2 Esdras 6

¹ Then Darius the king made a decree, and caused a search to be made in the record-offices, where the treasure is stored in Babylon. ² And there was found in the city, in the palace, a volume, and this was the record written in it.

³ In the first year of King Cyrus, Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the holy house of God that was in Jerusalem, saying, Let the house be built, and the place where they sacrifice the sacrifices. (Also he appointed its elevation, in height sixty cubits; its breadth was of sixty cubits.) ⁴ And let there be three strong layers of stone, and one layer of timber; and the expense shall be paid out of the house of the king. ⁵ And the silver and the gold vessels of the house of God, which Nabuchodonosor carried off from the house that was in Jerusalem, and carried to Babylon, let them even be given, and be carried to the temple that is in Jerusalem, and put in the place where they were set in the house of God.

⁶ Now, ye rulers beyond the river, Satharbuzanai, and their fellow servants the Apharsachaeans, who are on the other side of the river, give these things, keeping far from that place. ⁷ Now let alone the work of the house of God: let the rulers of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build that house of God on its place. ⁸ Also a decree hath been made by me, ^[1]if haply ye may do somewhat in concert with the elders of the Jews for the building of that house of God: to wit, out of the king’s property, even the tributes beyond the river, let there be money to defray the expenses carefully granted to those men, so that they be not ^[2]hindered. ⁹ And whatever need there may be, ye shall give both the young of bulls and rams, and lambs for whole-burnt offerings to the God of heaven, ^[3]wheat, salt, wine, oil—let it be given them according to the word of the priests that are in Jerusalem, day by day whatsoever they shall ask; ¹⁰ that they may offer sweet savours to the God of heaven, and that they may pray for the life of the king and his sons. ¹¹ And a decree hath been made by me, that every man who shall alter this word, timber shall be pulled down from his house, and let him be lifted up and slain upon it, and his house ^[4]shall be confiscated. ¹² And may the God whose name dwelleth there, overthrow every king and people who shall stretch out his hand to alter or destroy the house of God which is in Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree; let it be diligently attended to.

¹³ Then Thanthanai the governor on this side beyond the river, Satharbuzanai, and his fellow servants, according to that which King Darius sent, so they did diligently. ¹⁴ And the elders of the Jews and the Levites built, at the prophecy of Aggeus the prophet, and Zacharias the son of Addo: and they built up, and finished ^[5]it, by the decree of the God of Israel, and by the decree of Cyrus, and Darius, and ^[6]Arthasastha, kings of the Persians.

¹⁵ And they finished this house ^[7]by the third day of the month Adar, which is the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

¹⁶ And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of the house of God with gladness. ¹⁷ And they offered for the dedication of the house of God a hundred calves, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, twelve kids of the goats for a sin offering for all Israel, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. ¹⁸ And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their separate orders, for the services of God in Jerusalem, according to the writing of the book of Moses.

¹⁹ And the children of the captivity kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. ²⁰ For the priests and Levites were purified, all were clean to a man, and they slew the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves. ²¹ And the children of Israel ate the passover, even they that were of the captivity, and every one who separated himself to them from the uncleanness of the nations of the land, to seek the Lord God of Israel. ²² And they kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with gladness, because the Lord made them glad, and he turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, to strengthen their hands in the works of the house of the God of Israel.

Notes

6:8 if haply ye may do somewhat: more lit. lest ye should do anything ↩
6:8 hindered: or, made to cease ↩
6:9 wheat: Gr. wheats ↩
6:11 shall be confiscated: Gr. shall be done according to me. Strange variation in Greek from Chaldee ↩
6:14 it: i.e., the house ↩
6:14 Arthasastha: It would seem a sort of accommodation was attempted here between the name of Tirshatha and Artaxerxes. ↩
6:15 by the third: Gr. until ↩