Ezra 4

1 And those who were troubling Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the exile were building a house for the Lord, the God of Israel, 2 and they came to Zerubbabel and to the leaders of the families and said to them, “We will build with you, for like you we seek your God, and we have been sacrificing to him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.” [a] 3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the leaders of the families of Israel said to them, “It is not for us and for you to build a house for our God. We ourselves will build together for the Lord our God, as Cyrus king of the Persians commanded us.”

4 And the people of the land kept weakening the hands of the people of Judah, and they hindered them from building; 5 and they went on hiring men against them, plotting to break up their plan, all the days of Cyrus king of the Persians and until the reign of Darius king of the Persians.

6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, at the beginning of his reign, they wrote a letter against the people living in Judah and Jerusalem. 7 And in the days of Artaxerxes, Tabeel wrote peaceably to Mithredath, together with the rest of his fellow servants, to Artaxerxes king of the Persians; the tribute collector wrote the document in Aramaic, and it was translated. [b] 8 Rehum the royal deputy and Shimshai the scribe wrote one letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king. [c]

9 “This is the decision of Rehum the royal deputy, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of our fellow servants — the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, who are Elamites, [d] 10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and honorable Osnappar carried away and settled in the cities of Samaria, and the rest of them beyond the River.” [e] 11 This is the wording of the letter that they sent to him: “To Artaxerxes the king: your servants, the men beyond the River.

12 Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have come to Jerusalem. They are building that rebellious and wicked city; its walls are finished, and they have raised up its foundations. 13 Now then, let it be known to the king that if that city is rebuilt and its walls are finished, there will be no tribute for you, and they will pay nothing; and this does harm to kings. 14 And it is not right for us to look on the king’s dishonor. That is why we have sent and made it known to the king, 15 so that a search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will find, and you will know, that this city is a rebellious city, one that does harm to kings and countries, and that from ancient times there have been refuges for runaway slaves inside it. That is why this city was laid waste. 16 So we make it known to the king that if that city is built and its walls are finished, you will have no peace.”

17 Then the king sent word to Rehum the royal deputy and Shimshai the scribe and the rest of their fellow servants who lived in Samaria, and to the rest of them beyond the River: “Peace.” And he says: 18 “The tribute collector whom you sent to us has been called in before me. 19 And an order was given by me, and we searched and found that from ancient days that city has lifted itself up against kings, and that revolts and refuges for fugitives happen in it. 20 And there were strong kings in Jerusalem, and they ruled the whole land west of the River, and full tribute and a share were given to them. [f]

21 So now, give an order to stop those men, and that city shall not be built any more — so that, under this order, [g] 22 you may be on your guard and not be slack about this matter, or ruin may grow greater, to the harm of kings.”

23 Then the tribute collector of King Artaxerxes read the letter before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their fellow servants; and they went in haste to Jerusalem and through Judah, and stopped them with horses and an armed force. 24 Then the work on the house of God in Jerusalem stopped, and it stood idle until the second year of the reign of Darius king of the Persians.