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¹ And adversaries of Judah and Benjamin hear that the sons of the captivity are building a temple to YHWH, God of Israel,² and they draw near to Zerubbabel, and to heads of the fathers, and say to them, "Let us build with you; for, like you, we seek to your God, and we are not sacrificing since the days of Esar-Haddon king of Asshur, who brought us up here."³ And Zerubbabel says to them, also Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of the fathers of Israel, "Not for you, and for us, to build a house to our God; but we ourselves together build to YHWH God of Israel, as King Cyrus, king of Persia, commanded us."⁴ And it comes to pass, the people of the land are making the hands of the people of Judah feeble, and troubling them in building,⁵ and are hiring against them counselors to make void their counsel all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

⁶ And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the commencement of his reign, they have written an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem;⁷ and in the days of Artaxerxes have Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his companions written to Artaxerxes king of Persia, and the writing of the letter is written in Aramaic, and interpreted in Aramaic.⁸ Rehum counselor, and Shimshai scribe have written a letter concerning Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king, thus:⁹ Then Rehum counselor, and Shimshai scribe, and the rest of their companions, Dinaites, and Apharsathchites, Tarpelites, Apharsites, Archevites, Babylonians, Susanchites (who are Elamites),¹⁰ and the rest of the nations that the great and honorable Asnapper removed and set in the city of Samaria, and the rest beyond the river, and at such a time:¹¹ This [is] a copy of a letter that they have sent to him, to Artaxerxes the king: "Your servants, men beyond the river, and at such a time;¹² be it known to the king, that the Jews who have come up from you to us, have come to Jerusalem, the rebellious and base city they are building, and the walls they have finished, and the foundations they join.¹³ Now let it be known to the king, that if this city is built and the walls finished, that they do not give toll, tribute, and custom; and at length it causes loss [to] the kings.¹⁴ Now because that the salt of the palace [is] our salt, and we have no patience to see the nakedness of the king, therefore we have sent and made known to the king;¹⁵ so that he seeks in the scroll of the records of your fathers, and you find in the scroll of the records, and know, that this city [is] a rebellious city, and causing loss [to] kings and provinces, and makers of sedition [are] in its midst from the days of old, therefore this city has been ruined.¹⁶ We are making known to the king that, if this city be built and the walls finished, by this means you have no portion beyond the river."

¹⁷ The king has sent an answer to Rehum counselor, and Shimshai scribe, and the rest of their companions who are dwelling in Samaria, and the rest beyond the river, "Peace, and at such a time:¹⁸ The letter that you sent to us, explained, has been read before me,¹⁹ and by me a decree has been made, and they sought, and have found that this city is lifting up itself against kings from the days of old, and rebellion and sedition is made in it,²⁰ and mighty kings have been over Jerusalem, even rulers over all beyond the river, and toll, tribute, and custom is given to them.²¹ Now make a decree to cause these men to cease, and this city is not built, until a decree is made by me.²² And beware of negligence in doing this; why does the hurt become great to the loss of the kings?"²³ Then from the time that a copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes is read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they have gone in haste to Jerusalem, to the Jews, and caused them to cease by force and strength;²⁴ then ceased the service of the house of God that [is] in Jerusalem, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.