The Lantern

Ezra4

Adversaries Hinder the Work

And the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the sons of the exile were building a temple to the LORD, the God of Israel;

and they drew near to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, “Let us build with you; for like you, we seek your God, and to him we have been sacrificing since the days of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, who brought us up here.”

But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel said to them, “It is not for you and for us to build a house for our God; for we together will build to the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.”

And the people of the land were weakening the hands of the people of Judah, and terrifying them out of building,

and hiring counselors against them to frustrate their counsel, all the days of Cyrus, king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius, king of Persia.

Opposition under Xerxes and Artaxerxes

And in the reign of Ahasuerus, at the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

And in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his companions wrote to Artaxerxes, king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in Aramaic, and rendered in Aramaic.

Rehum the master of decrees and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king, as follows —

then Rehum the master of decrees, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions: the Dinaites, and the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, the Dehaites, the Elamites,

and the rest of the nations whom the great and honored Osnappar exiled and settled in the city of Samaria, and the rest of Beyond the River — and now,

this is the copy of the letter that they sent to him, to Artaxerxes the king: “Your servants, the men of Beyond the River — and now:

Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have come to Jerusalem. They are building the rebellious and evil city, and are completing the walls and joining up the foundations.

Now let it be known to the king that if this city is built and the walls are completed, they will not give tribute, toll, or duty, and the revenue of the kings will be damaged.

Now, because we have salted the salt of the palace, and it is not fitting for us to see the king’s nakedness, for this reason we have sent and made it known to the king,

so that a search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. And you will find in the book of the records, and you will know, that this city is a rebellious city, damaging to kings and provinces, and that they have made insurrection within it from the days of old. For this reason this city was laid waste.

We make known to the king that if this city is built and its walls are completed, because of this you will have no portion in Beyond the River.”

The Decree of Artaxerxes

The king sent an answer: “To Rehum the master of decrees, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions who dwell in Samaria, and the rest of Beyond the River: Peace — and now:

The letter that you sent to us has been read in translation before me.

And from me a decree was set, and they searched and found that this city, from the days of old, has lifted itself up against kings, and rebellion and insurrection have been made in it.

And mighty kings have been over Jerusalem, ruling in all Beyond the River, and tribute, toll, and duty were given to them.

Now set a decree to make these men cease, so that this city is not built until a decree is set from me.

And be warned against slackness in acting on this — why should the damage grow, to the harm of kings?”

Then, when the copy of the letter of Artaxerxes the king was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went in haste to Jerusalem, to the Jews, and made them cease by arm and force.

Then the work of the house of God, which is in Jerusalem, ceased; and it stayed ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius, king of Persia.