Ezra 4

Adversaries Hinder the Work

1Now when 1the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that 2the people of the exile were building a temple to the Lord God of Israel, 2they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ households, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; 3and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of 4Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.” 3But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers’ households of Israel said to them, “5You have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to the Lord God of Israel, 6as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.”

4Then 7the people of the land 8discouraged the people of Judah, and frightened them from building, 5and hired counselors against them to frustrate their counsel all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

6Now in the reign of 910Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

7And in the days of 11Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his colleagues wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the 12text of the letter was written in Aramaic and translated 13from Aramaic.

The Letter to King Artaxerxes

814Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes, as follows-- 9then wrote Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe and 15the rest of their colleagues, the judges and 16the lesser governors, the officials, the secretaries, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the Elamites, 10and the rest of the nations which the great and honorable 17Osnappar deported and settled in the city of Samaria, and in the rest of the region beyond the 18River. 19Now 11this is the copy of the letter which they sent to him:

“To King Artaxerxes: Your servants, the men in the region beyond the River, and now 12let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem; they are rebuilding 20the rebellious and evil city and 21are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations. 13Now let it be known to the king, that if that city is rebuilt and the walls are finished, 22they will not pay tribute, custom or toll, and it will damage the revenue of the kings. 14Now because we 23are in the service of the palace, and it is not fitting for us to see the king’s dishonor, therefore we have sent and informed the king, 15so that a search may be made in the record books of your fathers. And you will discover in the record books and learn that that city is a rebellious city and damaging to kings and provinces, and that they have incited revolt within it in past days; therefore that city was laid waste. 16We inform the king that if that city is rebuilt and the walls finished, as a result you will have no possession in the province beyond the River.”

The King Replies and Work Stops

17Then the king sent an answer to Rehum the commander, to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their colleagues who live in Samaria and in the rest of the provinces beyond the River: “Peace. And now 18the document which you sent to us has been 2425translated and read before me. 19A decree has been 26issued by me, and a search has been made and it has been discovered that that city has risen up against the kings in past days, that rebellion and revolt have been perpetrated in it, 2027that mighty kings have 28ruled over Jerusalem, governing all the provinces 29beyond the River, and that 30tribute, custom and toll were paid to them. 21So, now issue a decree to make these men stop work, that this city may not be rebuilt until a decree is issued by me. 22Beware of being negligent in carrying out this matter; why should damage increase to the detriment of the kings?”

23Then as soon as the copy of King Artaxerxes’ document was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their colleagues, they went in haste to Jerusalem to the Jews and stopped them by force of arms.

24Then work on the house of God in Jerusalem ceased, and it was stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.