Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth has LORD, the God of heaven, given me, and he has charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

At the same time Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai, and their companions, came to them, and said thus to them, Who gave you a decree to build this house, and to finish this wall?

they sent a letter to him, in which was written thus: To Darius the king, all peace.

Then we asked those elders, and said to them thus: Who gave you a decree to build this house, and to finish this wall?

And thus they returned us an answer, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth. And are building the house that was built these many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished.

And there was found at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of Media, a roll, and in it was thus written for a record: