Ezra 3-6
New King James Version
Worship Restored at Jerusalem
3 And when the (A)seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. 2 Then [a]Jeshua the son of (B)Jozadak[b] and his brethren the priests, (C)and Zerubbabel the son of (D)Shealtiel and his brethren, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is (E)written in the Law of Moses the man of God. 3 Though fear had come upon them because of the people of those countries, they set the altar on its [c]bases; and they offered (F)burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening burnt offerings. 4 (G)They also kept the Feast of Tabernacles, (H)as it is written, and (I)offered the daily burnt offerings in the number required by ordinance for each day. 5 Afterwards they offered the (J)regular burnt offering, and those for New Moons and for all the appointed feasts of the Lord that were consecrated, and those of everyone who willingly offered a freewill offering to the Lord. 6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, although the foundation of the temple of the Lord had not been laid. 7 They also gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and (K)food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to the sea, to (L)Joppa, (M)according to the permission which they had from Cyrus king of Persia.
Restoration of the Temple Begins
8 Now in the second month of the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, (N)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Jeshua the son of [d]Jozadak, and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all those who had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, began work (O)and appointed the Levites from twenty years old and above to oversee the work of the house of the Lord. 9 Then Jeshua with his sons and brothers, Kadmiel with his sons, and the sons of [e]Judah, arose as one to oversee those working on the house of God: the sons of Henadad with their sons and their brethren the Levites.
10 When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, (P)the[f] priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the (Q)ordinance[g] of David king of Israel. 11 (R)And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord:
Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.
12 But many of the priests and Levites and (U)heads of the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy, 13 so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard afar off.
Resistance to Rebuilding the Temple
4 Now when (V)the [h]adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the Lord God of Israel, 2 they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him (W)since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.” 3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel said to them, (X)“You may do nothing with us to build a [i]house for our God; but we alone will build to the Lord God of Israel, as (Y)King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.” 4 Then (Z)the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, 5 and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of (AA)Darius king of Persia.
Rebuilding of Jerusalem Opposed
6 In the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
7 In the days of (AB)Artaxerxes also, [j]Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabel, and the rest of their companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the letter was written in (AC)Aramaic script, and translated into the Aramaic language. 8 [k]Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes in this fashion:
9 [l]From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions—representatives of (AD)the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the people of Persia and Erech and Babylon and [m]Shushan, the Dehavites, the Elamites, 10 (AE)and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnapper took captive and settled in the cities of Samaria and the remainder beyond [n]the River—(AF)and[o] so forth.
11 (This is a copy of the letter that they sent him.)
To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the men of the region beyond the River, [p]and so forth:
12 Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem, and are building the (AG)rebellious and evil city, and are finishing its (AH)walls and repairing the foundations. 13 Let it now be known to the king that, if this city is built and the walls completed, they will not pay (AI)tax, tribute, or custom, and the king’s treasury will be diminished. 14 Now because we receive support from the palace, it was not proper for us to see the king’s dishonor; therefore we have sent and informed the king, 15 that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. And you will find in the book of the records and know that this city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, and that they have incited sedition within the city in former times, for which cause this city was destroyed.
16 We inform the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, the result will be that you will have no dominion beyond the River.
17 The king sent an answer:
To Rehum the commander, to Shimshai the scribe, to the rest of their companions who dwell in Samaria, and to the remainder beyond the River:
Peace, [q]and so forth.
18 The letter which you sent to us has been clearly read before me. 19 And [r]I gave the command, and a search has been made, and it was found that this city in former times has revolted against kings, and rebellion and sedition have been fostered in it. 20 There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem, who have (AJ)ruled over all the region (AK)beyond the River; and tax, tribute, and custom were paid to them. 21 Now [s]give the command to make these men cease, that this city may not be built until the command is given by me.
