1 Esdras 2

1 In the first year of the reign of Cyrus over the Persians, so that the word of the Lord from the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of the Persians, and he made a proclamation through all his kingdom, and put it in writing as well, saying: [a] 2 Thus says Cyrus king of the Persians: “The Lord of Israel, the Lord Most High, has made me king of the whole inhabited world, and he has directed me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. [b] 3 If, then, there is anyone among you from his nation, let his Lord be with him; and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord of Israel — he is the Lord who has made his dwelling in Jerusalem. [c] 4 And whoever are living in the places around, let the men of his own place help him with gold and with silver, with gifts, with horses and cattle, along with the other things added by vow for the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem.”

5 Then the leaders of the families of Judah and of the tribe of Benjamin rose up, with the priests and the Levites and all those whose spirit the Lord had stirred up to go up and build the house for the Lord in Jerusalem; 6 and those around them helped them in everything — with silver and gold, with horses and cattle, and with a great many gifts vowed by many whose minds had been stirred.

7 And King Cyrus brought out the holy vessels of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried off from Jerusalem and had set up in his own house of idols. 8 When Cyrus king of the Persians had brought them out, he handed them over to Mithredath his treasurer, and through him they were handed over to Sheshbazzar the leader of Judah. [d]

9 And this was their number: a thousand gold cups for drink offerings, a thousand silver cups for drink offerings, twenty-nine silver censers, 10 thirty gold bowls, two thousand four hundred and ten silver ones, and a thousand other vessels. 11 All the vessels carried across were five thousand four hundred and sixty-nine, of gold and of silver; and they were brought up by Sheshbazzar, along with those who came out of the captivity, from Babylon to Jerusalem. [e]

12 But in the time of Artaxerxes king of the Persians, Beslemos and Mithredath and Tabeel and Rehum and Beelteemos and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest who were posted with them, living in Samaria and in the other places, wrote to him against those who were living in Judah and Jerusalem the letter that follows: [f] 13 “To King Artaxerxes our lord: your servants Rehum the recorder of events, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their council, the judges in Coele-Syria and Phoenicia. [g] 14 And now let it be known to our lord the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have come to Jerusalem, and are building that rebellious and wicked city; they are repairing its marketplaces and its walls, and they are laying the foundation of a sanctuary. [h] 15 So if this city is rebuilt and its walls are finished, they will not put up with paying tribute — they will even set themselves against kings.

16 And since the work on the sanctuary is going forward, we think it right not to overlook such a thing, but to speak to our lord the king, so that, if it seems good to you, a search may be made in the books of your fathers. 17 You will find in the records what has been written about these things, and you will learn that this city was a rebel, troubling kings and cities, and that the Jews were rebels, keeping sieges going inside it from of old — which is the very reason this city was laid waste. 18 So now we point this out to you, lord king: if this city is rebuilt and its walls are raised again, you will no longer have a way down into Coele-Syria and Phoenicia.”

19 Then the king wrote back to Rehum the recorder of events, and to Beelteemos and Shimshai the scribe and the rest who were posted with them and living in Samaria and Syria and Phoenicia, as follows: 20 “I have read the letter you sent me. 21 So I gave orders for a search, and it was found that from of old that city has set itself in battle line against kings, and that the men in it are men who carry revolts and wars through to the end, 22 and that strong and harsh kings were in Jerusalem, ruling Coele-Syria and Phoenicia and exacting tribute from them.

23 So now I have given orders to prevent those men from building the city, 24 and to see to it that nothing be done beyond this, and that their wickedness go no further, to the troubling of kings.”

25 Then, when what King Artaxerxes had written was read out, Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and those posted with them set out in haste for Jerusalem with horses and a crowd drawn up for battle, and began to stop the builders. 26 And the building of the temple in Jerusalem stood idle until the second year of the reign of Darius king of the Persians. [i]