1 In the first year that Koresh (Cyrus) was king of Persia (Heb. Paras), Yahweh stirred up *his spirit in order to fulfil what *he’d spoken through the prophet Yirmeyah (Jeremiah).[ref] ≈So @the king distributed a written proclamation throughout his kingdom, saying, 2 “Koresh, king of Persia, declares this: Yahweh, the god of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms in the world, and he’s appointed me to build a residence for him in Yerushalem in Yehudah.[ref] 3 Anyone among you who’s one of his followers is free to go to Yerushalem (in Yehudah) to help build a temple there for Yisrael’s God Yahweh—the god of Yerushalem. May God go with you. 4 Those who live near these people but who are not going themselves, should donate gold and silver, and goods and livestock, plus cash as a voluntary offering for God’s temple in Yerushalem.

5 Then some of the leaders of Benyamin and Yehudah, and some priests and Levites—all of whom had had their spirits stirred up by God—left to go and build Yahweh’s residence in Yerushalem. 6 Their neighbours had helped them by ≈donating gold and silver utensils, goods and livestock, and expensive gifts, as well as the voluntary offerings of cash.

7 Then King Koresh brought out the equipment from Yahweh’s temple that Nevukadnetstsar (Nebuchadnezzar) had brought all the way from Yerushalem and had put in the house of his gods. 8 *He ≈put the treasurer Mitedat in charge of bringing them out and Sheshbatstsar, the ruler of Yehudah, ≈in charge of accepting them and listing them. 9 There were: thirty gold basins, one thousand silver basins, twenty-nine knives, 10 thirty gold bowls, 410 silver bowls, and a thousand other utensils, 11 ≈coming to a total of 5,400 gold and silver utensils. Sheshbatstsar ≈took all of that with the group of exiles going from Babylon to Yerushalem.

2 Out of the captives that Babylonian King Nevukadnetstsar (Nebuchadnezzar) had brought as slaves to Babylon, these are their descendants who returned to Yerushalem in Yehudah—≈each person returning to their own ancestral town. 2 The ones who went with Zerubabel were: Yeshua, Nehemyah, Serayah, Re’elayah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Ba’anah.

Their numbers were:

3 2,172 descendants of Farosh, 4 372 descendants of Shefatyah, 5 775 descendants of Arah, 6 2,812 descendants of Fahat-Moab, from the families of Yeshua and Yoab, 7 1,254 descendants of Elam, 8 945 descendants of Zattu, 9 760 descendants of Zakkai, 10 642 descendants of Bani, 11 623 descendants of Bevai, 12 1,222 descendants of Azgad, 13 666 descendants of Adonikam, 14 2,056 descendants of Bigvai, 15 454 descendants of Adin, 16 98 descendants of Ater, who descended from Hezkiyyah, 17 323 descendants of Betsai, 18 112 descendants of Yorah, 19 223 descendants of Hashum, 20 95 descendants of Gibar.

21 And from these towns:

123 from Bethlehem,22 56 from Netofah, 23 128 from Anatot, 24 42 from Azmavet, 25 743 from Kiryat-Arim, Kefirah, and Be’erot, 26 621 from Ramah and Geva, 27 122 from Mikmas, 28 223 from Beyt-El and Ai, 29 52 from Nevo, 30 156 from Magbish, 31 1,254 from the otherElam, 32 320 from Harim, 33 725 from Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 34 345 from Yericho, 35 3,630 from Senaah.

36 The priests who returned:

973 descendants of Yedaiah (descendants of Yeshua),37 1,052 descendants of Immer, 38 1,247 descendants of Fashhur, 39 1,017 descendants of Harim.

