A    ^noteNot &wt; stondinge, in the seconde yeare of the raigne of Darius, Aggeus ∧ Zachary the sonne of Addo prophecied vpon them in Iewry and Ierusalem, in the name of the God of Israel. Then Zorobabel the sonne of Salathiel and Iesua the sonne of Iosedec stode vp, ^note and beganne to buylde the house of the LORDE at Ierusalem, when the prophetes of the LORDE helped them.

At the same tyme came Sysennes the vndershreue in Syria and Phenices, with the landlordes and his companyons, and sayde vnto them: Who hath bydden ∧ commaunded you to buylde the house? to make the rofe and all other thinges agayne? And who are the worke men, that buylde them? Neuertheles the elders of the Iewes had soch grace of the LORDE, that they wolde not be lett (though they were prouoked therto) but buylded on still, vntill the tyme that kynge Darius were certified therof, and an answere receaued from him. The letter that these men sent vnto kynge Darius, was after this maner:

B   Sysennes the vnder shreue in Syria and Phenices, and the land lordes with their c&obar;pani&obar;s, which are head rulers in Syria and Phenices, sende their salutacion vnto Darius the kynge. We certifie oure lorde the kynge, that we came in to the londe of Iewry, ∧ wente to Ierusalem: where we founde them buyldinge the greate house of God and the t&ebar;ple, with greate costly fre stone and with goodly tymbre for the walles: yee they make greate haist with the worke, ∧ helpe one another, and it goeth forth prosperously in their handes, and with greate diligence ∧ worshipe is it made. Then axed we the elders, who had c&obar;maunded them to make vp the house and the buyldinge: and this we dyd, to þe; int&ebar;t that we might certifie the perfectly, and wryte vnto the, the names of those þt; were þe; rulers of the worke. So they gaue vs this answere: we are the seruauntes of the LORDE, which made heauen and earth: ∧ as for this house, ^note it hath bene buylded and set vp afore tyme by the greate and mightie kynge of Israel. But whan oure fathers prouoked God vnto wrath, ∧ synned agaynst the God of Israel, ^note he gaue th&ebar; ouer in to the power of Nabuchodonosor kynge of Babilon the kynge of the Caldees, which brake downe þe; house and br&ebar;t it, and caried awaye the people presoners vnto Babilon.

C    ^noteNeuertheles, in the first yeare that kynge Cyrus reigned at Babilon, Cyrus the kynge wrote and commaunded to buylde vp this house agayne: and all the ornamentes that Nabuchodonosor caried awaye from Ierusalem vnto Babilon, and appropriated vnto

his owne temple: those brought Cyrus forth agayne, and delyuered them to Zorobabel ∧ to Salmanasar the vndershreue, commaundynge them, þt; they shulde brynge those same ornamentes agayne to Ierusal&ebar; in to þe; t&ebar;ple, ∧ to begynne from þt; tyme forth, to buylde the t&ebar;ple agayne in his owne place. Th&ebar; Salmanasar layed the foundacion of þe; LORDES house at Ierusalem, and euer sence haue they buylded, ∧ yet is it not ended. And therfore (O kynge) yf thou thynkest it good, let it be sought in the Lybraries ∧ rolles of kynge Cyrus: yf it be founde th&ebar;, that it is done &wt; the councell and c&obar;sent of kynge Cyrus, and yf oure lorde þe; kynge be so mynded, let him wryte vnto vs therof.

D    ^noteThen c&obar;maunded kinge Darius, to seke in the Lybraries: and so at Egbathanis in a litle cite in Media there was founde soch a wrytinge: In the first yeare of the raigne of Cyrus, the same kynge Cyrus c&obar;maunded, þt; the house of the LORDE at Ierusalem shulde be buylded agayne (∧ odoures to be made there contynually vnto the LORDE) whose heyth shalbe ten cubites, þe; bredth lx. cubites ∧ iiij. square &wt; thre hewen stones, &wt; a lofte of tymbre of the same countre, yee &wt; a new loft, ∧ the expenses therof to be geuen of þe; house of kynge Cyrus. And the ornam&ebar;tes of golde ∧ syluer, þt; Nabuchodonosor toke out of the house of the LORDE at Ierusalem, shalbe set agayne in the temple at Ierusal&ebar;, where they were afore. Sysennes also the vndershreue in Syria and Phenices, þe; prynces and their companyons, and the other þt; be head rulers in Syria and Phenices, shall not medle ner haue eny thinge to do with that place.

E   I Cyrus haue c&obar;maunded also, that they shal buylde the house of the LORDE whole vp: ∧ haue ordeyned them, to helpe those þt; be come out of captiuyte, tyll the house of the LORDE be fynished: ∧ out of the trybute and taxinge that is yearly raysed vp in Syria and Phenices, diligently to geue them a certayne summe, to the offerynge of the LORDE: and the same to be delyuered vnto Zorobabel the officer: that he therwithall maye ordeyne oxen, rammes, lambes, ∧ corne, salt, wyne and oyle, and that contynually euery yeare: after the expences which the prestes that be at Ierusalem, ^note shew to be made daylie: this shalbe geuen vnto them without delaye, that they maye offer sacrifices daylie to the hyest God, for the kynge and for his seruauntes, and to praye for their lyues. Let it be proclamed also on euery syde, that who so euer breaketh or despyseth this c&obar;maundement of þe; kynge, shalbe hanged vpon a galow (made of his owne good) ∧ all his goodes shalbe seasoned vnto þe; kynge. The LORDE therfore (whose name is there called vpon) rote out and destroye all þe; kynges and people, that vndertake by violence to hynder the same, or to deale vncurteously &wt; the house of the LORDE at Ierusalem. I Darius the kinge haue ordeyned, that these thinges shalbe done with all diligence.