Ezra 5

1Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo, the prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and in Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them.

2Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak arose and began to build the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and with them were the prophets of God, supporting them.

3At that time Tattenai, the governor of Beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai and their associates came to them and spoke thus to them: “Who gave you a decree to build this house and to complete this structure?”

4Then we told them this: “What are the names of the men who are building this building?”

5But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not make them stop until a decree should go to Darius; then they would send back a letter concerning this matter.

6This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, the governor of Beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai and his associates, the officials who were in Beyond the River, sent to King Darius.

7They sent a report to him, and this was what was written in it: “To Darius the king: all peace.”

8Let it be known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with great stones, and timber is being laid in the walls. This work is being done diligently and is prospering in their hands.

9Then we asked those elders and said to them as follows: “Who gave you a decree to build this house and to complete this structure?”

10We also asked them their names, to make them known to you, that we might write down the names of the men who were at their head.

11And this is the answer they returned to us, saying: We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed.

12Therefore, because our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, and he destroyed this house and carried the people away to Babylon.

13However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king issued a decree to rebuild this house of God.

14Also, the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out from the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought them to the temple of Babylon—Cyrus the king took them out from the temple of Babylon and gave them to one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor.

15And he said to him, ‘Take these vessels, go and put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its site.’

16Then this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God that is in Jerusalem; and from then until now it has been being built, but it is not finished.

17And now, if it seems good to the king, let a search be made in the royal treasury there in Babylon, whether it is so that a decree was issued by King Cyrus to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem; and let the king send to us his pleasure concerning this matter.