Ezr 6 | ABEn | STEP | Then Darius the king rendered a decree, and examined in the libraries, of which the treasuries were situated there in Babylon.

‏ Ezra 6

CHAPTER 6 Darius Confirms the Construction

1 Then Darius the king rendered a decree, and examined in the libraries, of which the treasuries were situated there in Babylon. 2 And there was found in Achmetha the city, in the palace of the Mede city, [²chapter of a scroll ¹one], and this was [³written ⁴in ⁵it ¹the ² record]. 3 In [²year ¹the first] of king Cyrus, Cyrus the king rendered a decree concerning the house of God, the one in Jerusalem, saying, [²the ³house ¹Let] be built, and the place of which they sacrifice the sacrifices! And [²the ³foundations ¹set], the height [²cubits ¹of sixty], and the width of it [²cubits ¹sixty], 4 and [²layers ⁴stones ³of fortified ¹three], and [²layer ⁴timbers ³of new ¹one]! And the expense [²out of ³the house ⁴of the ⁵king ¹shall be granted]. 5 And the items of the house of God, the ones of gold, and the ones of silver, which Nebuchadnezzar brought forth from the house, of the one in Jerusalem, and carried into Babylon; even let them be given, and brought forth into the temple, of the one in Jerusalem, unto their place, and put them in the house of God! 6 Now then Tatnai commandant of the other side of the river, Shethar-boznai, and his fellow-servants the Apharsachites, the ones on the other side of the river, [²far ¹be being ³from there]. 7 And now leave alone the work of the house of God, and the ones guiding of the Jews, and the elders of the Jews! [³house ⁴of God ²that ¹Let them build] upon its place! 8 And by me was rendered a decree to do through the elders of those Jews to build [²house ³of God ¹that], and from the subsistence of the king, of the tribute on the other side of the river, that carefully an expense be given to those men to not cease work! 9 And what ever deficiency -- both male offspring of oxen, and rams, and lambs for whole burnt-offerings to the God of the heaven, and wheat, salt, wine, olive oil, according to the word of the priests, the ones in Jerusalem, let it be given to them day by day, unalterable, what ever they should ask! 10 That there might be a pleasant aroma offering to the God of the heaven, and they might pray for the life of the king, and his sons. 11 And from me was rendered a decree, that every man who ever changes this word [⁴shall be demolished ¹the timber ²of ³his house], and a stake being straight up he shall be pitched upon it, and his house will be for ravaging. 12 And the God of whom encamps with his name there, he shall eradicate every king and people who should stretch out his hand to change and remove from view the house of God, that one in Jerusalem. I Darius rendered the decree. Carefully let it become! 13 Then Tatnai the chief ruler on the other side of the river, and Shethar-boznai, and his fellow-servants, in so far as [⁴sent ¹Darius ²the ³king], thus they did carefully. 14 And the elders of the Jews built, and prospered at the prophecy of Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah son of Iddo. And they rebuilt, and made ready by the decree of the God of Israel, and by the decree of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes kings of Persia.

The Dedication of the House of The LORD

15 And they finished this house by [²day ¹the third] of the month Adar, which is in [²year ¹the sixth] of the kingship of Darius the king. 16 And they made (the sons of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the sons of the resettlement) a holiday of rededication of the house of God with gladness. 17 And they offered for the holiday of rededication [²house ³of God ¹of this]; calves -- a hundred; rams -- two hundred; lambs -- four hundred; winter yearlings of the goats for a sin offering for all Israel -- twelve, for the number of the tribes of Israel. 18 And they established the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their distributions, for service of the house of God, of the one in Jerusalem, according to the writing of the book of Moses. 19 And [⁵observed ¹the ²sons ³of the ⁴resettlement] the passover on the fourteenth of the [²month ¹first]. 20 For [⁶were purified ¹the ²priests ³and ⁴the ⁵Levites], [³as ⁴one man ¹all ²were clean]. And they slew the passover for all the sons of the resettlement, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves. 21 And [⁴ate ¹the ²sons ³of Israel] the passover -- the ones coming forth from the resettlement, and every one separating themself of the uncleanness of the nations of the land that was theirs to inquire of the lord God of Israel. 22 And they observed the holiday of the unleavened breads seven days with gladness; for [²gladdened ³them ¹the lord], and turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, to fortify their hands in the works of the house of the God of Israel.