.

for the priests and the Levites have been purified together—all of them [are] pure—and they slaughter the Passover for all the sons of the captivity, and for their brothers the priests, and for themselves.

21 The Israelites who had returned from exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the peoples of the land to seek the LORD, the God of Israel.

And the sons of Israel, those returning from the captivity, and everyone who is separated from the uncleanness of the nations of the land to them, to seek to YHWH, God of Israel, eat,

22 For seven days they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread with joy, because the LORD had made them joyful and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to strengthen their hands in the work on the house of the God of Israel.

and they make the Celebration of Unleavened Things seven days with joy, for YHWH made them to rejoice, and turned around the heart of the king of Asshur to them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.