22 Take heed now that you do not fail to do this. Why should damage increase to the hurt of the kings?
23 Now when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem against the Jews, and by force of arms made them cease. 24 Thus the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem ceased, and it was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Restoration of the Temple Resumed(AL)
5 Then the prophet (AM)Haggai and (AN)Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. 2 So (AO)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of [t]Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and (AP)the prophets of God were with them, helping them.
3 At the same time (AQ)Tattenai the governor of the region beyond [u]the River and Shethar-Boznai and their companions came to them and spoke thus to them: (AR)“Who has commanded you to build this [v]temple and finish this wall?” 4 (AS)Then, accordingly, we told them the names of the men who were constructing this building. 5 But (AT)the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, so that they could not make them cease till a report could go to Darius. Then a (AU)written answer was returned concerning this matter. 6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai sent:
The governor of the region beyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai, (AV)and his companions, the Persians who were in the region beyond the River, to Darius the king.
7 (They sent a letter to him, in which was written thus.)
To Darius the king:
All peace.
8 Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judea, to the [w]temple of the great God, which is being built with [x]heavy stones, and timber is being laid in the walls; and this work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands.
9 Then we asked those elders, and spoke thus to them: (AW)“Who commanded you to build this temple and to finish these walls?” 10 We also asked them their names to inform you, that we might write the names of the men who were chief among them.
11 And thus they returned us an answer, saying: “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the [y]temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built (AX)and completed. 12 But (AY)because our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of (AZ)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and (BA)carried the people away to Babylon. 13 However, in the first year of (BB)Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to build this [z]house of God. 14 Also, (BC)the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem and carried into the temple of Babylon—those King Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon, and they were given to (BD)one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor. 15 And he said to him, ‘Take these articles; go, carry them to the temple site that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its former site.’ 16 Then the same Sheshbazzar came and (BE)laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem; but from that time even until now it has been under construction, and (BF)it is not finished.”
17 Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, (BG)let a search be made in the king’s treasure house, which is there in Babylon, whether it is so that a decree was issued by King Cyrus to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send us his pleasure concerning this matter.
The Decree of Darius
6 Then King Darius issued a decree, (BH)and a search was made in the [aa]archives, where the treasures were stored in Babylon. 2 And at [ab]Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of (BI)Media, a scroll was found, and in it a record was written thus:
3 In the first year of King Cyrus, King Cyrus issued a (BJ)decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem: “Let the house be rebuilt, the place where they offered sacrifices; and let the foundations of it be firmly laid, its height sixty cubits and its width sixty cubits, 4 (BK)with three rows of heavy stones and one row of new timber. Let the (BL)expenses be paid from the king’s treasury. 5 Also let (BM)the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple which is in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and taken back to the temple which is in Jerusalem, each to its place; and deposit them in the house of God”—
6 (BN)Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the region beyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai, and your companions the Persians who are beyond the River, keep yourselves far from there. 7 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 on its site.
8 Moreover I issue a decree as to what you shall do for the elders of these Jews, for the building of this [ac]house of God: Let the cost be paid at the king’s expense from taxes on the region beyond the River; this is to be given immediately to these men, so that they are not hindered. 9 And whatever they need—young bulls, rams, and lambs for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the request of the priests who are in Jerusalem—let it be given them day by day without fail, 10 (BO)that they may offer sacrifices of sweet aroma to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king and his sons.
11 Also I issue a decree that whoever alters this edict, let a timber be pulled from his house and erected, and let him be hanged on it; (BP)and let his house be made a refuse heap because of this. 12 And may the God who causes His (BQ)name to dwell there destroy any king or people who put their hand to alter it, or to destroy this [ad]house of God which is in Jerusalem. I Darius issue a decree; let it be done diligently.
