4:1 Now
when
the
adversaries
of
Judah
and
Benjamin
heard
that
the
returned
exiles
were
building
a
temple
to
the
LORD,
the
God
of
Israel,
4:2 they
approached
Zerubbabel
and
the
heads
of
fathers'
houses
and
said
to
them,
"Let
us
build
with
you,
for
we
worship
your
God
as
you
do,
and
we
have
been
sacrificing
to
him
ever
since
the
days
of
Esarhaddon
king
of
Assyria
who
brought
us
here."
4:3 But
Zerubbabel,
Jeshua,
and
the
rest
of
the
heads
of
fathers'
houses
in
Israel
said
to
them,
"You
have
nothing
to
do
with
us
in
building
a
house
to
our
God;
but
we
alone
will
build
to
the
LORD,
the
God
of
Israel,
as
King
Cyrus
the
king
of
Persia
has
commanded
us."
4:4 Then
the
people
of
the
land
discouraged
the
people
of
Judah
and
made
them
afraid
to
build
4:5 and
bribed
counselors
against
them
to
frustrate
their
purpose,
all
the
days
of
Cyrus
king
of
Persia,
even
until
the
reign
of
Darius
king
of
Persia.
4:6 And
in
the
reign
of
Ahasuerus,
in
the
beginning
of
his
reign,
they
wrote
an
accusation
against
the
inhabitants
of
Judah
and
Jerusalem.
4:7 In
the
days
of
Artaxerxes,
Bishlam
and
Mithredath
and
Tabeel
and
the
rest
of
their
associates
wrote
to
Artaxerxes
king
of
Persia.
The
letter
was
written
in
Aramaic
and
translated.
4:8 Rehum
the
commander
and
Shimshai
the
scribe
wrote
a
letter
against
Jerusalem
to
Artaxerxes
the
king
as
follows:
4:9 Rehum
the
commander,
Shimshai
the
scribe,
and
the
rest
of
their
associates,
the
judges,
the
governors,
the
officials,
the
Persians,
the
men
of
Erech,
the
Babylonians,
the
men
of
Susa,
that
is,
the
Elamites,
4:10 and
the
rest
of
the
nations
whom
the
great
and
noble
Osnappar
deported
and
settled
in
the
cities
of
Samaria
and
in
the
rest
of
the
province
Beyond
the
River.
4:11 (This
is
a
copy
of
the
letter
that
they
sent.)
"To
Artaxerxes
the
king:
Your
servants,
the
men
of
the
province
Beyond
the
River,
send
greeting.
And
now
4:12 be
it
known
to
the
king
that
the
Jews
who
came
up
from
you
to
us
have
gone
to
Jerusalem.
They
are
rebuilding
that
rebellious
and
wicked
city.
They
are
finishing
the
walls
and
repairing
the
foundations.
4:13 Now
be
it
known
to
the
king
that
if
this
city
is
rebuilt
and
the
walls
finished,
they
will
not
pay
tribute,
custom,
or
toll,
and
the
royal
revenue
will
be
impaired.
4:14 Now
because
we
eat
the
salt
of
the
palace
and
it
is
not
fitting
for
us
to
witness
the
king's
dishonor,
therefore
we
send
and
inform
the
king,
4:15 in
order
that
search
may
be
made
in
the
book
of
the
records
of
your
fathers.
You
will
find
in
the
book
of
the
records
and
learn
that
this
city
is
a
rebellious
city,
hurtful
to
kings
and
provinces,
and
that
sedition
was
stirred
up
in
it
from
of
old.
That
was
why
this
city
was
laid
waste.
4:16 We
make
known
to
the
king
that
if
this
city
is
rebuilt
and
its
walls
finished,
you
will
then
have
no
possession
in
the
province
Beyond
the
River."
4:17 The
king
sent
an
answer:
"To
Rehum
the
commander
and
Shimshai
the
scribe
and
the
rest
of
their
associates
who
live
in
Samaria
and
in
the
rest
of
the
province
Beyond
the
River,
greeting.
And
now
4:18 the
letter
that
you
sent
to
us
has
been
plainly
read
before
me.
4:19 And
I
made
a
decree,
and
search
has
been
made,
and
it
has
been
found
that
this
city
from
of
old
has
risen
against
kings,
and
that
rebellion
and
sedition
have
been
made
in
it.
4:20 And
mighty
kings
have
been
over
Jerusalem,
who
ruled
over
the
whole
province
Beyond
the
River,
to
whom
tribute,
custom,
and
toll
were
paid.
4:21 Therefore
make
a
decree
that
these
men
be
made
to
cease,
and
that
this
city
be
not
rebuilt,
until
a
decree
is
made
by
me.
4:22 And
take
care
not
to
be
slack
in
this
matter.
Why
should
damage
grow
to
the
hurt
of
the
king"
4:23 Then,
when
the
copy
of
King
Artaxerxes'
letter
was
read
before
Rehum
and
Shimshai
the
scribe
and
their
associates,
they
went
in
haste
to
the
Jews
at
Jerusalem
and
by
force
and
power
made
them
cease.
4:24 Then
the
work
on
the
house
of
God
that
is
in
Jerusalem
stopped,
and
it
ceased
until
the
second
year
of
the
reign
of
Darius
king
of
Persia.