Ezra 5

Haggai and Zechariah Prophesy

1Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo, the prophets, prophesied to the Judeans who were in Judah and 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 rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.

Tattenai Questions the Builders

3At that time Tattenai, governor of the province Beyond the River, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates came to them and said this to them: “Who gave you a decree to build this house and complete this structure?” 4Then they also said to them, “What are the names of the men who are building this building?” 5But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Judeans, and they did not make them stop until a report could go to Darius and then a written answer be returned concerning it.

Tattenai’s Letter to Darius

6This is the copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-Bozenai, and his associates, the officials who were in the province Beyond the River, sent to Darius the king. 7They sent a report to him, and this 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 large 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, ‘Who gave you a decree to build this house and complete this structure?’ 10We also asked them their names in order to inform you, so that we might write the names of the men who are at their head.

The Elders Answer

11“And this is the answer they returned to us:

‘We are servants of the God of the heavens and the earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed. 12But because our ancestors provoked the God of the heavens to anger, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried the people into exile to Babylon. 13Yet in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild this house of God. 14Also, the gold and silver vessels of the house of God that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and brought into the temple of Babylon—King Cyrus took them from the temple of Babylon and gave them to one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor. 15He said to him, “Take these vessels, go and deposit them in the temple 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 in Jerusalem. From then until now it has been under construction, but it is not yet completed.’

Let the Royal Archives Be Searched

17“And now, if it seems good to the king, let a search be made in the royal treasury there in Babylon to see whether a decree was issued by King Cyrus to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision concerning this matter.”