40 The Levites who returned:

74 descendants of Yeshua and Kadmiel, who were from the family of Hodavyah,41 128 musicians who were descendants of Asaf, 42 139 gatekeepers who were descendants of the gatekeepers Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, andShobai,

43 The temple servants who returned:

The descendants of Ziha, Hasufa, and Tabaot,44 the descendants of Keros, Siaha, and Fadon, 45 the descendants of Levanah, Hagavah, and Akkuv, 46 the descendants of Hagav, Shalmai, and Hanan, 47 the descendants of Giddel, Gahar, and Reayah, 48 the descendants of Retsin, Nekoda, and Gazzam, 49 the descendants of Uzza, Faseah, and Besai, 50 the descendants of Asnah, Me’unim, and Nefusim, 51 the descendants of Bakbuk, Hakufa, and Harhur, 52 the descendants of Bazlut, Mehida, and Harsha, 53 the descendants of Barkos, Sisera, and Temah, 54 and the descendants of Netsiyah and Atifa.

55 The descendants of Shelomoh’s (Solomon’s) servants who returned:

the descendants Sotai, Hassoferet, Peruda,56 the descendants of Yaalah, Darkon, and Giddel, 57 the descendants of Shefatyah, Hattil, Pokeret Hatstsebayim, and Ami.

58 Altogether there were 392 descendants of temple workers and Shelomoh’s servants who returned.

59 ≈Another group went from the towns of Tel-Melah, Tel-Harsha, Keruv, Addon, and Immer, ≈but they ≈didn’t know their ancestry from before they were taken as captives.

60 There were 652 people who were descendants of Delayah, Toviyyah, and Nekoda, 61 and from the sons of the priests: the descendants of Havayyah; the descendants of Hakkots; and the descendants of Barzillai, who took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, so he was called by their name. 62 *They had searched for their #records among the ≈genealogies, but ≈couldn’t find their families listed, ≈so they were ≈disqualified to serve as priests. 63 ≈Also the governor told them that they mustn’t eat any of the holiest food until a priest ≈could use the Urim and Thummim to determine their status.[ref]

64 ≈Altogether in this group, 42,360 people returned to Yehudah. 65 ≈not counting their 7,337 male and female servants, plus 200 male and female musicians. 66 They also took 736 horses and 245 mules, 67 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.

68 When some of the ≈heads of families got to Yahweh’s temple in Yerushalem, they freely donated ≈so that it could be rebuilt. 69 They each donated to the treasury according to ≈their individual resources—a total of sixty-one thousand gold coins, five thousand silver bars, and a hundred sets of clothing for the priests.

70 ≈So the priests and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers, and the gatekeepers and the temple servants returned to live in their ancestral cities, and so all the Israeli cities ≈had returnees living in them.[ref]

3 In the seventh month, the Israelis from their various cities, gathered together ≈in unity in Yerushalem. 2 Then Yotsadak’s son Yeshua and his brothers the priests, and Shealti’el’s son Zerubavel and his brothers, and they built the altar to offer up burnt offerings to Yisrael’s God on it as is written in the law of Mosheh, the man of God.[ref] 3 They set the altar up on its foundation because they were worried about trouble from some of the other people groups ≈in the region. Then they offered burnt offerings to Yahweh on it as well as the regular morning and evening burnt offerings.[ref] 4 Then they observed the Celebration in Shelters as ≈per the written instructions[ref] with a burnt offering each day as required. 5 After that was over, they kept up the regular burnt offerings, plus those for the new moons and other times that Yahweh required, as well as any free-will offerings to Yahweh.[ref] 6 ≈Even though the temple foundation rebuilding hadn’t started yet, the people started sacrificing burnt offerings to Yahweh ≈from the beginning of October.

7 They donated cash to the stone-workers and carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the workers from Tsidon (Sidon) and Tsor (Tyre) to ≈float cedar logs along the coast from Lebananon into Port Yafo (Joppa) with the permission of Persian King Koresh (Cyrus).

