Ezra and Nehemiah 4
1 And they that afflicted Juda and
Benjamin heard, that the children of the captivity were building a house to
the Lord God of Israel. 2 And they
drew near to Zorobabel, and to the heads of families, and said to them, We
will build with you; for as ye do, we seek
to serve our God, and we do sacrifice to him from the
days of Asaradan king of Assur, who brought us hither.
3 Then Zorobabel, and Jesus and the
rest of the heads of the families of Israel said to them,
It is not for us and you to build a house to our God,
for we ourselves will build together to the Lord our God, as Cyrus the king of
the Persians commanded us. 4 And the
people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Juda, and hindered them
in building, 5 and
continued hiring
persons against them, plotting to frustrate their
counsel, 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 Assuerus, even
in the beginning of his reign, they wrote a letter against the inhabitants of
Juda and Jerusalem. 7 And in the days
of Arthasastha, Tabeel wrote peaceably to Mithradates and to the rest of his
fellow-servants: the tribute-gatherer wrote to Arthasastha king of the
Persians a writing in the Syrian tongue, and
the same interpreted.
8 Reum the chancellor, and Sampsa the
scribe wrote an epistle against Jerusalem to king Arthasastha,
saying,
9 Thus has judged Reum the chancellor,
and Sampsa the scribe, and the rest of our fellow-servants, the Dinæans, the
Apharsathachæans, the Tarphalæans, the Apharsæans, the Archyæans, the
Babylonians, the Susanachæans, Davæans,
10 and the rest of the nations whom
the great and noble Assenaphar removed, and settled them in the cities of
Somoron, and the rest of them beyond the river.
11 This
is the purport of the letter, which they sent to him:
Thy servants the men beyond the river to king Arthasastha.
12 Be it known to the king, that the
Jews who came up from thee to us have come to Jerusalem the rebellious and
wicked city, which they are building, and its walls are set in order, and they
have established the foundations of it.
13 Now then be it known to the king,
that if that city be built up, and its walls completed, thou shalt have no
tribute, neither will they pay anything, and this
injures kings. 14 And it is not
lawful for us to see the dishonour of the king: therefore have we sent and
made known the matter to the king;
15 that examination may be made in
thy fathers' book of record; and thou shalt find, and thou shalt know that
that city is rebellious, and does harm to kings and
countries, and there are in the midst of it from very old time refuges for
runaway slaves: therefore this city has been made
desolate. 16 We therefore declare to
the king, that, if that city be built, and its walls be set up, thou shalt not
have peace.
17 Then the king sent to Reum the
chancellor, and Sampsa the scribe, and the rest of their fellow-servants who
dwelt in Samaria, and the rest beyond the river,
saying, Peace; and he says,
18 The tribute-gatherer whom ye sent
to us, has been called before me.
19 And a decree has been made by me,
and we have examined, and found that that city of old time exalts itself
against kings, and that rebellions and desertions take place within it.
20 And there were powerful kings in
Jerusalem, and they ruled over all the country beyond
the river, and abundant revenues and tribute were given to them.
21 Now therefore make a decree to
stop the work of those men, and that city shall no more be built.
22 See that
ye be careful of the decree, not to be remiss
concerning this matter, lest at any time destruction should abound to the harm
of kings.
23 Then the tribute-gatherer of king
Arthasastha read the letter before Reum the
chancellor, and Sampsa the scribe, and his fellow-servants: and they went in
haste to Jerusalem and through Juda, and caused them to cease with horses and
an armed force.
24 Then ceased the work of the house
of God in Jerusalem, and it was at a stand until the second year of the reign
of Darius king of the Persians.