Ezra 5

1 The prophets Haggai and Zechariah, son of Iddo, gave messages to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem from the God of Israel, their ruler.

And Aggaeus the prophet, and Zacharias the [son] of Addo, prophesied a prophesy to the Jews in Juda and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, [even] to them.

2 Then Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua, son of Jozadak, decided to start work on rebuilding God's Temple in Jerusalem. The prophets of God encouraged them and helped them.

Then rose up Zorobabel the [son] of Salathiel, and Jesus the son of Josedec, and began to build the house of God that was in Jerusalem: and with them [were] the prophets of God assisting them.

3 Almost immediately Tattenai, the governor of the province west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their fellow officials arrived and asked, “Who gave you permission to rebuild this Temple and finish it?”

At the same time came there upon them Thanthanai, the governor on this side the river, and Satharbuzanai, and their fellow-servants, and spoke thus to them, Who has ordained a decree for you to build this house, and to [provide] this preparation?

4 Then they asked, “What are the names of the men who are working on this building?”

Then they spoke thus to them, What are the names of the men that build this city?

5 But their God was watching over the Jewish leaders, so that they were not prevented from working until a report could be sent to Darius and a written reply with instructions was received.

But the eyes of God were upon the captivity of Juda, and they did not cause them to cease till the decree was brought to Darius; and then was sent by the tribute-gatherer concerning this

6 The following is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, the governor of the province west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their fellow officials, officials of the province, sent to King Darius.

the copy of a letter, which Thanthanai, the governor of the part on this side the river, and Satharbuzanai, and their fellow-servants the Apharsachaeans who were on this side of the river, sent to king Darius.

7 The report they sent him read went like this: “To King Darius: Greetings.

They sent an account to him, and thus it was written in it: All peace to king Darius.

8 We wish to inform Your Majesty that we went to the province of Judah, to the Temple of the great God. It is being built with large stones, with timber beams being placed on the walls. This work is being done properly and is progressing well.

Be it known to the king, that we went into the land of Judea, to the house of the great God; and it is building with choice stones, and they are laying timbers in the walls, and that work is prospering, and goes on favourably in their hands.

9 We questioned the leaders, asking them, ‘Who gave you permission to rebuild this Temple and finish it?’

Then we asked those elders, and thus we said to them, Who gave you the order to build this house, and to [provide] this preparation?

10 We also asked for their names, so that we could write them down and let you know the names of their leaders.

And we asked them their names, [in order] to declare [them] to you, so as to write to you the names of their leading men.

11 This is the answer they gave us. ‘We are servants of the God of heaven and earth. We are rebuilding the Temple built and completed many years ago by a great king of Israel.

And they answered us thus, saying, We [are] the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we [are] building the house which had been built many years before this, and a great king of Israel built it, and established it for them.

12 But our forefathers made the God of heaven angry, so he handed them over to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this Temple and deported the people to Babylon.

But after that our fathers provoked the God of heaven, he gave them into the hands of Nabuchodonosor the Chaldean, king of Babylon, and he destroyed this house, and carried the people captive to Babylon.

13 However, Cyrus, king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, issued a decree to rebuild this Temple of God.

And in the first year of king Cyrus, Cyrus the king made a decree that this house of God should be built.

14 He even gave back the gold and silver items belonging to God's Temple, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem and placed in his temple in Babylon. King Cyrus gave them to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor,

And the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nabuchodonosor brought out from the house that was in Jerusalem, and carried them into the temple of the king, them did king Cyrus bring out from the temple of the king, and gave them to Sabanasar the treasurer, who was over the treasurer;

15 telling him, Take these items and place them in the Temple in Jerusalem. Rebuild God's Temple on its original site.

and said to him, Take all the vessels, and go, put them in the house that is in Jerusalem in their place.

16 So Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of God's Temple in Jerusalem. It has been under construction since then, but hasn't yet been completed.’

Then that Sabanazar came, and laid the foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem: and from that time even until now it has been building, and has not been finished.

17 So, if Your Majesty wishes, authorize a search to be made of the royal archives in Babylon to discover if there is a record that King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild God's Temple in Jerusalem. Then please let us know Your Majesty's decision in this matter.”

And now, if it [seem] good to the king, lest search be made in the treasure-house of the king at Babylon, that you may know [if it be] that a decree was made by king Cyrus to build that house of God that was in Jerusalem, and let the king send to us when he has learnt concerning this [matter].