Ezra 6

1 [Later] Darius [became the ruler of the Persian Empire. When the enemies of the Israelis forced them to stop rebuilding the temple, the Persian officials sent a message to King Darius. They asked him to] search the records in the (archives/government records), in the building where the king stored the important documents, [to find out whether King Cyrus had authorized that the temple should be rebuilt].

Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in the house of the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon.

2 [The king commanded someone to search there, but those documents were not there in Babylon]. They found a scroll at the fort in Ecbatana, in Media province, [that contained the information that they wanted to know]. This is what was written on that scroll:

And there was found at Achmetha, in the palace that [is] in the province of the Medes, a roll, and in it [was] a record thus written:

3 “During the first year that Cyrus [ruled the empire], he sent out a decree concerning the temple of God which is at Jerusalem. In the decree it was stated that a new temple must be built at the same place that [the Israeli people previously] had offered sacrifices, where the [original] foundation [of the first temple] was. The temple must be 90 feet high and 90 feet wide.

In the first year of Cyrus the king, [the same] Cyrus the king made a decree [concerning] the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be built, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations of it be strongly laid; the hight of it sixty cubits, [and] the breadth of it sixty cubits;

4 The building must be made from large stones. After putting down three layers of stones, a layer of timber must be put on top of them. This work will be paid for by money from my treasury.

[With] three rows of great stones, and a row of new timber: and let the expenses be given out of the king's house:

5 Also, the gold and silver utensils that King Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple of God in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon must be taken back to Jerusalem. They must be put in God’s temple just as they were in the previous temple.”

And also let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple which [is] at Jerusalem, and brought to Babylon, be restored, and brought again to the temple which [is] at Jerusalem, [every one] to its place, and place [them] in the house of God.

6 After reading this, King Darius sent this message [to the leaders of the Israeli people’s enemies in Jerusalem]: “This is a message for Tattenai, the governor of the province west of the [Euphrates] River, and for [his assistant] Shethar-Bozenai, and for all your colleagues: Stay away from that area!

Now [therefore], Tatnai governor beyond the river, Shethar-boznai, and your companions the Apharsachites, who [are] beyond the river, be ye far from thence:

7 Do not (interfere with/hinder) the work of building the temple of God! The temple must be rebuilt at the same place where the former temple was. And do not hinder the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews [while they are doing this work].

Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews, and the elders of the Jews, build this house of God in its place.

8 “Furthermore, I declare that you must help these leaders of the Jews as they rebuild this temple of God [by giving them funds for the building work].

Moreover, I make a decree what ye shall do to the elders of these Jews for the building of this house of God: that of the king's goods, [even] of the tribute beyond the river, forthwith expenses be given to these men, that they be not hindered.

9 “The Jewish priests in Jerusalem need young bulls and rams and lambs to sacrifice as they make burned offerings to the God of heaven. You must give them the animals that they need. Also, you must be certain to give them the wheat, salt, wine, and [olive] oil that they need each day [for those sacrifices].

And that which they have need of, both young bullocks, and rams, and lambs, for the burnt-offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the appointment of the priests who [are] at Jerusalem, let it be given to them day by day without fail:

10 If you do that, the Jewish priests will be able to offer sacrifices that please the God who is in heaven, and they will pray that God will bless me and my sons.

That they may offer sacrifices of sweet savors to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king, and of his sons.

11 “If anyone disobeys this decree, [my soldiers] will pull a beam from his house. Then [after they sharpen one end of the beam, ] they will lift that man up and impale him on that beam. Then they will [completely destroy that man’s house until only] a pile of rubble is left.

Also I have made a decree, that whoever shall alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him be hanged upon it; and let his house be made a dunghill for this.

12 God has chosen [that city of] Jerusalem as the place where people will honor him [MTY]. What I desire is that he will get rid of any king or any nation that tries to change this decree or tries to destroy that temple in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have made this decree. It must be obeyed quickly and thoroughly.”

And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there destroy all kings and people, that shall attempt to alter and to destroy this house of God which [is] at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree; let it be done with speed.

13 Tattenai, the governor of the province, and [his assistant] Shethar-Bozenai and their colleagues [read the message and] immediately obeyed the decree of King Darius.

Then Tatnai governor on this side the river, Shethar-boznai, and their companions, according to that which Darius the king had sent, so they did speedily.

14 So the Jewish leaders continued their work [of rebuilding the temple]. They were greatly encouraged by the messages that the prophets Haggai and Zechariah preached. The Israelis continued building the temple, just like God had commanded them to do and like King Cyrus had decreed.

And the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built, and finished [it], according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

15 They finished building it on March 12, during the sixth year that King Darius [ruled].

And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

16 Then the priests and the Levites and all the other Israeli people who had returned from Babylon very joyfully dedicated the temple.

And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy,

17 During [the ceremony to] dedicate the temple, they sacrificed 100 young bulls, 200 rams, and 400 lambs. They also sacrificed twelve male goats as an offering in order that [God would forgive] the sins of the people of the twelve tribes of Israel.

And offered at the dedication of this house of God a hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin-offering for all Israel, twelve he-goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

18 Then the priests and Levites were divided into groups that would [take turns to] serve at the temple. They did this according to what Moses had written [many years previously] in the laws [that he wrote].

And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, who [is] at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses.

19 On April 21, the Jews who had returned from Babylon celebrated the Passover Festival.

And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth [day] of the first month.

20 [To qualify themselves for offering the sacrifices], the priests and Levites had already purified themselves by performing certain rituals. Then they slaughtered the lambs for the benefit of all the people who had returned from Babylon, for the other priests, and for themselves.

For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them [were] pure, and [they] killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.

21 Those who had returned from Babylon and the other people in that land who had turned away from their immoral practices in order to worship Yahweh, the God of the Israeli people, ate the Passover meal.

And the children of Israel, who had returned from captivity, and all such as had separated themselves to them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the LORD God of Israel, did eat,

22 They celebrated the Unleavened Bread Festival of [Eating] Unleavened Bread for seven days. The Israeli people throughout the land were joyful because Yahweh had changed the attitude of the king of Assyria toward them, and as a result, the king had helped them to rebuild the temple of God, the one whom they [worshiped].

And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the LORD had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.