Ezra 4

1 Now, when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard—that, the Sons of the Exile, were building the temple, unto Yahweh, God of Israel,

And they that afflicted Juda and Benjamin heard, that the children of the captivity were building a house to the Lord God of Israel.

2 then drew they near unto Zerubbabel, and unto the ancestral chiefs, and said unto them, Let us build with you, for, like you, we seek your God, and, unto him, have, we, been sacrificing since the days of Esar-haddon, king of Assyria, who brought us up hither.

And they drew near to Zorobabel, and to the heads of families, and said to them, We will build with you; for as you [do], we seek [to serve] our God, and we do sacrifice to him from the days of Asaradan king of Assur, who brought us hither.

3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the ancestral chiefs of Israel, said unto them, It pertaineth not to you and to us [in common], to build a house unto our God, —but, we ourselves together, will build unto Yahweh, God of Israel, even as King Cyrus, king of Persia, hath commanded us.

then Zorobabel, and Jesus and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel said to them, [It is] not for us and you to build a house to our God, for we ourselves will build together to the Lord our God, as Cyrus the king of the Persians commanded us.

4 Then came it to pass, that, the people of the land, were weakening the hands of the people of Judah, —and troubling them in building;

And the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Juda, and hindered them in building,

5 and hiring against them counselors, to overturn their purpose, —all the days of Cyrus, king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius, king of Persia.

and [continued] hiring [persons] against them, plotting to frustrate their counsel, all the days of Cyrus king of the Persians, and until the reign of Darius king of the Persians.

6 And, in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they an accusation, against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

And in the reign of Assuerus, even in the beginning of his reign, they wrote a letter against the inhabitants of Juda and Jerusalem.

7 And, in the days of Artaxerxes, wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his associates, unto Artaxerxes, king of Persia, —and, the writing of the letter, was written in Aramean, and was to be interpreted as Aramean.

And in the days of Arthasastha, Tabeel wrote peaceably to Mithradates and to the rest of his fellow-servants: the tribute-gatherer wrote to Arthasastha king of the Persians a writing in the Syrian tongue, and [the same] interpreted.

8 Rehum holder of judicial authority, and Shimshai the scribe, wrote a certain letter against Jerusalem, —to Artaxerxes the king, thus:

Reum the chancellor, and Sampsa the scribe wrote an epistle against Jerusalem to King Arthasastha, [saying, ]

9 Then Rehum holder of judicial authority, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, —the Dinaites and the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Shushanchites, the Dehaites, the Elamites;

Thus has judged Reum the chancellor, and Sampsa the scribe, and the rest of our fellow-servants, the Dinaeans, the Apharsathachaeans, the Tarphalaeans, the Apharsaeans, the Archyaeans, the Babylonians, the Susanachaeans, Davaeans,

10 and the rest of the peoples, whom the great and noble Osnappar hath exiled, and set in the city of Samaria, —and the rest Beyond the River, and so forth:

and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Assenaphar removed, and settled them in the cities of Somoron, and the rest [of them] beyond the river.

11 This, is a copy of the letter which they sent unto him—unto Artaxerxes the king, —Thy servants, the men Beyond the River and so forth:

This [is] the purport of the letter, which they sent to him: Your servants the men beyond the river to king Arthasastha.

12 Be it known unto the king, —that, the Jews who came up from thee unto us, are come to Jerusalem, —the rebellious and wicked city, are they building, and, the walls, have they finished, and, the foundations, will they repair.

Be it known to the king, that the Jews who came up from you to us have come to Jerusalem the rebellious and wicked city, which they are building, and its walls are set in order, and they have established the foundations of it.

13 Now be it known to the king, that, if this city, be built, and, the walls thereof, be finished, neither, tribute, excise, nor toll, will they render, and so, the revenue of the kings, shalt thou damage.

Now then be it known to the king, that if that city be built up, and its walls completed, you shall have no tribute, neither will they pay [anything], and this injures kings.

14 Now, because the salt of the palace we have eaten, the impoverishment of the king, it is not meet for us to see, —therefore have we sent, and certified the king;

And it is not lawful for us to see the dishonour of the king: therefore have we sent and made known [the matter] to the king;

15 so that search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers, so shalt thou find out in the book of records—and shalt ascertain, that, this city, is a rebellious city, and one that causeth damage unto kings and provinces, and that, rebellion, have they been wont to cause in the midst thereof since the days of age-past time, —for this cause, was this city laid waste.

That examination may be made in your fathers' book of record; and you shall find, and you shall know that city [is] rebellious, and does harm to kings and countries, and there are in the midst of it from very old time refuges for [runaway] slaves: therefore this city has been made desolate.

16 We do certify the king that, if, this city, be built, and, the walls thereof, finished, for that very reason, portion Beyond the River, shalt thou have none.

We therefore declare to the king, that, if that city be built, and its walls be set up, you shall not have peace.

17 The king sent, a message, unto Rehum holder of judicial authority, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, who were dwelling in Samaria, and the rest Beyond the River, Peace and so forth.

Then the king sent to Reum the chancellor, and Sampsa the scribe, and the rest of their fellow-servants who lived in Samaria, and the rest beyond the river, [saying, ]Peace; and he says,

18 The letter which ye sent unto us, was distinctly read before me;

The tribute-gatherer whom you sent to us, has been called before me.

19 And, from me, went forth an edict, and they have made search and found, that, this city, since the days of age-past time, against kings, hath lifted herself up, —and, sedition and rebellion, have been made therein;

And a decree has been made by me, and we have examined, and found that city of old time exalts itself against kings, and that rebellions and desertions take place within it.

20 and, mighty kings, have there been over Jerusalem, and bearing rule everywhere Beyond the River, —and, tribute, excise, and toll, have been given to them.

And there were powerful kings in Jerusalem, and they ruled over all the [country] beyond the river, and abundant revenues and tribute were given to them.

21 Now, issue ye an edict, to forbid these men, —that, this city, be not built, until, from me, the edict be issued.

Now therefore make a decree to stop the work of those men, and that city shall no more be built.

22 Beware, then, of failure to do thus, —wherefore should the damage increase, to inflict loss on the kings?

[See] that you be careful of the decree, [not] to be remiss concerning this matter, lest at any time destruction should abound to the harm of kings.

23 Then, when, the copy of the letter of Artaxerxes the king, had been read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their associates, they journeyed in haste to Jerusalem, unto the Jews, and forbade them, with arm and force.

Then the tribute-gatherer of king Arthasastha read [the letter] before Reum the chancellor, and Sampsa the scribe, and his fellow-servants: and they went in haste to Jerusalem and through Juda, and caused them to cease with horses and an [armed] force.

24 Then ceased the work of the house of God, which was in Jerusalem, —yea it did cease, until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Then ceased the work of the house of God in Jerusalem, and it was at a stand until the second year of the reign of Darius king of the Persians.