The Temple Completed and Dedicated
13 Then Tattenai, governor of the region beyond the River, Shethar-Boznai, and their companions diligently did according to what King Darius had sent. 14 (BR)So 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 [ae]command of (BS)Cyrus, (BT)Darius, and (BU)Artaxerxes king of Persia. 15 Now the temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. 16 Then the children of Israel, the priests and the Levites and the rest of the descendants of the captivity, celebrated (BV)the dedication of this [af]house of God with joy. 17 And they (BW)offered sacrifices at the dedication of this house of God, one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. 18 They assigned the priests to their (BX)divisions and the Levites to their (BY)divisions, over the service of God in Jerusalem, (BZ)as it is written in the Book of Moses.
The Passover Celebrated(CA)
19 [ag]And the descendants of the captivity kept the Passover (CB)on the fourteenth day of the first month. 20 For the priests and the Levites had (CC)purified themselves; all of them were ritually clean. And they (CD)slaughtered the Passover lambs for all the descendants of the captivity, for their brethren the priests, and for themselves. 21 Then the children of Israel who had returned from the captivity ate together with all who had separated themselves from the (CE)filth[ah] of the nations of the land in order to seek the Lord God of Israel. 22 And they kept the (CF)Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy; for the Lord made them joyful, and (CG)turned the heart (CH)of the king of Assyria toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
Footnotes
- Ezra 3:2 Or Joshua
- Ezra 3:2 Jehozadak, 1 Chr. 6:14
- Ezra 3:3 foundations
- Ezra 3:8 Jehozadak, 1 Chr. 6:14
- Ezra 3:9 Hodaviah, Ezra 2:40
- Ezra 3:10 So with LXX, Syr., Vg.; MT they stationed the priests
- Ezra 3:10 Lit. hands
- Ezra 4:1 enemies
- Ezra 4:3 Temple
- Ezra 4:7 Or in peace
- Ezra 4:8 The original language of Ezra 4:8 through 6:18 is Aramaic.
- Ezra 4:9 Lit. Then
- Ezra 4:9 Or Susa
- Ezra 4:10 The Euphrates
- Ezra 4:10 Lit. and now
- Ezra 4:11 Lit. and now
- Ezra 4:17 Lit. and now
- Ezra 4:19 Lit. by me a decree has been put forth
- Ezra 4:21 put forth a decree
- Ezra 5:2 Jehozadak, 1 Chr. 6:14
- Ezra 5:3 The Euphrates
- Ezra 5:3 Lit. house
- Ezra 5:8 Lit. house
- Ezra 5:8 Lit. stones of rolling, stones too heavy to be carried
- Ezra 5:11 Lit. house
- Ezra 5:13 Temple
- Ezra 6:1 Lit. house of the scrolls
- Ezra 6:2 Probably Ecbatana, the ancient capital of Media
- Ezra 6:8 Temple
- Ezra 6:12 Temple
- Ezra 6:14 decree
- Ezra 6:16 Temple
- Ezra 6:19 The Hebrew language resumes in Ezra 6:19 and continues through 7:11.
- Ezra 6:21 uncleanness
Ezra 3-6
English Standard Version
Rebuilding the Altar
3 (A)When the seventh month came, and the children of Israel were in the towns, the people gathered as one man to Jerusalem. 2 Then arose Jeshua the son of Jozadak, with his fellow priests, and (B)Zerubbabel the son of (C)Shealtiel with his kinsmen, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, (D)as it is written in the Law of Moses the (E)man of God. 3 They set the altar in its place, (F)for fear was on them because of the peoples of the lands, and (G)they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, burnt offerings morning and evening. 4 (H)And they kept the Feast of Booths, (I)as it is written, (J)and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the rule, as each day required, 5 and after that the regular burnt (K)offerings, the offerings at the new moon (L)and at all the appointed feasts of the Lord, and the offerings of everyone who made a freewill offering to the Lord. 6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord. But the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid. 7 So they gave money to the masons and the carpenters, (M)and food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians (N)to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, (O)according to the grant that they had from Cyrus king of Persia.
