Ezra 5

5 ¹ Now the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of our Father, the God of Israel, who was over them. ² Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak set to work and began to rebuild the house of our Father in Jerusalem; and the prophets of our Father were there with them, supporting them.

³ At that time Tattenai, governor of the province Beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai and their associates came to them and asked, "Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?" ⁴ They also asked, "What are the names of the men who are constructing this building?" ⁵ But the eye of their Father was watching over the elders of the Jews, so they were not stopped until the matter reached Darius and a written reply came back.

A Letter to King Darius

⁶ This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor of the province Beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai and his associates, the officials of the province Beyond the River, sent to King Darius. ⁷ They sent him a report, and this is what was written in it: To King Darius: all peace.

⁸ Let it be known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with huge stones, and timber is being set in the walls. This work is being done diligently and is prospering in their hands. ⁹ So we questioned the elders and asked them, "Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?" ¹⁰ We also asked for their names, so we could record the names of their leaders and report them to you. ¹¹ And this is the answer they gave us: "We are servants of our Father, the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was constructed many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished." ¹² "But because our ancestors angered our Father, the God of heaven, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean, king of Babylon, who destroyed this house and carried the people away to Babylon." ¹³ "However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild this house of our Father." ¹⁴ "Cyrus the king also brought out from the temple of Babylon the gold and silver vessels of the house of our Father, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and carried into the temple of Babylon. He handed them over to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor, ¹⁵ saying to him, 'Take these vessels, go, and place them in the temple in Jerusalem; and let the house of God be rebuilt on its site.'" ¹⁶ "Then this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of our Father in Jerusalem; and from that time until now it has been under construction, and it is not yet finished."

¹⁷ Now then, if it pleases the king, let a search be made in the royal archives there in Babylon to see whether King Cyrus did in fact issue a decree to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision concerning this matter.