[1] Then Darius the king gave an order and a search was made in the house
of the records, where the things of value were stored up in Babylon. [2]
And at Achmetha, in the great house of the king in the land of Media, they
came across a roll, in which this statement was put on record: [3] In the
first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king made an order: In connection
with the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be put up, the place
where they make offerings, and let the earth for the bases be put in place;
let it be sixty cubits high and sixty cubits wide; [4] With three lines of
great stones and one line of new wood supports; and let the necessary money
be given out of the king's store-house; [5] And let the gold and silver
vessels from the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the Temple at
Jerusalem to Babylon, be given back and taken again to the Temple at
Jerusalem, every one in its place, and put them in the house of God. [6] So
now, Tattenai, ruler of the land across the river, and Shethar-bozenai and
your people the Apharsachites across the river, keep far from that place:
[7] Let the work of this house of God go on; let the ruler of the Jews and
their responsible men put up this house of God in its place. [8] Further, I
give orders as to what you are to do for the responsible men of the Jews in
connection with the building of this house of God: that from the king's
wealth, that is, from the taxes got together in the land over the river,
the money needed is to be given to these men readily, so that their work
may not be stopped. [9] And whatever they have need of, young oxen and
sheep and lambs, for burned offerings to the God of heaven, grain, salt,
wine, and oil, whatever the priests in Jerusalem say is necessary, is to be
given to them day by day regularly: [10] So that they may make offerings of
a sweet smell to the God of heaven, with prayers for the life of the king
and of his sons. [11] And I have given orders that if anyone makes any
change in this word, one of the supports is to be pulled out of his house,
and he is to be lifted up and fixed to it; and his house is to be made
waste for this; [12] And may the God who has made it a resting-place for
his name send destruction on all kings and peoples whose hands are
outstretched to make any change in this or to do damage to this house of
God at Jerusalem. I, Darius, have given this order, let it be done with all
care. [13] Then Tattenai, the ruler across the river, and Shethar-bozenai
and their people, because of the order given by King Darius, did as he had
said with all care. [14] And the responsible men of the Jews went on with
their building, and did well, helped by the teaching of Haggai the prophet
and Zechariah, the son of Iddo. They went on building till it was complete,
in keeping with the word of the God of Israel, and the orders given by
Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes, king of Persia. [15] And the building of
this house was complete on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth
year of the rule of Darius the king. [16] And the children of Israel, the
priests and the Levites, and the rest of those who had come back, kept the
feast of the opening of this house of God with joy. [17] And they gave as
offerings at the opening of this house of God a hundred oxen, two hundred
sheep, four hundred lambs; and for a sin-offering for all Israel, twelve
he-goats, being the number of the tribes of Israel. [18] And they put the
priests in their divisions and the Levites in their order, for the worship
of God at Jerusalem; as it is recorded in the book of Moses. [19] And the
children of Israel who had come back kept the Passover on the fourteenth
day of the first month. [20] For the priests and the Levites had made
themselves clean together; they were all clean: and they put the Passover
lamb to death for all those who had come back, and for their brothers the
priests and for themselves. [21] And the children of Israel, who had come
back, and all those who were joined to them, after separating themselves
from the evil ways of the people of the land to become the servants of the
Lord, the God of Israel, took food together, [22] And kept the feast of
unleavened bread for seven days with joy: for the Lord had made them full
of joy, by turning the heart of the king of Assyria to them to give them
help in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
