Ezra 6

1 Thus King Darius ordered that a search be made of the archives that were housed in the treasury of Babylon.

Then King Darius gaue commandement, and they made search in the librarie of the treasures, which were there layd vp in Babel.

2 But it was actually in the fortress of Ecbatana, in the province of Media, that a scroll was found, recording the following:

And there was founde in a coffer (in the palace that was in the prouince of the Medes) a volume, and therein was it thus written, as a memoriall,

3 In the first year of King Cyrus, he issued a decree regarding God's Temple in Jerusalem: Let the Temple be rebuilt as a place where sacrifices are offered, and make sure it has strong foundations are firm. Make it sixty cubits high and sixty cubits wide,

IN THE FIRST yeere of King Cyrus, King Cyrus made a decree for the house of God in Ierusalem, Let the house be buylt, euen the place where they offred sacrifices, and let the walles thereof be ioyned together: let the height thereof be three score cubites, and the breadth thereof three score cubites,

4 with three layers of stone blocks and one of timber. Expenses are to be paid from the royal treasury.

Three orders of great stones, and one order of timber, and let the expenses be giuen of the Kings house.

5 In addition, the gold and silver items of God's Temple, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the Temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, must also be returned to the Temple in Jerusalem and placed there.

And also let them render the vessels of the house of God (of golde and siluer, which Nebuchadnezzar tooke out of the Temple, which was in Ierusalem, and brought vnto Babel) and let him goe vnto the Temple that is in Ierusalem to his place, and put them in the house of God.

6 These are my instructions to you, Tattenai, governor of the province west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and your fellow officials, and officials of the province: Stay far away from there!

Therefore Tatnai captaine beyond the Riuer, and Shethar Boznai, (and their companions Apharsecaie, which are beyonde the Riuer) be ye farre from thence.

7 This work on God's Temple—leave it alone! Let the governor and leaders of the Jews continue with rebuilding this Temple of God on its original site.

Suffer ye the worke of this house of God, that the captaine of the Iewes and the Elders of the Iewes may buylde this house of God in his place.

8 Furthermore, this is my decree as to what you are to do for these Jewish leaders regarding the rebuilding of this Temple of God. The full expense involved is to be paid from royal income, the tribute of the province west of the Euphrates, so that the work will not be delayed.

For I haue giuen a commandement what ye shall doe to the Elders of these Iewes, for the buylding of this house of God, that of the reuenues of the King, which is of the tribute beyonde the Riuer, there be incontinently expenses giuen vnto these men that they cease not.

9 Provide whatever is needed by the priests in Jerusalem: young bulls, rams, and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine, and olive oil. Make sure to give them this each day without fail.

And that which they shall haue neede of, let it be giuen vnto them day by day, whether it be yong bullockes, or rammes, or lambes for the burnt offrings of the God of heauen, wheate, salt, wine, and oyle, according to the appoyntment of the Priestes that are in Ierusalem, that there bee no fault,

10 In this way they can offer sacrifices that are acceptable to the God of heaven, and pray for the lives of the king and his sons.

That they may haue to offer sweete odours vnto the God of heauen, and praye for the Kings life, and for his sonnes.

11 Further I declare that if any man interferes with this decree, a beam is to be ripped from his house and set in the ground, and he is to be impaled on top of it. His own house shall be turned into a pile of rubble for disobeying this decree.

And I haue made a decree, that whosoeuer shall alter this sentence, the wood shall be pulled downe from his house, and shall be set vp, and he shalbe hanged thereon, and his house shalbe made a dunghill for this.

12 May God who chose the city of Jerusalem as the place where he would be honored, destroy any king or people who try to alter what I have said or who destroy this Temple. I, Darius, issue this decree. Let it be faithfully carried out.

And the God that hath caused his Name to dwell there, destroy all Kings and people that put to their hand to alter, and to destroy this house of God, which is in Ierusalem. I Darius haue made a decree, let it be done with speede.

13 Tattenai, the governor of the province west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their fellow officials faithfully carried out what King Darius had decreed.

Then Tatnai the captaine beyond the Riuer, and Shethar Boznai and their companions, according to that which Darius had sent, so they did speedily.

14 As a result the Jewish leaders continued building, and they were encouraged by the messages from Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, son of Iddo. They completed building the Temple following the command of the God of Israel, and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia.

So the Elders of the Iewes builded, and they prospered by the prophecying of Haggai the Prophet, and Zechariah the sonne of Iddo, and they buylded and finished it, by the appoyntment of the God of Israel, and by the commandement of Cyrus and Darius, and Artahshashte king of Persia.

15 The 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 was finished the thirde day of the moneth Adar, which was the sixt yeere of the reigne of King Darius.

16 Then the people of Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the rest of those who had returned from exile, all joyfully celebrated the dedication of the God's Temple.

And the children of Israel, the Priestes, and the Leuites, and the residue of the children of the captiuitie kept the dedication of this house of God with ioy,

17 To dedicate God's Temple they sacrificed one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and a sin offering for the whole of Israel comprising twelve male goats, one for each Israelite tribe.

And offred at the dedication of this house of God an hundreth bullockes, two hundreth rams, foure hundreth lambes, and twelue goates, for the sinne of all Israel, according to the nomber of the tribes of Israel.

18 They organized the priests and Levites by their divisions to serve God in the Temple at Jerusalem, in accordance with the Book of Moses.

And they set the Priests in their order, and the Leuites in their courses ouer the seruice of God in Ierusalem, as it is written in the booke of Moses.

19 The exiles who had returned observed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.

And the childre of the captiuitie kept the Passeouer on ye fourtenth day of the first moneth.

20 The priests and Levites had all purified themselves so that they were clean according to the ceremonial law. So they killed the Passover lamb for all the exiles who had returned, for their fellow priests, and for themselves.

(For the Priests and the Leuites were purified altogether) and they killed the Passeouer for all the children of the captiuitie, and for their brethren the Priests, and for themselues.

21 The Passover was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile, and by those who had joined them and had rejected the pagan practices of the peoples of the land in order to worship the Lord, the God of Israel.

So the children of Israel which were come againe out of captiuitie, and all such as had separated themselues vnto them, from the filthines of the Heathen of the land, to seeke the Lord God of Israel, did eate,

22 Then they observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. Everyone throughout the land was so happy because the Lord had made the king of Assyria favorable to them, helping them to rebuild the Temple of God, the God of Israel.

And they kept ye feast of vnleauened bread seuen dayes with ioy: for the Lord had made them glad, and turned the heart of the King of Asshur vnto them, to incourage them in the worke of the house of God, euen the God of Israel.