Dual PanelEnemies Against Rebuilding the Temple
1Some people living in the area were against the people of Judah and Benjamin. They heard that these people who had returned from captivity were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel.
2So they came to Zerubbabel and to the family leaders and said, “Let us help you build. We want to worship your God, the same as you. We have offered sacrifices to him ever since King Esarhaddon of Assyria brought us here.”
3But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other family leaders of Israel answered, “No, you people cannot help us build a temple for our God. Only we can build the Temple for the LORD. He is the God of Israel. This is what King Cyrus of Persia commanded us to do.”
4So these people who lived near them tried to discourage them and make them afraid so that they would stop building the Temple.
5They paid government officials to work against the people of Judah to keep them from completing their buiding plans. They did this the whole time Cyrus was the king of Persia and continued up to the time Darius became king.
6The year Xerxes became the king of Persia, these enemies of Judah sent him a letter containing their complaints against the people of Judah and Jersualem.
Enemies Against Rebuilding Jerusalem
7Later, when Artaxerxes became the new king of Persia, some of these men wrote another letter complaining about the Jews. The men who wrote the letter were Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the other people in their group. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated.
8Then Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against the people of Jerusalem. They wrote the letter to Artaxerxes the king. This is what they wrote:
9From Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary, and from the judges and important officials over the men from Tripolis, Persia, Erech, and Babylon, and from the Elamites from Susa,
10and from the other people who the great and powerful Ashurbanipal moved to the city of Samaria and other places in the country west of the Euphrates River.
11This is the copy of the letter sent to King Artaxerxes: From your servants living in the area west of the Euphrates River.
12King Artaxerxes, we wish to inform you that the Jews you sent from there are now in Jerusalem. They are trying to rebuild that terrible city. The people there have always refused to obey other kings. Now they have almost finished repairing the foundations and building the walls.
13Also, King Artaxerxes, you should know that if Jerusalem and its walls are rebuilt, the people of Jerusalem will stop paying their taxes. They will stop sending money to honor you. They also will stop paying customs fees, and the king will lose all that money.
14We have a responsibility to the king. We don’t want to see this happen, so we are sending this letter to inform the king.
15King Artaxerxes, we suggest that you search the writings of the kings who ruled before you. You will see in the writings that Jerusalem is a city that is difficult to rule. It has always refused to obey other kings and nations who tried to control it. It has a long history as a place where trouble begins. That is why it was destroyed.
16King Artaxerxes, we wish to inform you that if this city and its walls are rebuilt, you will lose control of the area west of the Euphrates River.
17Then King Artaxerxes sent this answer: To Rehum the commanding officer, Shimshai the secretary, and all the people with them living in Samaria and other places west of the Euphrates River. Greetings:
18The letter you sent us has been translated and read to me.
19I gave an order for the writings of the kings before me to be searched. The writings were read, and we found out that Jerusalem has a long history of refusing to obey their kings. Jerusalem has been a place where this kind of refusal and revolt has happened often.
20Jerusalem has had powerful kings ruling over it and over the whole area west of the Euphrates River. Their kings received taxes, customs, fees, and tribute.
21Now, you must give an order for these men to stop work. That order must be given to keep Jerusalem from being rebuilt until I say so.
22Be careful not to overlook this matter. We should not let the building of Jerusalem continue. If that work continues, I will not get any more money from Jerusalem.
23So a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes sent was read to Rehum, Shimshai the secretary, and the people with them. They went very quickly to the Jews in Jerusalem and forced them to stop building.
The Work on the Temple Stopped
24So the work stopped on God’s Temple in Jerusalem. The work did not continue until the second year that Darius was king of Persia.