Rebuilding the Temple
8 Now in the second year after their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, (P)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and (Q)Jeshua the son of Jozadak made a beginning, together with the rest of their kinsmen, the priests and the Levites and all who had come to Jerusalem from the captivity. They (R)appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to (S)supervise the work of the house of the Lord. 9 And (T)Jeshua with his sons and his brothers, and Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together (U)supervised the workmen in the house of God, along with the (V)sons of Henadad and the Levites, their sons and brothers.
10 And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, (W)according to the directions of David king of Israel. 11 And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord,
(X)“For he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.”
And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. 12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, (Y)old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, 13 so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people's weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away.
Adversaries Oppose the Rebuilding
4 Now when (Z)the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, 2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever (AA)since the days of (AB)Esarhaddon king of Assyria (AC)who brought us here.” 3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses in Israel said to them, (AD)“You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, (AE)as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”
4 Then (AF)the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build 5 and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
6 And in the reign of (AG)Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
The Letter to King Artaxerxes
7 In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam and (AH)Mithredath and Tabeel and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written (AI)in Aramaic and translated.[a] 8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows: 9 Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the (AJ)judges, the (AK)governors, the officials, the Persians, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the (AL)Elamites, 10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble (AM)Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River. 11 (This is a copy of the letter that they sent.) “To Artaxerxes the king: Your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River, send greeting. And now 12 be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are (AN)finishing the walls and repairing the foundations. 13 Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay (AO)tribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired. 14 Now because we eat the salt of the palace[b] and it is not fitting for us to witness the king's dishonor, therefore we send and inform the king, 15 in order that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will find in the book of the records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and that sedition was stirred up in it from of old. That was why this city was laid waste. 16 We make known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River.”
The King Orders the Work to Cease
17 The king sent an answer: “To Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe and the rest of their associates who live in Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River, greeting. And now 18 the letter that you sent to us has been (AP)plainly read before me. 19 And I made a decree, and search has been made, and it has been found that this city from of old has risen against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it. 20 And mighty kings have been over Jerusalem, (AQ)who ruled over the whole province Beyond the River, to whom (AR)tribute, custom, and toll were paid. 21 Therefore make a decree that these men be made to cease, and that this city be not rebuilt, until a decree is made by me. 22 And take care not to be slack in this matter. Why should damage grow to the hurt of the king?”
23 Then, when the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their associates, they went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease. 24 Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Rebuilding Begins Anew
5 Now the prophets, (AS)Haggai and (AT)Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. 2 (AU)Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and (AV)Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were (AW)with them, supporting them.
3 At the same time (AX)Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and their associates came to them and spoke to them thus: (AY)“Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?” 4 They also asked them this:[c] “What are the names of the men who are building this building?” 5 But (AZ)the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until the report should reach Darius and then an answer be returned by letter concerning it.
Tattenai's Letter to King Darius
6 This is a copy of the letter that (BA)Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and his associates, the (BB)governors who were in the province Beyond the River, sent to Darius the king. 7 They sent him a report, in which was written as follows: “To Darius the king, all peace. 8 Be it known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with huge stones, and timber is laid in the walls. This work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands. 9 Then we asked those elders and spoke to them thus: (BC)‘Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?’ 10 We also asked them their names, for your information, that we might write down the names of their leaders.[d] 11 And this was their reply to us: ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, (BD)which a great king of Israel built and (BE)finished. 12 (BF)But because our fathers had angered the God of heaven, he (BG)gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried away the people to Babylonia. 13 (BH)However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree that this house of God should be rebuilt. 14 (BI)And the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought into the temple of Babylon, these Cyrus the king took out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to one whose name was (BJ)Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor; 15 and he said to him, “Take these vessels, go and put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its site.” 16 Then this (BK)Sheshbazzar came and (BL)laid the foundations of the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and from that time until now it has been in building, and it is (BM)not yet finished.’ 17 Therefore, if it seems good to the king, (BN)let search be made in the royal archives there in Babylon, to see whether a decree was issued by Cyrus the king for the rebuilding of this house of God in Jerusalem. And let the king send us his pleasure in this matter.”
