1 Esdras 2 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Cyrus Permits the Exiles to Return

2 In the first year of Cyrus as king of the Persians, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, ² the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of the Persians, and he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:

³ “Thus says Cyrus king of the Persians: The Lord of Israel, the Lord Most High, has made me king of the world, ⁴ and he has commanded me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judea. ⁵ If any one of you, therefore, is of his people, may his Lord be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judea, and build the house of the Lord of Israel—he is the Lord who dwells in Jerusalem, ⁶ and let each man, wherever he may live, be helped by the men of his place with gold and silver, ⁷ with gifts and with horses and cattle, besides the other things added as votive offerings for the temple of the Lord which is in Jerusalem.”

⁸ Then arose the heads of families of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, and all whose spirit the Lord had stirred to go up to build the house in Jerusalem for the Lord; ⁹ and their neighbors helped them with everything, with silver and gold, with horses and cattle, and with a very great number of votive offerings from many whose hearts were stirred.

¹⁰ Cyrus the king also brought out the holy vessels of the Lord which Nebuchadnez′zar had carried away from Jerusalem and stored in his temple of idols. ¹¹ When Cyrus king of the Perians brought these out, he gave them to Mithridates his treasurer, ¹² and by him they were given to Sheshbazzar^[a] the governor of Judea. ¹³ The number of these was: a thousand gold cups, a thousand silver cups, twenty-nine silver censers, thirty gold bowls, two thousand four hundred and ten silver bowls, and a thousand other vessels. ¹⁴ All the vessels were handed over, gold and silver, five thousand four hundred and sixty-nine, ¹⁵ and they were carried back by Sheshbazzar^[b] with the returning exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Opposition to Rebuilding Jerusalem

¹⁶ But in the time of Artaxerxes king of the Persians, Bishlam, Mithridates, Tab′eel, Rehum, Beltethmus, Shim′shai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, living in Samar′ia and other places, wrote him the following letter, against those who were living in Judea and Jerusalem:

¹⁷ “To King Artaxerxes our lord, Your servants Rehum the recorder and Shim′shai the scribe and the other judges of their council in Coelesyria and Phoenic′ia: ¹⁸ Now be it known to our lord the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem and are building that rebellious and wicked city, repairing its market places and walls and laying the foundations for a temple. ¹⁹ Now if this city is built and the walls finished, they will not only refuse to pay tribute but will even resist kings. ²⁰ And since the building of the temple is now going on, we think it best not to neglect such a matter, ²¹ but to speak to our lord the king, in order that, if it seems good to you, search may be made in the records of your fathers. ²² You will find in the chronicles what has been written about them, and will learn that this city was rebellious, troubling both kings and other cities, ²³ and that the Jews were rebels and kept setting up blockades in it from of old. That is why this city was laid waste. ²⁴ Therefore we now make known to you, O lord and king, that if this city is built and its walls finished, you will no longer have access to Coelesyria and Phoenic′ia.”

²⁵ Then the king, in reply to Rehum the recorder and Beltethmus and Shim′shai the scribe and the others associated with them and living in Samar′ia and Syria and Phoenic′ia, wrote as follows:

²⁶ “I have read the letter which you sent me. So I ordered search to be made, and it has been found that this city from of old has fought against kings, ²⁷ and that the men in it were given to rebellion and war, and that mighty and cruel kings ruled in Jerusalem and exacted tribute from Coelesyria and Phoenic′ia. ²⁸ Therefore I have now issued orders to prevent these men from building the city and to take care that nothing more be done ²⁹ and that such wicked proceedings go no further to the annoyance of kings.”

³⁰ Then, when the letter from King Artaxerxes was read, Rehum and Shim′shai the scribe and their associates went in haste to Jerusalem, with horsemen and a multitude in battle array, and began to hinder the builders. And the building of the temple in Jerusalem ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of the Persians.

Footnotes

1. 1 Esdras 2:12 Gk Sanabassarus
2. 1 Esdras 2:15 Gk Sanabassarus