Foundation Laid for the Temple

8 In the second month of second year ≈since their return to Yerushalem, Shealtiel’s son Zerubavel and Yotsadak’s son Yeshua, and the rest of their brothers the priests and the Levites, and ≈everyone except who’d returned to Yerushalem from captivity, began work on God’s residence, and they appointed the Levites who were twenty and over to act as overseers for the work of rebuilding Yahweh’s ≈temple. 9 ≈And Yeshua with his brothers and their sons, Kadmiel and his sons, (all descendants of Yehudah) ≈cooperated to act as overseers for those doing the work at the ≈temple together with Henadad’s sons ≈and grandsons, and their brothers the Levites.

10 ≈When the builders had laid the foundation of Yahweh’s temple, they ≈got the priests ≈to stand there in their robes with their trumpets, and Asaf’s descendants (who were Levites) with their cymbals, to praise Yahweh ≈using the rhythms composed by David, the former Israeli king.[ref] 11 Then they sang in response—praising and thanking Yahweh: “≈Yes, he is good, because his loyal commitment to Yisrael ≈will continue forever.”

Then all the people shouted a great shout in praise to Yahweh because the foundation of Yahweh’s temple had been laid.[ref] 12 Many of the older priests and Levites, and ≈clan leaders who’d seen the first ≈temple, wept loudly ≈when they witnessed the founding of this *one, ≈but others were shouting happily with loud voices. 13 So the people couldn’t differentiate the happy sounds from the sound of the people weeping, because the people were shouting ≈very loudly and it could be heard from far away.

4 ≈Now the enemies of Yehudah and Benyamin heard that the ≈Israelis who’d come back from exile were building a temple for Yisrael’s God Yahweh. 2 ≈so they went to Zerubavel and to the other ≈clan leaders and they said to them, “Let us ≈help you with the building work, because like you, we ≈worship your God and we’ve been sacrificing to him since the days of the Assyrian king Esar-Haddon—the one who ≈sent us here.”[ref]

3 ≈But Zerubavel, and Yeshua, and the rest of the ≈Israelis clan leaders said to them, “It’s not for you and for us to build a house for our God, but we ourselves together will build for Yisrael’s God Yahweh, just as the Persian King Koresh (Cyrus) has commanded us.”

4 ≈Those local people had been discouraging the people of Yehudah and trying to stop them from building. 5 They’d also hired ≈influencers to work against them throughout the reigns of the Persian kings Koresh (Cyrus) and Dareyavesh (Darius).

6 Now at the beginning of the reign of Ahashverosh (Ahasuerus or Xerxes), they ≈forwarded an accusation against those who lived in Yerushalem and throughout Yehudah.

7 And in the days of Persian King Artahshasta (Artaxerxes), Bishlam, Mitredat, Taveel and the rest of #their companions wrote to the king. (The letter was written in Aramaic (Syrian) and ≈using that alphabet).

8 Rehum ≈the high commissioner and Shimshai the ≈provincial secretary wrote a letter to King Artahshasta against Yerushalem as follows:

9 From Rehum ≈the high commissioner and Shimshai the ≈provincial secretary, and the ≈our companions, the judges and the rulers, the officials, the Persians, the Erechites, the Babylonians, the Susaites (that is, the Elamites), 10 and the rest of the nations that the famous and powerful King Asenappar exiled from other nations and ≈forced them to live in the cities of Samaria, and the ≈province went of the Euphrates river.

And now 11 this is ≈what the letter said that they sent to him:

To Artahshasta (Artaxerxes) the king from your servants ≈on this side of the river.

And now 12 let it be known to the king that the Jews who ≈left your region have come to us at Yerushalem ≈to rebuild that rebellious and evil city—they’re currently finishing the walls and repairing the building foundations. 13 Now let it be known to the king that if that city is built and the walls are completed, @those people won’t ≈pay #taxes, or send #tributes, and ≈your royal treasury will lose out. 14 Now, because we’ve ≈had the favour of the palace, and ≈because we don’t want to see the king dishonoured, ≈that’s why we’ve sent this letter to update the king, 15 so that he can search in the ≈official records of the kingdom. You’ll discover and learn that that city of Yerushalem is a rebellious city and one that has caused harm to kings and provinces, and ≈has harboured rebellion there for decades past—≈that’s why that city was destroyed. 16 We are letting the king know that if that city is ≈rebuilt and its walls are completed, ≈then you’ll lose control of this province on this side of the Euphrates.”