The Decree of Darius
6 Then Darius the king made a decree, and (BO)search was made in Babylonia, in the house of the archives where the documents were stored. 2 And in Ecbatana, the citadel that is (BP)in the province of Media, a scroll was found on which this was written: “A record. 3 In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king issued a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be rebuilt, the place where sacrifices were offered, and let its foundations be retained. Its height shall be sixty cubits[e] and its breadth sixty cubits, 4 (BQ)with three layers of great stones and one layer of timber. Let the cost be paid from the royal treasury. 5 And also (BR)let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that is in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and brought back to the temple that is in Jerusalem, each to its place. You shall put them in the house of God.”
6 “Now therefore, (BS)Tattenai, governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, (BT)and your[f] associates the governors who are in the province Beyond the River, keep away. 7 Let the work on this house of God alone. Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site. 8 Moreover, (BU)I make a decree regarding what you shall do for these elders of the Jews for the rebuilding of this house of God. The cost is to be paid to these men in full and without delay from the royal revenue, the tribute of the province from Beyond the River. 9 And whatever is needed—bulls, rams, or sheep for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, or oil, as the priests at Jerusalem require—let that be given to them day by day without fail, 10 that they may offer pleasing sacrifices to the God of heaven (BV)and pray for the life of the king and his sons. 11 Also I make a decree that if anyone alters this edict, a beam shall be pulled out of his house, and he shall be impaled on it, and (BW)his house shall be made a dunghill. 12 May the God (BX)who has caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who shall put out a hand to alter this, or to destroy this house of God that is in Jerusalem. I Darius make a decree; let it be done with all diligence.”
The Temple Finished and Dedicated
13 Then, according to the word sent by Darius the king, (BY)Tattenai, the governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates did with all diligence what Darius the king had ordered. 14 (BZ)And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and (CA)by decree of Cyrus and (CB)Darius and (CC)Artaxerxes king of Persia; 15 and this house was finished on the third day of the (CD)month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.
16 And the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the (CE)dedication of this house of God with joy. 17 They offered at the dedication of this house of God 100 bulls, 200 rams, 400 lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel (CF)12 male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. 18 And they set the priests (CG)in their divisions and the Levites (CH)in their divisions, for the service of God at Jerusalem, (CI)as it is written in the Book of Moses.
Passover Celebrated
19 (CJ)On the fourteenth day of the first month, the returned exiles kept the Passover. 20 (CK)For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were clean. (CL)So they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves. 21 It was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile, and (CM)also by every one who had joined them and separated himself (CN)from the uncleanness of the peoples of the land to worship the Lord, the God of Israel. 22 And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread (CO)seven days with joy, for the Lord had made them joyful (CP)and had turned the heart of (CQ)the king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
Footnotes
- Ezra 4:7 Hebrew written in Aramaic and translated in Aramaic, indicating that 4:8–6:18 is in Aramaic; another interpretation is The letter was written in the Aramaic script and set forth in the Aramaic language
- Ezra 4:14 Aramaic because the salt of the palace is our salt
- Ezra 5:4 Septuagint, Syriac; Aramaic Then we said to them,
- Ezra 5:10 Aramaic of the men at their heads
- Ezra 6:3 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
- Ezra 6:6 Aramaic their
Ezra 3-6
New American Standard Bible
Altar and Sacrifices Restored
3 Now when the seventh month came, and (A)the sons of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one person to Jerusalem. 2 Then (B)Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers the priests, and (C)Zerubbabel the son (D)of Shealtiel and his brothers, rose up and (E)built the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings on it, (F)as it is written in the Law of Moses, the man of God. 3 So they set up the altar on its foundation, because [a](G)they were terrified of the peoples of the lands; and they (H)offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, burnt offerings morning and evening. 4 They also celebrated the (I)Feast of [b]Booths, (J)as it is written, and offered [c]the prescribed number of burnt offerings daily, (K)according to the ordinance, [d]as each day required; 5 and afterward there was a (L)continual burnt offering, also (M)for the new moons and (N)for all the appointed festivals of the Lord that were consecrated, and from everyone who offered a [e]voluntary offering to the Lord. 6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, but the foundation of the temple of the Lord had not been laid. 7 Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and (O)food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians (P)to bring cedar wood from Lebanon to the sea at (Q)Joppa, according to the permission they had [f]from (R)Cyrus king of Persia.
