Ezra 5:6-17 - The Letter To Darius

⁶ The copy of the epistle that Tatnai, prefect beyond the river, sent, and Shethar-Bozni and his colleagues, the Apharsachites, that were beyond the river to Darius the king: ⁷ They sent an epistle to him, thus it was written in the midst of it: To Darius the king, all peace. ⁸ To be known to the king that we went to the Judah province, to the house of the great God; and it was building with stone of rolling, and wood being set up in the walls; and this work being diligently done, and prospering in their hands. ⁹ Then we asked these old men, thus we said to them, Who set to you a decree to build this house and to complete this wall? ¹⁰ And also we asked their names for them to make known to thee that we shall write the name of the men that were among their heads. ¹¹ And thus they returned us word, saying, We are the servants of the God of the heavens and the earth, and build the house that was built of old these many years, and a great king to Israel built and completed. ¹² Therefore after our fathers provoked to the God of the heavens to be angry, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babel, the Chaldean, and he destroyed this house, and the people he carried away in exile to Babel. ¹³ But in one year to Cyrus the king of Babel, Cyrus the king set up a decree to build this house of God. ¹⁴ And also the vessels of the house of God of gold and of silver, that Nebuchadnezzar brought forth from the temple that is in Jerusalem, and brought them to the temple of Babel, Cyrus the king brought them forth from the temple of Babel, and they were given to Sheshbazzar his name that he set up prefect; ¹⁵ And he said to him, Lift up these vessels, go bring them into the temple that is in Jerusalem, and the house of God shall be built upon its place. ¹⁶ Then this Sheshbazzar came, he set the foundations of the house of God that is in Jerusalem: and from that time even till now, being built and not finished. ¹⁷ And now if good to the king he shall seek in the house of the king's treasure there that is in Babel, if it be that from Cyrus the king a decree was set up to build this house of God in Jerusalem, and the king will send the will to us concerning this.