1    2   During the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, the Lord, in order to fulfil his word spoken through Jeremiah, moved Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his empire, which he also put in writing: 3   ‘This is the decree of Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord of Israel, the most high Lord, has made me king of the world 4   and has directed me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Judaea. 5   Whoever among you belongs to his people, may his Lord be with him; let him go up to Jerusalem in Judaea and build the house of the Lord of Israel, the Lord who dwells in Jerusalem. 6   Wherever each 7   man lives let his neighbours help him with gold and silver and other gifts, with horses and pack-animals, together with other things set aside as votive offerings for the Lord's temple in Jerusalem.’

8   Then the chiefs of the clans of the tribe of Judah and of Benjamin, the priests, the Levites, came forward, and all whose spirit the Lord had moved to go up to build the Lord's temple in Jerusalem. 9   Their neighbours helped with everything, with silver and gold, horses and pack-animals; and many were also moved to help with votive offerings in great quantity. 10   King Cyrus brought out the sacred vessels of the Lord which Nebuchadnezzar had taken away from Jerusalem and set up in his idolatrous temple. 11   Cyrus king of Persia brought

Exile and return them out and delivered them to Mithradates his treasurer, 12   by whom they were delivered to Sanabassar, the governor of Judaea. 13   This is the inventory: a thousand gold cups, a thousand silver cups, twenty-nine silver censers, thirty gold bowls, two thousand four hundred and ten silver bowls, and a thousand other articles. 14   In all, five thousand four hundred and sixty-nine gold and silver vessels were returned, 15   and taken from Babylon to Jerusalem by Sanabassar together with the exiles.

16   In the time of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Belemus, Mithradates, Tabellius, Rathymus, Beeltethmus, Semellius the secretary, and their colleagues in office in Samaria and other places, wrote him a letter denouncing the inhabitants of Judaea and Jerusalem in the following terms:

   17   To our Sovereign Lord Artaxerxes your servants Rathymus the recorder, Semellius the secretary, the other members of their council, and the magistrates in Coele-syria and Phoenicia:

   18   This is to inform Your Majesty that the Jews who left you to come here have arrived in Jerusalem and are rebuilding that wicked and rebellious city. They are repairing its streets and walls and laying the foundation of the temple. 19   If this city is rebuilt and the walls completed, they will cease paying tribute and will rebel against the royal house. 20   Since work on the temple is in hand, we 21   have thought it well not to neglect this important matter but to bring it to Your Majesty's notice, in order that, if it is Your Majesty's pleasure, search may be made in the records left by your predecessors. 22   You will find in the archives evidence about these matters and will learn that this is a city that has resisted authority and given trouble to kings and to other states, 23   and has been a centre of armed rebellion by the Jews from the earliest times. That is why it was laid in ruins. 24   Now we submit to Your Majesty that, if this city be rebuilt and its walls rise again, you will no longer have access to Coele-syria and Phoenicia.

25   Then the king wrote to Rathymus the recorder, Beeltethmus, Semellius the secretary, and their colleagues in office in Samaria, Syria, and Phoenicia this reply:

   26   I have read your letter. I ordered search to be made and it was discovered that this city has always been opposed to its overlords,

Exile and return and its inhabitants have raised rebellions and made wars. 27   There were kings in Jerusalem, powerful and ruthless men, who in their time controlled Coele-syria and Phoenicia and exacted tribute from them. 28   I therefore command that the men you mention be prevented from rebuilding the city, and that measures be taken to 29   enforce this order and to check the spread of an evil likely to be a nuisance to the royal house.

30   When the letter from King Artaxerxes had been read, Rathymus, Semellius the secretary, and their colleagues set out at once for Jerusalem with cavalry and a large body of other troops and stopped the builders. The building of the temple was broken off until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

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