The Koine Bible

And those afflicting Judah and Benjamin heard that the sons of the exile were building a house to the Lord God of Israel

And they drew near to Zerubbabel and to the rulers of the fathers’ houses and said to them, We will build with you, because as you we seek your God, and to him we sacrifice from the days of Esaraddon king of Asshur, who brought us here.

And Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the rulers of the families of Israel said to them, It is not for us and for you to build a house to our God, for we ourselves will build together to the Lord our God, as Cyrus, the king of the Persians, commanded us.

And the people of the land were weakening the hands of the people of Judah and were hindering them from building.

and hiring against them, plotting to scatter their counsel, all the days of Cyrus king of the Persians and until the reign of Darius king of the Persians

And in the kingdom of Ahasuerus, at the beginning of his reign, they wrote a letter against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

And in the days of Artaxerxes Mithridates wrote in peace to Tabeel, together also with the rest of his fellow-servants, to Artaxerxes king of the Persians; the tax-collector wrote a writing in Syriac and interpreted.

Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote one letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king

Thus Raum, Baaltam, and Samsai the scribe, and the rest of our fellow servants, the Dinaites, Apharsathachites, Tarpelites, Apharsites, Archyaeans, Babylonians, Susanchaeans, who are Elamites, have judged

and the rest of the nations whom Asennaphar the great and the honored carried away and settled them in the cities of Samaria, and the rest beyond the river

This is the copy of the letter that they sent to him, to Artaxerxes the king: your servants, the men beyond the River.

Be it known to the king that the Jews who went up from you have come to us to Jerusalem, the rebellious and wicked city; they are building and are completing its walls, and they have raised up its foundations.

Now therefore let it be known to the king that if that city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, you will have no taxes, nor will they give them, and this harms kings.

And it is not lawful for us to see the king’s nakedness; therefore we sent and made known to the king.

so that you may search in the book of the memorial record of your fathers, and you will find, and you will know that that city is a rebellious city and doing evil to kings and provinces, and fugitives of slaves are in the midst of it from times of old; because of these things this city was laid waste

We make known therefore to the king that if that city be built and its walls be repaired, there will be no peace for you

And the king sent to Raum, Baaltam, and Samsai the scribe, and the rest of their fellow servants who were dwelling in Samaria, and the rest beyond the river, peace, and says

The tax collector whom you sent to us was called before me

And a decree was laid down by me, and we examined and found that that city from days of old has been raised up against kings, and revolts and flights are taking place in it.

And mighty kings become over Jerusalem and prevailing over all the west of the river, and full tribute and a portion is given to them

And now make a decision to make those men cease, and that city shall not be built again, so that from the decision

You were careful to show restraint about this, lest destruction should multiply into wrongdoing for kings.

Then the tax collector of King Artaxerxes read before Raum and Samsei the scribe and their fellow servants, and they went in haste to Jerusalem and into Judah and abolished them by horses and force

Then the work of the house of God that is in Jerusalem ceased, and it was idle until the second year of the reign of Darius the king of the Persians.