17 The king sent this reply:

“To Rehum ≈the high commissioner and Shimshai ≈the provincial secretary, and the rest of their companions who live in Shomron (Samaria), and the rest of ≈the people in the province west of the Euphrates: Peace.

And now 18 the letter that you all sent to us has been carefully read aloud to me. 19 ≈I ordered my officials to search the records and discovered that it’s true that that city has been ≈rebellious and seditious since ancient times. 20 Powerful kings have ≈reigned from Yerushalem and ruled the entire region that side of the river, and had taxes and tributes paid to them. 21 ≈So command those Jews to stop rebuilding the city until ≈such time as I make a decree. 22 ≈Don’t be negligent in doing that or the damage to this kingdom might get worse.”

23 When King Artahshasta’s letter reached Rehum, Shimshai the ≈secretary, and their companions, and was read aloud to them all, they ≈immediately went to Yerushalem and ≈used force to stop the Jews from their rebuilding.

Work on the Temple Begins Again; The Rebuilding Resumes

24 ≈So there was a period when the rebuilding of the temple in Yerushalem stopped, and it ≈remained paused until the second year of King Dareyavesh’s reign in Persia.[ref]

5 Then the prophet Haggai and Iddo’s son Zekaryah prophesied to the Jews in Yerushalem and ≈across Yehudah in the name of Yisrael’s God ≈who they served.[ref] 2 Then Shealtiel’s son Zerubabel and Yotsadak’s son Yeshua ≈took action and began to ≈rebuild God’s ≈temple in Yerushalem, and the prophets ≈who served God were there with them, supporting them.[ref]

3 At that time, Tattenai, the governor of ≈the province west of the Euphrates, and Shetar-Bozenai, and their companions came to them and ≈demanded, “Who ≈gave you all permission to rebuild this temple?” 4 ≈They also asked the Jews to tell them the names of the men who were working on the building. 5 ≈However, God was watching over the Jewish leaders, and they weren’t actually stopped. ≈A report was sent to King Dareyavesh, ≈then they waited for a response.

Tattenai’s Letter to King Darius

6 Tattenai, the governor of ≈the province west of the river, and Shetar-Bozenai and his companions, the ≈provincial officials, sent the letter to King Dareyavesh (Darius)—7 this is what was written in their report:

“To King Dareyavesh. All peace. 8 Let it be known to the king that we went to the province of Yehudah, to the ≈temple of the great God, and it is being built with large stones, and timber is being placed in the walls. This work is being done ≈to a high standard and ≈they’re making good progress.

9 “Then we asked those elders, ‘Who ≈gave you all permission to rebuild this temple?’ 10 We also asked them their names, so that we could write down the names of ≈their leaders to inform you.

11 “This is the answer they ≈gave us, ‘We are servants of the God of the heavens and earth, and we are ≈rebuilding the temple that was constructed and finished many years ≈ago by a famous Israeli king. 12 However, because our ancestors made the God of the heavens angry, he let Babylonian King Nevukadnetstsar (Nebuchadnezzar, the Chaldean) ≈defeat them, and he destroyed ≈that temple and caused the people to be exiled to Babylon.[ref] 13 But in the first year of the reign of Babylonian King Koresh (Cyrus), *he made a decree to rebuild this house of God.[ref] 14 ≈What’s more, the gold and silver ≈containers that Nevukadnetstsar had taken out from that temple that was in Yerushalem and had brought to the temple in Babylon, King Koresh took them out from the temple in Babylon and they were ≈handed over to the man named Sheshbatstsar who he’d appointed as governor over Yehudah. 15 @Koresh had told him to take those containers and put them back in the temple in Yerushalem, and ≈to ensure that the temple got rebuilt in the same place where it had been before. 16 ≈So Sheshbatstsar came here and laid the foundation of God’s house in Yerushalem, and since then, it’s been being rebuilt but isn’t finished yet.’

