1:1* And in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, and he made a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also in writing, saying,

1:2Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth has Jehovah the God of the heavens given to me, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

1:3Whosoever there is among you of all his people, his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of Jehovah the God of Israel -- he is God -- which is at Jerusalem.

1:4And whosoever remains in any place where he sojourns, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, besides the voluntary offering for the house of God which is at Jerusalem.

1:5And the chief fathers of Judah and Benjamin rose up, and the priests, and the Levites, even all those whose spirit God had stirred, to go up to build the house of Jehovah which is at Jerusalem.

1:6And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with articles of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered.

1:7And king Cyrus brought forth the vessels of the house of Jehovah, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem and had put in the house of his god.

1:8And Cyrus king of Persia brought them forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.

1:9And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine-and-twenty knives,

1:10thirty basons of gold, silver basons of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand.

1:11All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand four hundred. The whole did Sheshbazzar bring up, when they of the captivity were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

2:1And these are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and who came again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one to his city,

2:2who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Saraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:

2:3The children of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two.

2:4The children of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two.

2:5The children of Arah, seven hundred and seventy-five.

2:6The children of Pahath-Moab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and twelve.

2:7The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred and fifty-four.

2:8The children of Zattu, nine hundred and forty-five.

2:9The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty.

2:10The children of Bani, six hundred and forty-two.

2:11The children of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-three.

2:12The children of Azgad, a thousand two hundred and twenty-two.

2:13The children of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-six.

2:14The children of Bigvai, two thousand and fifty-six.

2:15The children of Adin, four hundred and fifty-four.

2:16The children of Ater of the family of Hezekiah, ninety-eight.

2:17The children of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-three.

2:18The children of Jorah, a hundred and twelve.

2:19The children of Hashum, two hundred and twenty-three.

2:20The children of Gibbar, ninety-five.

2:21The children of Bethlehem, a hundred and twenty-three.

2:22The men of Netophah, fifty-six.

2:23The men of Anathoth, a hundred and twenty-eight.

2:24The children of Azmaveth, forty-two.

2:25The children of Kirjath-arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three.

2:26The children of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty-one.

2:27The men of Michmas, a hundred and twenty-two.

2:28The men of Bethel and Ai, two hundred and twenty-three.

2:29The children of Nebo, fifty-two.

2:30The children of Magbish, a hundred and fifty-six.

2:31The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred and fifty-four.

2:32The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.

2:33The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-five.

2:34The children of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five.

2:35The children of Senaah, three thousand six hundred and thirty.

2:36The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three.

2:37The children of Immer, a thousand and fifty-two.

2:38The children of Pashhur, a thousand two hundred and forty-seven.

2:39The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.

2:40The Levites: the children of Jeshua and of Kadmiel, of the children of Hodaviah, seventy-four.

2:41The singers: the children of Asaph, a hundred and twenty-eight.

2:42The children of the doorkeepers: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, in all a hundred and thirty-nine.

2:43The Nethinim: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth,

2:44the children of Keros, the children of Siaha, the children of Padon,

2:45the children of Lebanah, the children of Hagabah, the children of Akkub,

2:46the children of Hagab, the children of Shamlai, the children of Hanan,

2:47the children of Giddel, the children of Gahar, the children of Reaiah,

2:48the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda, the children of Gazzam,

2:49the children of Uzza, the children of Phaseah, the children of Besai,

2:50the children of Asnah, the children of Meunim, the children of Nephusim,

2:51the children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur,

2:52the children of Bazluth, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha,

2:53the children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Thamah,

2:54the children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha.

2:55The children of Solomon's servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Peruda,

2:56the children of Jaalah, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel,

2:57the children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth-Hazzebaim, the children of Ami.

2:58All the Nethinim and the children of Solomon's servants, three hundred and ninety-two.

2:59And these are they that went up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub-Addan, Immer; but they could not shew their fathers' house, nor their seed, whether they were of Israel.

2:60The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobijah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred and fifty-two.

2:61And of the children of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai; who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name.

2:62These sought their genealogical register, but they were not found; therefore were they, as polluted, removed from the priesthood.

2:63And the Tirshatha said to them that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim.

2:64The whole congregation together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty,

2:65besides their servants and their maids, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred singing men and singing women.

