Ezra 4

1 and to hear: hear enemy Judah and Benjamin for son: type of [the] captivity to build temple to/for LORD God Israel

Now the enemies of Judah and of Benjamin heard that the sons of the captivity were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel.

2 and to approach: approach to(wards) Zerubbabel and to(wards) head: leader [the] father and to say to/for them to build with you for like/as you to seek to/for God your (and to/for him *Q(K)*) we to sacrifice from day Esarhaddon Esarhaddon king Assyria [the] to ascend: establish [obj] us here

And so, drawing near to Zerubbabel and to the leaders of the fathers, they said to them: “Let us build with you, for we seek your God just as you do. Behold, we have immolated victims to him from the days of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, who brought us here.”

3 and to say to/for them Zerubbabel and Jeshua and remnant head: leader [the] father to/for Israel not to/for you and to/for us to/for to build house: temple to/for God our for we unitedness to build to/for LORD God Israel like/as as which to command us [the] king Cyrus king Persia

And Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the leaders of the fathers of Israel said to them: “It is not for you to build the house of our God with us. Instead, we alone shall build to the Lord our God, just as Cyrus, the king of the Persians, has commanded us.”

4 and to be people [the] land: country/planet to slacken hand people Judah (and to dismay *Q(K)*) [obj] them to/for to build

Therefore, it happened that the people of the land impeded the hands of the people of Judah, and they troubled them in building.

5 and to hire upon them to advise to/for to break counsel their all day Cyrus king Persia and till royalty Darius king Persia

Then they hired counselors against them, so that they might argue against their plan during all the days of Cyrus, king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius, king of the Persians.

6 and in/on/with royalty Ahasuerus in/on/with beginning royalty his to write accusation upon to dwell Judah and Jerusalem

And so, during the reign of Ahasuerus, at the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and of Jerusalem.

7 and in/on/with day Artaxerxes to write Bishlam Mithredath Tabeel and remnant (associate his *Q(K)*) upon (Artaxerxes *Q(k)*) king Persia and writing [the] letter to write Aramaic and to translate Aramaic

And so, in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, and Tabeel, and the others who were in their council wrote to Artaxerxes, king of the Persians. Now the letter of accusation was written in Syriac, and was being read in the Syrian language.

8 Rehum commander command and Shimshai scribe [the] to write letter one since Jerusalem to/for Artaxerxes king [the] thus

Rehum, the commander, and Shimshai, the scribe, wrote one letter from Jerusalem to king Artaxerxes, in this manner:

9 then Rehum commander command and Shimshai scribe [the] and remainder associate their judge [the] and govenors [the] officials [the] Persia [the] (Erech [the] *Q(K)*) Babylonian [the] Susa [the] (Dehavite [the] *Q(K)*) Elamite [the]

“Rehum, the commander, and Shimshai, the scribe, and the rest of their counselors, the judges, and rulers, the officials, those from Persia, from Erech, from Babylonia, from Susa, the Dehavites, and the Elamites,

10 and remainder people [the] that to reveal Osnappar great [the] and honorable [the] and to dwell they in/on/with town that Samaria and remainder beyond River [the] and now

and the rest of the nations, whom the great and glorious Osnappar transferred and caused to live in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the regions across the river in peace:

11 this copy letter [the] that to send since him since Artaxerxes king [the] (servant/slave your *Q(K)*) man beyond River [the] and now

to king Artaxerxes. (This is a copy of the letter, which they sent to him.) Your servants, the men who are across the river, send a greeting.

12 to know to be to/for king [the] that Jew [the] that to ascend from with you since us to come to/for Jerusalem town [the] rebellious [the] (and bad [the] *Q(k)*) to build (and wall [the] to complete *Q(K)*) and foundation [the] to repair

Let it be known to the king, that the Jews, who ascended from you to us, have arrived in Jerusalem, a rebellious and most wicked city, which they are building, constructing its ramparts and repairing the walls.

13 now to know to be to/for king [the] that if town [the] this to build and wall [the] to complete tribute tribute and toll not to give: pay and revenue king to suffer injury

And now let be it known to the king, that if this city will have been built up, and its walls repaired, they will not pay tribute, nor tax, nor yearly revenues, and this loss will affect even the kings.

14 now like/as to/for before: because that salt temple: palace [the] to eat salt and dishonor king [the] not (be proper *LB(ah)*) to/for us to/for to see since this to send and to know to/for king [the]

But, remembering the salt that we have eaten in the palace, and because we are led to believe that it is a crime to see the king harmed, we have therefore sent and reported to the king,

15 that to enquire in/on/with scroll record [the] that father your and to find in/on/with scroll record [the] and to know that town [the] this town rebellious and to suffer injury king and province and sedition to make in/on/with midst her from day perpetuity [the] since this town [the] this be wasted

so that you may search in the books of the histories of your fathers, and you may find written in the records, and you may know that this city is a rebellious city, and that it is harmful to the kings and the provinces, and that wars were incited within it from the days of antiquity. For which reason also, the city itself was destroyed.

16 to know we to/for king [the] that if town [the] this to build and wall [the] to complete to/for before this portion in/on/with beyond River [the] not there is to/for you

We report to the king that if this city will have been built, and its walls repaired, you will have no possession across the river.”

17 edict [the] to send king [the] since Rehum commander command and Shimshai scribe [the] and remainder associate their that to dwell in/on/with Samaria and remainder beyond River [the] peace and now

The king sent word to Rehum, the commander, and to Shimshai, the scribe, and to the rest who were in their council, to the inhabitants of Samaria, and to the others across the river, offering a greeting and peace.

18 document [the] that to send since us to make clear to read before me

“The accusation, which you have sent to us, has been read aloud before me.

19 and from me to set: make command and to enquire and to find that town [the] this from day perpetuity [the] since king to lift and rebellion and sedition to make in/on/with her

And it was commanded by me, and they searched and found that this city, from the days of antiquity, has rebelled against the kings, and that seditions and battles have been incited within it.

20 and king strong to be since Jerusalem and ruling in/on/with all beyond River [the] and tribute tribute and toll to give to/for them

Then too, there have been very strong kings in Jerusalem, who also ruled over the entire region which is across the river. They have also taken tribute, and tax, and revenues.

21 now to set: make command to/for to cease man [the] these and town [the] this not to build till from me command [the] to set: make

Now therefore, hear the sentence: Prohibit those men, so that this city may be not built, until perhaps there may be further orders from me.

22 and to take heed to be neglect to/for to make since this to/for what? to grow great harm [the] to/for to suffer injury king

See to it that you are not negligent in fulfilling this, otherwise, little by little, the evil may increase against the kings.”

23 then from that copy document [the] that (Artaxerxes *Q(k)*) king [the] to read before Rehum and Shimshai scribe [the] and associate their to go in/on/with hastely to/for Jerusalem since Jew [the] and to cease they in/on/with force and strength

And so a copy of the edict of king Artaxerxes was read before Rehum, the commander, and Shimshai, the scribe, and their counselors. And they went away hurriedly to Jerusalem, to the Jews. And they prohibited them by force and by strength.

24 in/on/with then to cease service house god [the] that in/on/with Jerusalem and to be to cease till year two to/for kingdom Darius king Persia

Then the work of the house of the Lord in Jerusalem was interrupted, and it did not resume until the second year of the reign of Darius, the king of the Persians.