and bribed officials against them to frustrate their plan for all the days of Cyrus king of Persia until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Then the work on the house of God in Jerusalem stopped, and was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

And the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until the report came to Darius, and then [answer] was received.

The copy of the letter that Tattenai, the governor of [the province] Beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai and his associates the envoys who were in [the province] Beyond the River sent to Darius the king.

They sent to him the report {in which was written as follows}: "To Darius the king, all peace.

Then King Darius issued forth a decree, and they searched the house of the treasury of scrolls being stored in Babylonia.

May the God who has set his name there overthrow any king or people who sets his hand to alter [or] to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, issue forth a decree. Let it be done with diligence."

Then Tattenai the governor of the [province] Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates consequently did with diligence what Darius the king ordered.

So the elders of the Jews were building and prospering, through the prophecy of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished building by the command of the God of Israel and by the decree of Cyrus, Darius, and King Artaxerxes of Persia.

This house was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.