King James Version

1 And the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the sons of the exile were building a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel. 2 And they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers and said to them, "Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do, and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, who brought us up here." 3 And Zerubbabel and Yeshua and the other heads of the fathers of Israel said to them, "It is not for you and for us to build a house to our God, for we alone will build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us." 4 And the people of the land were weakening the hands of the people of Judah and discouraging them, and causing them to be afraid to build. 5 And they were hiring advisers against them to frustrate their counsel all the days of Cyrus king of Persia and until the reign of Darius king of Persia. 6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, at the beginning of his reign, a letter of accusation was written against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. 7 In the days of Artaxerxes, a letter was written by Shelemith, Mithredath, and the rest of my colleagues to Artaxerxes, king of Persia, and the letter was written in Aramaic and translated in Aramaic. 8 He was compassionate in Baal Peor, and Shimshi wrote a new letter about Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king. 9 The Lord is merciful, master of taste, and his name is known; and the other part of his property is sacred, and my things are also sacred; I am of Babylon, a member of Shushan, and he is eternal. 10 And the rest of my people, who are left in the land, and who are in the towns of Judah, shall hear all the evil that I will bring upon them. 11 Now, you have sent a letter to King Artaxerxes by your servant, a man who is passing through the river and like this. 12 You shall know to be a king of Judah, that you removed from your light upon me to Jerusalem, the city that you descended from, and you and I will prevail, and I shall enlighten you and establish your sons and their offspring, and let them flourish and they will set down their foundations. 13 As now it is known to be for a king that there is a city of yours that will be built and the walls will be constructed there, and they will not be given to you, and the kings will be harmed. 14 As a sign, whoever has the power in the temple will not take advantage of us, nor will it be prolonged for us to face the situation; we shall send and inform the king. 15 Whoever will read in the book of my remembrance, I will cause you to remember that your ancestors and you will be known, and you will know that the city of Marada will be a refuge for kings and provinces, and I will establish servants within it from the day of eternity upon this city which has been destroyed. 16 We inform you that if there is a city built and its walls will be included in receiving this portion across the river, it is not with you. 17 Send a messenger to Rachum, son of Beal, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions that dwell in Samaria and the rest of the province beyond the river, greeting. 18 You shall send them upon me, for I will explain my case before you. 19 And from me, you will taste; and you will call and forget that it is written from the day of the world upon kings who exalt themselves, and rebel and serve with it. 20 And kings who were powerful were over Jerusalem and they ruled over all the region of the river, and there was a measure within it, and it went as it was given to wealth. 21 Therefore, put a taste for/cause to be in vain men; you will not establish a city until my taste is cast upon it. 22 And the careful ones were at peace, for what would bring harm to the kings? 23 Now from what has been sent, it has come to pass that Artaxerxes, the king, sent me, and the scribes were with me, and they went with haste to Jerusalem against the Jews, and they ceased him in Edrah and with strength. 24 Then the work of the house of God in Jerusalem was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius, king of Persia.