2:66Their horses were seven hundred and thirty-six; their mules two hundred and forty-five;

2:67their camels four hundred and thirty-five; the asses six thousand seven hundred and twenty.

2:68And some of the chief fathers, when they came to the house of Jehovah which is at Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God to set it up in its place.

2:69They gave after their ability to the treasure of the work sixty-one thousand darics of gold, and five thousand pounds of silver, and one hundred priests' coats.

2:70And the priests, and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers, and the doorkeepers, and the Nethinim dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.

3:1And when the seventh month came, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem.

3:2Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer up burnt-offerings on it, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.

3:3And they set the altar on its base; for fear was upon them because of the people of the countries; and they offered up burnt-offerings on it to Jehovah, the morning and evening burnt-offerings.

3:4And they held the feast of tabernacles as it is written, and offered daily burnt-offerings by number, according to the ordinance, as the duty of every day required;

3:5and afterwards the continual burnt-offering, and those of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of Jehovah that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a voluntary offering to Jehovah.

3:6From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer up burnt-offerings to Jehovah. But the foundation of the temple of Jehovah was not yet laid.

3:7And they gave money to the masons and to the carpenters; and meat and drink and oil to the Zidonians and to the Tyrians, to bring cedar-trees from Lebanon to the sea at Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia.

3:8And in the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem; and they appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to superintend the work of the house of Jehovah.

3:9And Jeshua stood up, his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, as one man, to superintend the workmen in the house of God; also the sons of Henadad, their sons and their brethren, the Levites.

3:10And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of Jehovah, they set the priests in their apparel, with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise Jehovah according to the directions of David king of Israel.

3:11And they sang alternately together in praising and giving thanks to Jehovah: For he is good, for his loving-kindness endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout to the praise of Jehovah, because the foundation of the house of Jehovah was laid.

3:12But many of the priests and Levites and chief fathers, the ancient men that had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice, when the foundation of this house was laid in their sight; and many shouted aloud for joy.

3:13And the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people; for the people shouted with a great shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

4:1And the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building the temple to Jehovah the God of Israel;

4:2and they came to Zerubbabel and to the chief fathers, and said to them, We would build with you; for we seek your God, as ye; and we have sacrificed to him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up hither.

4:3But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the chief fathers of Israel said to them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build a house to our God, but we alone will build to Jehovah the God of Israel, as king Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.

4:4And the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building;

4:5and they hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

4:6And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

4:7And 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 interpreted in Aramaic.

4:8Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king after this sort:

4:9Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions, the Dinaites, and the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Shushanchites, the Dehaites, the Elamites,

4:10and the rest of the peoples whom the great and noble Osnappar brought over and settled in the cities of Samaria, and the rest of the country on this side the river, and so forth.

4:11This is the copy of the letter that they sent to him: To Artaxerxes the king: Thy servants the men on this side the river, and so forth.

4:12Be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from thee unto us have come to Jerusalem; they are building the rebellious and the bad city, and they complete the walls and join up the foundations.

4:13Be it known therefore unto the king, that, if this city be built and the walls be completed, they will not pay tribute, tax, and toll, and in the end it will bring damage to the kings.

4:14Now, since we eat the salt of the palace, and it is not right for us to see the king's injury, therefore have we sent and informed the king;

4:15that search may be made in the book of the annals of thy fathers: so shalt thou find in the book of the annals and know that this city is a rebellious city, which has done damage to kings and provinces, and that they have raised sedition within the same of old time, for which cause this city was destroyed.

4:16We inform the king that if this city be built and its walls be completed, by this means thou shalt have no portion on this side the river.

4:17The king sent an answer to Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions that dwell in Samaria, and the other places beyond the river: Peace, and so forth.

4:18The letter that ye sent to us has been read before me distinctly.

4:19And I gave orders, and search has been made, and it has been found that this city of old time has made insurrection against the kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been raised therein.

4:20And there have been mighty kings over Jerusalem, who have ruled over all beyond the river; and tribute, tax, and toll were paid to them.

4:21Now give order to make these men to cease, and that this city be not built, until the order shall be given from me;

4:22and take heed that ye fail not to do this: why should harm grow to the damage of the kings?

4:23As soon as the copy of king Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem to the Jews, and made them cease by force and power.

4:24Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem; and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.