Temple Restoration Begun
8 Now in the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, (S)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brothers the priests and the Levites, and all who came from the captivity to Jerusalem, began the work and (T)appointed the Levites who were twenty years old and upward to oversee the work of the house of the Lord. 9 Then (U)Jeshua with his sons and brothers stood united with Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of [g]Judah and the sons of Henadad with their sons and brothers the Levites, to oversee the workmen in the temple of God.
10 Now when the builders had (V)laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, [h]the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord (W)according to the [i]directions of King David of Israel. 11 And (X)they sang, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, saying, “(Y)For He is good, for His favor is upon Israel forever.” And all the people shouted with a great shout of joy when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. 12 Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, (Z)the old men who had seen the first [j]temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy, 13 so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, because the people were shouting with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far away.
Enemies Hinder the Work
4 Now when (AA)the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that (AB)the people of the exile were building a temple to the Lord God of Israel, 2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ households, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for like you, we seek your God; (AC)and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of (AD)Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.” 3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers’ households of Israel said to them, “(AE)You have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build for the Lord God of Israel, (AF)just as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.”
4 Then (AG)the people of the land [k]discouraged the people of Judah, and frightened them from building, 5 and bribed advisers against them to frustrate their advice all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
6 Now in the reign of [l](AH)Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
7 And in the days of [m]Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his colleagues wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the [n]text of the letter was written in Aramaic and translated (AI)from Aramaic.
The Letter to King Artaxerxes
8 [o]Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes, as follows— 9 [p]Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and (AJ)the rest of their colleagues, the judges and (AK)the lesser governors, the officials, the secretaries, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the Elamites, 10 and the rest of the nations which the great and honorable [q]Osnappar deported and settled in the city of Samaria, and in the rest of the region beyond the Euphrates River. (AL)And now 11 this is a copy of the letter which they sent to him:
“To King Artaxerxes: Your servants, the men of the region beyond the Euphrates River; and now 12 let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem; they are rebuilding (AM)the rebellious and evil city and (AN)are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations. 13 Now let it be known to the king, that if that city is rebuilt and the walls are finished, (AO)they will not pay tribute, custom tax, or toll, and it will [r]be detrimental to the revenue of the kings. 14 Now because we [s]are in the service of the palace, and it is not fitting for us to see the king’s shame, for this reason we have sent word and informed the king, 15 so that a search may be conducted 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 detrimental to kings and provinces, and that they have revolted within it in past days; for this reason that city was laid waste. 16 We are informing the king that if that city is rebuilt and the walls finished, then as a result of this you will have no possession in the province beyond the Euphrates River.”
The King Replies and Work Stops
17 Then the king sent a response to Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their colleagues who live in Samaria and in the rest of the provinces beyond the Euphrates River: “Peace. And now, 18 the document which you sent to us has been [t](AP)translated and read before me. 19 And a decree has been [u]issued by me, and a search has been conducted and it has been discovered that that city has risen up against the kings in past days, and that rebellion and revolt have been perpetrated in it, 20 (AQ)that mighty kings have [v]ruled over Jerusalem, governing all the provinces (AR)beyond the Euphrates River, and that (AS)tribute, custom tax, and toll were paid to them. 21 Now issue a decree to make those men stop work, so that this city will not be rebuilt until a decree is issued by me. 22 And beware of being negligent in carrying out this matter; why should there be great damage, to the detriment of the kings?”
23 Then as soon as the copy of King Artaxerxes’ decree was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their colleagues, they went in a hurry to Jerusalem to the Jews and stopped them by military force.
