Ezra 6

Darius Finds Cyrus’s Decree

1Then King Darius issued a decree, and 1search was made in the 2archives, where the treasures were stored in Babylon. 2In 3Ecbatana in the fortress, which is 4in the province of Media, a scroll was found and there was written in it as follows: “Memorandum-- 35In the first year of King Cyrus, Cyrus the king issued a decree: ‘Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the 6temple, the place where sacrifices are offered, be rebuilt and let its foundations be 7retained, its height being 60 cubits and its width 60 cubits; 48with three layers of huge stones and 9one layer of timbers. And let the cost be paid from the 10royal treasury. 5Also let 11the gold and silver utensils of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be returned and 12brought to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; and you shall put them in the house of God.’

6“Now therefore, 13Tattenai, governor of the province beyond the 14River, Shethar-bozenai and 15your colleagues, the officials of the provinces beyond the 16River, 17keep away from there. 7Leave this work on the house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site. 8Moreover, 18I issue a decree concerning what you are to do for these elders of Judah in the rebuilding of this house of God: the full cost is to be paid to these people from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the provinces beyond the River, and that without delay. 9Whatever is needed, both young bulls, rams, and lambs for a burnt offering to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and anointing oil, as the priests in Jerusalem request, it is to be given to them daily without fail, 10that they may offer 19acceptable sacrifices to the God of heaven and 20pray for the life of the king and his sons. 11And I issued a decree that 21any man who violates this edict, a timber shall be drawn from his house and he shall be impaled on it and 22his house shall be made a refuse heap on account of this. 12May the God who 23has caused His name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who 24attempts to change it, so as to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued this decree, let it be carried out with all diligence!”

The Temple Completed and Dedicated

13Then 25Tattenai, the governor of the province beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues carried out the decree with all diligence, just as King Darius had sent. 14And 26the elders of the Jews 27were successful in building through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And 28they finished building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decree 29of Cyrus, 30Darius, and 31Artaxerxes king of Persia. 15This 32temple was completed 33on the third day of the 34month Adar; it was the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

16And the sons of Israel, the priests, the Levites and the rest of the 35exiles, 36celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. 17They offered for the dedication of this temple of God 100 bulls, 200 rams, 400 lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel 3712 male goats, corresponding to the number of the tribes of Israel. 18Then they appointed the priests to 38their divisions and the Levites in 39their orders for the service of God 40in Jerusalem, 41as it is written in the book of Moses.

The Passover Observed

1942The exiles observed the Passover on 43the fourteenth of the first month. 2044For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were pure. Then 45they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, both for their brothers the priests and for themselves. 21The sons of Israel who returned from exile and 46all those who had separated themselves from 47the impurity of the nations of the land to join them, to seek the Lord God of Israel, ate the Passover. 22And 48they observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the Lord had caused them to rejoice, and 49had turned the heart of 50the king of Assyria toward them to 51encourage them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.