Restoration of the Temple Resumed
1 Then the prophetHaggai andZechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews whowerein Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel,whowasover them.
2 SoZerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God whichisin Jerusalem; andthe prophets of Godwerewith them, helping them.
3 At the same timeTattenai the governor oftheregionbeyond the River and Shethar-Boznai and their companions came to them and spoke thus to them:“Who has commanded you to build this temple and finish this wall?”
4 Then, accordingly, we told them the names of the men who were constructing this building.
5 Butthe 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 awritten answer was returned concerning thismatter.
6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai sent:
# The governor oftheregionbeyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai,and his companions, the Persians whowereintheregionbeyond 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 temple of the great God, which is being built with 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,andspoke thus to them:“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 whowerechief 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 temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel builtand completed.
12 Butbecause our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand ofNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean,whodestroyed this temple andcarried the people away to Babylon.
13 However, in the first year ofCyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to build this house of God.
14 Also,the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple thatwasin Jerusalem and carried into the temple of Babylon—those King Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon, and they were given toone named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor.
15 And he said to him, ‘Take these articles; go, carry them to the templesitethatisin Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its former site.’
16 Then the same Sheshbazzar cameandlaid the foundation of the house of God whichisin Jerusalem; but from that time even until now it has been under construction, andit is not finished.”
17 Now therefore, ifitseemsgood to the king,let a search be made in the king’s treasure house, whichisthere in Babylon, whether it issothat a decree was issued by King Cyrus to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send us his pleasure concerning thismatter.