17 ≈So now, if it ≈pleases the king, let a search be made in the records in the king’s treasure house there in Babylon, if it’s correct that a decree was set by King Koresh to rebuild this house of God in Yerushalem. Then let the king send his decision on this matter back to us.”

6 ≈So King Dareyavesh (Darius) ≈ordered that a search be conducted in all the ≈archives where treasures had been deposited there in Babylon, 2 and one scroll was found in the fortress at Ecbatana in the province of Media, and this ≈record had been made:

3 “In year one of Koresh the king, *he made a decree about the house of God in Yerushalem:

‘Let the house be built in the same place where sacrifices were ≈made. ≈Establish its foundations and ≈build it 27m high and 27m wide 4 with three layers of large #stones and a layer of new timber. ≈That should all be paid for from the royal treasury. 5 Also, the gold and silver containers from the house of God that Nevukadnetstsar had taken out from the Yerushalem temple and had brought to Babylon, must be returned to their places in the temple in Yerushalem. ≈So you must put them in the house of God.’ ”

6 Therefore King Dareyavesh wrote: “Now to Governor Tattenai ≈in the province west of the Euphrates, Shetar-Bozenai, and their companions, the officials who in that province:

≈Keep away from that place. 7 Leave alone the work on that house of God. Let the Jewish governor and elders build that ≈temple in its place. 8 ≈So here’s my decree about what should be done for those Jewish elders to build that house of God: Using the king’s treasures that come from the tribute of that west-Euphrates province, let ≈those workers costs be regularly reimbursed so that @the work doesn’t stop. 9 Whatever is needed (≈including young bulls, or rams, or lambs for burnt offerings to the God of the heavens, wheat, salt, wine, or oil, according to the command of the priests in Yerushalem), let it be given to them day by day (that is, without delay), 10 so that they can be offering sweet-smelling sacrifices to the God of the heavens and praying for the life of the king and his sons. 11 ≈Also I decree that any man who changes this edict should have a beam pulled from his house, and after it’s sharpened and ≈set into the ground, then he should be impaled on it. Then his entire house should be made into a rubbish heap ≈because of what he did. 12 May the God who has established his name there overthrow any king or person who ≈makes any attempt to change this decree or to destroy that house of God in Yerushalem. I, Dareyavesh, have ≈made a decree. Let it be done diligently.”

13 Then Tattenai, the governor of ≈the region west of the Euphrates, Shetar-Bozenai, and their companions ≈worked hard to follow the instructions sent by King Dareyavesh (Darius). 14 ≈So the Jewish elders ≈continued building, and ≈they were encouraged by the prophesying of the prophet Haggai and Iddo’s son Zekaryah. ≈As a result of the decrees of the Persian kings Koresh, and Dareyavesh and Artahshasta, they ≈were able to fulfil God’s decree to rebuild the temple.[ref] 15 The rebuilt ≈temple was finished in ≈mid-March in the sixth year of King Dareyavesh’s reign.

16 Then the ≈Israeli people, the priests, and the Levites, and the ≈ones that had returned from exile, performed the dedication of this house of God with ≈celebrations. 17 During the dedication, they offered a hundred bulls, two-hundred rams, and four-hundred lambs, as well as twelve male goats for a sin offering for all Yisrael (matching the number of the tribes). 18 Then they ≈organised the priests to stand in their divisions and the Levites in their sections ≈to serve the God who ≈resides in Yerushalem, according to the ≈instructions written by Mosheh (Moses).