24 Then work on the house of God in Jerusalem was discontinued, and it was stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Temple Work Resumed
5 When the prophets, (AT)Haggai the prophet and (AU)Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them, 2 then (AV)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to rebuild the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and (AW)the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.
3 At that time (AX)Tattenai, the governor of the province beyond the Euphrates River, and Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues came to them and spoke to them as follows: “(AY)Who issued you a decree to rebuild this [w]temple and to finish this structure?” 4 (AZ)Then we told them accordingly what the names of the men were who were reconstructing this building. 5 But (BA)the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until the report could reach Darius, and then the decree concerning it could be sent back.
Enemies Write to Darius
6 This is the copy of the letter that (BB)Tattenai, the governor of the province beyond the Euphrates River, and Shethar-bozenai and his colleagues (BC)the officials, who were beyond the River, sent to Darius the king. 7 They sent the report to him in which it was written as follows: “To Darius the king, all peace. 8 May it be known to the king that we have gone to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God which is being built with large stones, and [x]beams are being laid in the walls; and this work is being performed with great care and is succeeding in their hands. 9 Then we asked those elders and said to them as follows: ‘Who issued you a decree to rebuild this temple and to finish this structure?’ 10 We also asked them their names so as to inform you, in order that we might write down the names of the men who were [y]in charge. 11 So they [z]answered us as follows, saying, ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, (BD)which a great king of Israel built and finished. 12 But (BE)because our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, (BF)He handed them over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon. 13 However, (BG)in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus (BH)issued a decree to rebuild this house of God. 14 Also (BI)the gold and silver utensils of the house of God which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and brought them to the temple of Babylon, King Cyrus took them from the temple of Babylon and they were given to one (BJ)whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor. 15 And he said to him, “Take these utensils, go and deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem, and have the house of God rebuilt in its place.” 16 Then that Sheshbazzar came and (BK)laid the foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem; and from then until now it has been under construction and it is (BL)not yet completed.’ 17 And now, if it pleases the king, (BM)let a search be conducted in the king’s treasure house, which is there in Babylon, as to whether a decree was issued by King Cyrus to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem; and let the king send to us his decision concerning this matter.”
Darius Finds Cyrus’ Decree
6 Then King Darius issued a decree, and a (BN)search was conducted in the [aa]archives, where the treasures were stored in Babylon. 2 And in [ab]Ecbatana, in the fortress which is (BO)in the province of Media, a scroll was found; and the following was written in it: “Memorandum— 3 (BP)In the first year of King Cyrus, Cyrus the king issued a decree: ‘Concerning the house of God in Jerusalem, let the [ac]temple, the place where sacrifices are offered, be rebuilt, and let [ad]its foundations be repaired, its height being [ae]sixty cubits and its width sixty cubits, 4 (BQ)with three layers of large stones and [af]one layer of timber. And the cost is to be paid from the [ag]royal treasury. 5 Also (BR)the gold and silver utensils of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, are to be returned and [ah]brought to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; and you shall put them in the house of God.’
6 “Now as for you, (BS)Tattenai, governor of the province beyond the Euphrates River, Shethar-bozenai, and [ai]your colleagues, the officials of the provinces beyond the River, [aj]stay away from there. 7 Leave that work on the house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild that house of God on its site. 8 Furthermore, (BT)I issue a decree concerning what you are to do for these elders of Judah in the rebuilding of that house of God: the full cost is to be paid to those people from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the provinces beyond the Euphrates River, and that without interruption. 9 And whatever is needed, bulls, rams, and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine, and anointing oil, as the priests in Jerusalem order, it is to be given to them daily without fail, 10 so that they may offer acceptable sacrifices to the God of heaven and (BU)pray for the lives of the king and his sons. 11 And I issued a decree that (BV)any person who violates this decree, a timber shall be pulled out of his house and he shall be impaled on it; and (BW)his house shall be turned into a refuse heap on account of this. 12 May the God who (BX)has caused His name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who [ak]attempts to [al]change it, so as to destroy that house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued this decree; it is to be carried out with all diligence!”
