Ezra 6
1 Then, Darius the king, issued an edict, —and they made search in the house of the books, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon.
Thus King Darius ordered a search of the archives stored in the treasury of Babylon.
2 And there was found in Achmetha, in the fortress which is in the province of Media, a roll, —and, thus, was it written therein, as a record: —
And a scroll was found in the fortress of Ecbatana, in the province of Media, with the following written on it: Memorandum:
3 In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king, issued an edict, as to the house of God in Jerusalem, Let the house be built, the place where they used to offer sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be reared, —the height thereof, sixty cubits, the breadth thereof, sixty cubits;
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,
4 layers of large stones, three, and one layer of new timber, —and, as for the expenses, out of the house of the king, let them be given.
with three layers of cut stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid from the royal treasury.
5 Moreover also, the utensils of the house of God, of gold and silver, which, Nebuchadnezzar, took forth out of the temple that was in Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, let them again be taken to the temple which is in Jerusalem every one to its place, and lay them up in the house of God.
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.
6 Now, therefore, Tattenai pasha Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates, the Apharsachites, who are Beyond the River, —be ye far from thence:
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!
7 let alone the work of this house of God, —the pasha of Judah, and the elders of Judah, this house of God, shall build upon its place;
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.
8 And, from me, is issued an edict, as to that which ye shall do, with these elders of Judah, for the building of this house of God, —That, of the resources of the king, even the tribute Beyond the River, forthwith, the expenses be given unto these men, for they must not be hindered.
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.
9 And, whatever may be the need—whether young bullocks or rams or lambs for ascending-sacrifices unto the God of the heavens, wheat, salt, wine or oil, according to the command of the priests who are in Jerusalem, —that it he given to them day by day, without fail;
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.
10 that they may be offering sweet-smelling sacrifices unto the God of the heavens, —and be praying for the life of the king, and his sons.
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.
11 And, from me, is issued an edict, that, any man who shall alter this message, let timber be torn out of his house, and being lifted up let him be fastened thereunto, —and his house, a dunghill, be made for this;
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.
12 and, the God who hath caused his Name to dwell there, destroy any king or people, who shall put forth their hand to alter to destroy this house of God, which is in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued an edict, forthwith, let it be done.
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.
13 Then, Tattenai the pasha Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates, —according as Darius the king had sent, so, forthwith, they did.
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.
14 And, the elders of the Jews, went on building and prospering, through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah son of Iddo, —they both built and finished, owing to the edict of the God of Israel, and owing to the edict of Cyrus and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.
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.
15 And this house was finished, by the third day of the month Adar, —the which was the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.
And this temple was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.
16 Then did the sons of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the Sons of the Exile, keep the dedication of this house of God, with joy;
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.
17 and offered, for the dedication of this house of God, bullocks, one hundred, rams, two hundred, lambs, four hundred, —and, he-goats, as a sin-offering for all Israel, twelve, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.
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.
18 And they set up the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, over the service of God, which was in Jerusalem, —as it is written, in the Book of Moses.
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.
19 And the Sons of the Exile kept the passover, —on the fourteenth of the first month;
On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles kept the Passover.
20 for the priests and the Levites, had purified themselves, as one man, all of them, were pure, —so they slaughtered the passover for all the Sons of the Exile, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.
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.
21 Therefore the sons of Israel who had returned from the Exile and all who had separated themselves from the impurity of the nations of the land unto them, did eat, —to seek Yahweh, God of Israel;
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.
22 and kept the festival of unleavened cakes seven days, with joy, —for Yahweh had made them joyful, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria towards them, to strengthen their hands, in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
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.
