EzraChapter 5

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¹Later, the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo spoke God's message to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem. They spoke in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. ²Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak got up and began to build God's house in Jerusalem again. The prophets of God were with them and helped them. ³At that time, Tattenai came to the Jews. He was the governor of the land west of the Euphrates. Shethar-bozenai and their helpers came too. They asked, "Who gave you permission to build this temple again and finish this building?" ⁴They also asked, "What are the names of the men who are putting up this building?" ⁵But their God was watching over the elders of the Jews. So no one stopped them while a report was sent to Darius. They kept working until a written answer about it came back. ⁶Here is a copy of the letter sent to King Darius. Tattenai, the governor of the land west of the Euphrates, sent it. So did Shethar-bozenai and their helpers, the officials in that land. ⁷Here is the report they sent him: To King Darius: May you have all peace. ⁸The king should know that we went to the province of Judah. We went to the house of the great God. The people are building it again with large stones. They are putting wooden beams in the walls. They are working hard, and the work is going well in their hands. ⁹So we asked the elders, "Who gave you permission to build this temple again and finish this building?" ¹⁰We also asked for their names. We wanted to write down the names of their leaders for you to know. ¹¹Here is the answer they gave us: "We are servants of the God of heaven and earth. We are building again the temple that was built many years ago. A great king of Israel built it and finished it. ¹²But our fathers made the God of heaven angry. So he handed them over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean. He destroyed this temple. He carried the people away to Babylon. ¹³But in the first year that Cyrus was king of Babylon, he gave an order. He ordered this house of God to be built again. ¹⁴Nebuchadnezzar had taken the gold and silver things from God's house in Jerusalem. He had carried them to the temple in Babylon. King Cyrus took them out of the temple in Babylon. He gave them to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he made governor. ¹⁵Cyrus told him, 'Take these things and put them in the temple in Jerusalem. Let God's house be built again on the same spot.' ¹⁶So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of God's house in Jerusalem. It has been under construction from then until now. But it is not finished yet." ¹⁷So now, if the king wishes, let a search be made in the king's records in Babylon. See if King Cyrus really gave an order to build God's house in Jerusalem again. Then let the king send us his decision about this.