A    ^noteNow wh&abar; kynge Cyrus raigned ouer the Persians, ∧ wh&abar; the LORDE wolde perfourme the worde þt; he had promysed by the mouth of the prophet Ieremy: the LORDE raysed vp the sprete of Cyrus, the kynge of the Persi&abar;s, so þt; he caused this wrytinge to be proclamed thorow out his whole realme, sayenge: Thus sayeth the kynge of þe; Persians: The LORDE of Israel that hye LORDE hath made me kynge of the l&obar;de, and commaunded me to buylde him an house at Ierusalem in Iewry. Yf there be eny now of

youre people, þe; LORDE be with him, and go vp with him to Ierusalem. And all they that dwell rounde aboute þt; place, shal helpe th&ebar;, whether it be with golde, with syluer, with giftes, with horses and necessary catell, and all other thinges that are brought &wt; a fre wyll to the house of the LORDE at Ierusal&ebar;.

B   Then the pryncipall m&ebar; out of the trybes and vyllages of Iuda and BenIamin stode vp: so dyd the prestes also ∧ the leuites (wh&obar; the LORDE had moued) to go vp, and to buylde the house of the LORDE at Ierusal&ebar;. And they that were aboute them, helped them &wt; all maner of golde, and syluer, and catell also and with many liberall giftes, and this dyd many one, whose mynde was stered vp therto. Kynge Cyrus also brought forth the vessels and ornamentes, that were halowed vnto the LORDE (which Nabuchodonosor the kynge of Babilon had caried awaye from Ierusalem, and consecrated them to his Idoll and ymage) and delyuered them to Mithridatus his treasurer, and by him they were delyuered to Salmanasar þe; debyte in Iewry. And this was the n&obar;bre of them: Two thousande and iiij.C. syluer boules, xxx. syluer basens, xxx. basens of golde, ij.M. and iiij.C. vessels of syluer, and a thousande besyde. All the vessels of golde and syluer were v.M.viij.C. and lx. These were nombred vnto Salmanasar, and them that were come agayne with him to Ierusal&ebar; out of the captiuyte of Babilon. Now in the tyme of kynge Artaxerses the kynge of Persia, these men: Balemus and Mithridatus, Sabellius, Rathimus, Balthemus, Semelius þe; scrybe, and other that dwelt in Samaria ∧ in other places vnder þe; dominion therof, Wrote a letter vnto kynge Artaxerses, wherin they complayned vnto the kynge of them in Iewry and Ierusalem. The letter was made after this maner:

C   Syr, thy seruauntes Rathimus the story wryter, Sabellius the Scrybe, ∧ other iudges of thy courte in Celosyria and Phenices. Be it knowne and manifest to o&highr; lorde the kyn that the Iewes which are come vp fr&obar; you vnto vs in to the rebellious and wicked cite, begynne to buylde it agayne, and the walles aboute it, and to set vp the t&ebar;ple of the new. Now yf this cite and the walles therof be sett vp agayne, they shal not only refuse to geue trybutes and taxinges, but also rebell vtterly agaynst the kynge. And for so moch as they take this in hande now aboute the temple, we thought it reason, to thinke no scorne of it, but to shewe it vnto o&highr; lorde the kynge, ∧ to certifie him therof: to the intent þt; yf it please the kinge, he maye cause it be sought in the bokes of olde: and thou shalt fynde soch warnynge wrytten, and shalt vnderstonde, that this cite hath allwaye bene rebellious and disobedient, that it hath subdued kynges and cities, and that the Iewes which dwell therin, haue euer bene a rebellious, obstinate, vnfaithfull and fightinge people, for the which cause this cite is waysted. Wherfore now we certifie oure lorde the kynge, that yf this cite be buylded and occupied agayne, ∧ the walles therof set vp a new, thou canst haue no passage in to Celosyria and Phenices.

D   Then wrote the kynge of Rathimus the story wryter, to Balthemus, to Sabellius þe; scrybe, and to the other officers and dwellers in Syria and Phenices, after this maner: I haue red the epistle which thou sentest vnto me, and haue commaunded to make diligent search, and haue founde, that the cite hath euer resisted kynges, that the same people are dishobedient, and haue caused moch warre, ∧ that mightie kynges haue raigned in Ierusalem, which also haue raysed vp taxinges of Syria and Phenices. Wherfore, I haue comma&ubar;ded those people, that they shal not buylde the cite, that they make no more in it, and that they procede no further with the buyldinge: for so moch as it might be the cause of warre, and displeasure vnto kynges.

Now whan Rathymus and Sabellius the scrybe and the rulers in the londe had red the wrytinge of kynge Artaxerses, they gatt them together, and came in all the haist to Ierusalem with an hoost of horsemen, and with moch people of fote, and forbad them to buylde. And so they left of from buyldinge of the temple, vnto the seconde yeare of kynge Darius.

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