Ezra 4:8

4:8 Rehum the commander¹ and Shimshai the scribe² wrote a letter concerning³ Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows:

Ezra 4:11

4:11 (This is a copy of the letter they sent to him:)

“To King Artaxerxes,⁴ from your servants in⁵ Trans-Euphrates:

Ezra 4:16

4:16 We therefore are informing the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, you will not retain control⁶ of this portion of Trans-Euphrates.”

Ezra 4:19-20

4:19 So I gave orders,⁷ and it was determined⁸ that this city from long ago has been engaging in insurrection against kings. It has continually engaged in⁹ rebellion and revolt. 4:20 Powerful kings have been over Jerusalem who ruled throughout the entire Trans-Euphrates¹⁰ and who were the beneficiaries of¹¹ tribute, custom, and toll.

Ezra 4:24

4:24 So the work on the temple of God in Jerusalem came to a halt. It remained halted until the second year of the reign of King Darius of Persia.¹²

Ezra 5:6

5:6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai governor of Trans-Euphrates, Shethar-Bozenai, and his colleagues who were the officials of Trans-Euphrates sent to King Darius.

Ezra 6:1

Darius Issues a Decree

6:1 So Darius the king issued orders, and they searched in the archives¹³ of the treasury which were deposited there in Babylon.

Ezra 6:4

6:4 with three layers of large stones¹⁴ and one¹⁵ layer of timber. The expense is to be subsidized¹⁶ by the royal treasury.¹⁷

Ezra 6:13

The Temple Is Finally Dedicated

6:13 Then Tattenai governor of Trans-Euphrates, Shethar-Bozenai, and their colleagues acted accordingly – with precision, just as Darius the king had given instructions.¹⁸

Ezra 6:15

6:15 They finished this temple on the third day of the month Adar, which is the sixth¹⁹ year of the reign of King Darius.

Ezra 7:14

7:14 You are authorized²⁰ by the king and his seven advisers to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of your God which is in your possession,²¹

Ezra 7:20

7:20 The rest of the needs for the temple of your God that you may have to supply,²² you may do so from the royal treasury.

¹tn Aram “lord of the command.” So also in vv. 9, 17.

²sn Like Rehum, Shimshai was apparently a fairly high-ranking official charged with overseeing Persian interests in this part of the empire. His title was “scribe” or “secretary,” but in a more elevated political sense than that word sometimes has elsewhere. American governmental titles such as “Secretary of State” perhaps provide an analogy in that the word “secretary” can have a broad range of meaning.

³tn Or perhaps “against.”

⁴tn The Masoretic accents indicate that the phrase “to Artaxerxes the king” goes with what precedes and that the letter begins with the words “from your servants.” But it seems better to understand the letter to begin by identifying the addressee.

⁵tn Aram “men of.”

⁷tn Aram “will not be to you.”

¹⁰tn Aram “from me was placed a decree.”

¹¹tn Aram “and they searched and found.”

¹²tn Aram “are being done.”

¹³sn The statement that prior Jewish kings ruled over the entire Trans-Euphrates is an overstatement. Not even in the days of David and Solomon did the kingdom of Israel extend its borders to such an extent.

¹⁴tn Aram “were being given to them.”

¹⁶sn Darius I Hystaspes ruled Persia ca. 522–486 b.c.

¹⁹tn Aram “the house of the archives.”

²²tn Aram “stones of rolling.”

²³tc The translation follows the LXX reading חַד (khad, “one”) rather than the MT חֲדַת (khadat, “new”). If the MT reading “new” is understood to mean freshly cut timber that has not yet been seasoned it would seem to be an odd choice for construction material.

²⁴tn Aram “let be given.”

²⁵tn Aram “house.”

²⁵tn Aram “sent.”

²⁸sn The sixth year of the reign of Darius would be ca. 516 B.C.

³¹tn Aram “sent.”

³²tn Aram “in your hand.”

³⁴tn Aram “may fall to you to give.”