1   Nowe when king Cyrus raigned ouer the Persians in his first yere, when the Lorde would perfourme the worde that he had promysed by the mouth of [the prophete] Ieremie:

2   The Lorde raysed vp the spirite of Cyrus the king of Persians, so that he caused this wrytyng to be proclaymed throughout his whole realme,

3   Saying, thus saith Cyrus king of the Persians: The Lorde of Israel, that hye Lorde, hath made me king of the whole worlde:

4   And commaunded me to buylde hym an house at Hierusalem in Iurie.

5   If there be any nowe of you that are of his people, let the Lorde euen his Lorde be with hym, and let him go vp to Hierusalem that is in Iudea, and buylde the house of the Lorde of Israel, that is, the Lorde that dwelleth in Hierusalem.

6   And all they that dwell rounde about that place shall helpe him, all that dwel in his place I say, whether it be with golde, with siluer, B   

7   With gyftes, with horses and necessarye cattell, and all other thinges that are brought with a free wyll to the ^note house of the Lorde at Hierusalem.

8   Then the principall men out of the tribes and villages of Iuda ∧ Beniamin stode vp: so did the Priestes also and the Leuites, ∧ al they whose minde the Lorde had moued to go vp, ∧ to buylde the house of the Lorde at Hierusalem.

9   And they that dwelt about them helped them in all thinges, with siluer and golde, horses ∧ cattell, and with ^note many free giftes of many men whose mindes were stirred vp thereto.

10   King Cyrus also brought foorth the vessels and ornamentes that were halowed vnto the Lorde, whiche Nabuchodonosor had caried away from Hierusalem, and consecrated them to his idol [and image.]

11   And hauing brought them foorth, he deliuered them to Mithridates his treasourer.

12   And by hym they were deliuered to Abassar the deputie in Iurie.

13   And this was the number of them: a thousande golden cuppes, and a thousande of siluer, basens of siluer twentie and nine for the sacrifices, vials of gold thirtie, and of siluer two thousande foure hundred and ten, and a thousande other vessels. C   

14   So all the vessels of golde and siluer whiche they caryed away, were fiue thousand, foure h&ubar;dred, threscore ∧ nine.

15   These were brought by Salmanasar, with them of the captiuitie from Babylon to Hierusalem.

16   But in the tyme of Artaxerxes king of the Persians, Belemus, and Mithridates, and Tabelius, and Rathumus, and Beeltethmus, and Semellius the secretarie, with other that were ioyned to them dwelling in Samaria ∧ other places, wrote vnto hym against them that dwelt in Iudea and Hierusalem, these letters folowing:
To the king Artaxerxes our lorde.

17   Thy seruauntes, Rathumus the storye wryter, and Semellius the secretarie, and the rest of their counsell, and the iudges that are in Coelosyria ∧ Phenice:

18   Be it nowe knowen to our lorde the king, that the Iewes whiche are come vp from you vnto vs into the rebellious ∧ wicked citie, begin to buylde the market places, and to make vp the walles about it, and to set vp the temple a newe.

19   Now if this citie and the walles therof be set vp agayne, they shall not onlye refuse to geue tributes [and taxes] but also rebell vtterly against kinges.

20   And forsomuche as they take this in hand now about þe; temple, we thought it reason to thinke no scorne of it:

21   But to shewe it vnto the lorde the king, to the intent that if it please the king, he may cause it to be sought in the bookes of olde, D   

22   And thou shalt finde in recordes hereof wrytten, and shalt vnderstande that this citie hath alway ben rebellious and disobedient, that it hath troubled kinges and cities,

23   And that the Iewes were rebellious, and raysed alwayes warres therin: for the whiche cause this citie is wasted.

24   Wherfore nowe we certifie our Lord the king, that if this citie be buylded [and occupied] agayne, and the walles therof set vp a newe, thou canst haue no passage into Coelosyria and Phenice.

25   Then wrote the king to Rathumus the ^note storie wryter, to Beeltethmus, to Semellius the scribe, and to the other officers and dwellers in Samaria, and Syria, and Phenice, after this maner.

26   I haue read the epistle which ye sent vnto me: therefore I commaunded to make diligent searche, and haue founde that this citie hath euer resisted kinges,

27   That the same people are disobedient and haue caused much warre, and that mightie kinges haue raigned in Hierusalem, which also haue raysen vp taxes of Coelosyria and Phenice. E   

28   Wherefore I haue commaunded to forbyd those men that they shall not buylde vp the citte, and heede to be taken that there be no more done in it:

29   And that they proceede no further in those wicked workes, forsomuche as it myght be occasion of trouble vnto princes.

30   Nowe when Rathumus and Semellius the scribe had read the wrytyng of king Artaxerxes, they gat them together, and came in all the haste to Hierusalem, with an hoast of horsemen, and with muche people on foote,

31   And forbad them to buylde: And so they left of from buyldyng of the temple, vnto the seconde yere of king Darius, king of the Persians.

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