EZRA 5

EZRA 5 (NIV)

1. Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them.
2. Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, helping them.
3. At that time Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates went to them and asked, "Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and resore this structure?"
4. They also asked, "What are the names of the men constructing this building?"
5. But the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they wer not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received.
6. This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euprates, and ShetharBosenai and their  associates, the officals of Trans-Euphrates, sent to King Darius.
7. The report they sent him read as follows: To King  Darius: Cordial greetings.
8. The king should know that we went to the district of Judah, to the temple of the great God. The  people are building it with large stones and placing the timbers in the walls. The work is being carried on with diligence and is making rapid prgress under their direction.
9. We questioned the elders and asked them, "Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?"
10. We also asked them their names, so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information.
11. This is the answer they gave us: "We are the servant of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebulding the temple that was built many years ago, one that a great king of Israel built and finished.
12. But because our fathers angered the God of heaven, he handed them over to Nebuchadnezzar the  Chaldean, king of Babylon, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon.
13. "However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild this house of God.
14. He even removed from the temple of Babylon the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which  Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to the temple in Babylon. "Then King Cyrus gave them to man names Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor,
15. and he told him, 'Take these articles and go and deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem. And rebuild the house of God on its site.'
16. So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem. From that day to the present it has been under constrution but is not yet finished."
17. Now if  it pleases the king, let a search be made in the royal archives of Babylon to see if King Cyrus did in fact issue a decree to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision in this matter.