The Temple Completed and Dedicated
13 Then (BY)Tattenai, the governor of the province beyond the Euphrates River, Shethar-bozenai, and their colleagues carried out the decree with all diligence, just as King Darius had [am]ordered. 14 And (BZ)the elders of the Jews [an]were successful in building through the prophecy of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And [ao]they finished building following the command of the God of Israel and the decree (CA)of Cyrus, (CB)Darius, and (CC)Artaxerxes king of Persia. 15 Now this [ap]temple was completed [aq]on the third day of the (CD)month Adar; it was the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.
16 And the sons of Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the [ar]exiles, (CE)celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. 17 They offered for the dedication of this temple of God a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel (CF)twelve male goats, corresponding to the number of the tribes of Israel. 18 Then they appointed the priests to (CG)their divisions and the Levites in (CH)their sections for the service of God in Jerusalem, (CI)as it is written in the Book of Moses.
The Passover Held
19 (CJ)The exiles held the Passover on (CK)the fourteenth of the first month. 20 (CL)For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were pure. Then (CM)they slaughtered the Passover lambs for all the exiles, both for their brothers the priests and for themselves. 21 And the sons of Israel who returned from exile and (CN)all those who had separated themselves from (CO)the impurity of the nations of the land to join them, to seek the Lord God of Israel, ate the Passover. 22 And (CP)they held the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with joy, because the Lord had made them happy, and (CQ)had turned the heart of (CR)the king of Assyria toward them to [as]encourage them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
Footnotes
- Ezra 3:3 Lit terror was upon them from
- Ezra 3:4 Or Tabernacles
- Ezra 3:4 Lit by number
- Ezra 3:4 Lit a day’s word on its day
- Ezra 3:5 Or freewill offering
- Ezra 3:7 Lit of
- Ezra 3:9 In Ezra 2:40, Hodaviah; in Neh 7:43, Hodevah
- Ezra 3:10 As in LXX and some mss; MT they set the priests
- Ezra 3:10 Lit hands
- Ezra 3:12 Lit house
- Ezra 4:4 Lit slackened the hands of
- Ezra 4:6 Or Xerxes; Heb Ahash-verosh
- Ezra 4:7 Heb Artah-shashta
- Ezra 4:7 Lit writing
- Ezra 4:8 Chs 4:8-6:18 are in Aram
- Ezra 4:9 Uncertain, MT Then Rehum
- Ezra 4:10 I.e., prob. Ashurbanipal
- Ezra 4:13 Or certainly be...to the kings
- Ezra 4:14 Lit eat the salt of
- Ezra 4:18 Lit clearly read
- Ezra 4:19 Lit put forth
- Ezra 4:20 Lit been
- Ezra 5:3 Lit house, and so in vv 9, 11, 12
- Ezra 5:8 Lit timber is
- Ezra 5:10 Lit at their heads
- Ezra 5:11 Lit returned us the word
- Ezra 6:1 Lit house of the books
- Ezra 6:2 Aram Achmetha
- Ezra 6:3 Lit house
- Ezra 6:3 Or perhaps offerings by fire be offered
- Ezra 6:3 About 90 ft. or 27 m
- Ezra 6:4 As in LXX; Aram a layer of new timber
- Ezra 6:4 Lit king’s house
- Ezra 6:5 Lit go
- Ezra 6:6 Aram their
- Ezra 6:6 Lit be distant
- Ezra 6:12 Lit sends his hand
- Ezra 6:12 Or violate
- Ezra 6:13 Lit sent
- Ezra 6:14 Lit were building and succeeding
- Ezra 6:14 Lit built and finished
- Ezra 6:15 Lit house
- Ezra 6:15 Lit until
- Ezra 6:16 Lit sons of the exile
- Ezra 6:22 Lit strengthen their hands
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
