Ezra 5

Then the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo spoke messages from God to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem. They spoke in the name of the God of Israel, the God who was over them.

1Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them.

NoteHaggai and Zechariah are the two prophets whose short books survive in the Old Testament; their dated oracles place this around 520 BC, roughly eighteen years after the first exiles returned from Babylon. The KJV's trailing "even unto them" is a stiff rendering of an Aramaic phrase that most now read as "who was over them": that is, the God whose name they invoked was the God who had authority over these Jews.

2Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak got up and began to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. The prophets of God were there with them, helping them.

2Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them.

NoteZerubbabel was the Persian-appointed governor of the district of Judah and a descendant of the kings of Judah; Jeshua was the high priest. "The house of God" throughout this chapter means the Jerusalem temple, destroyed by the Babylonians and now being rebuilt on its old site.

3At that same time Tattenai, the governor of the region west of the Euphrates River, came to them with Shethar-bozenai and their fellow officials. They said to them, "Who gave you orders to build this house and to finish this structure?"

3At the same time came to them Tatnai, governor on this side the river, and Shetharboznai, and their companions, and said thus unto them, Who hath commanded you to build this house, and to make up this wall?

Note"On this side the river" translates the Aramaic name of a Persian administrative super-province, Beyond-the-River (everything west of the Euphrates, including Syria, Phoenicia and Judah. The name is fixed from the viewpoint of the Persian court in the east, so "this side" and "beyond" both mean the western side. Tattenai was its governor, senior to the local governor of Judah. "To make up this wall" renders an Aramaic word of uncertain meaning) perhaps panelling, woodwork, or a structural framework. The officials are asking about some specific part of the building, not the city wall.

4We also said this to them: "What are the names of the men who are putting up this building?"

4Then said we unto them after this manner, What are the names of the men that make this building?

NoteThe KJV "then said we" is startling because the narrative has been in the third person. The Aramaic text does read "we," and some ancient versions read "they" instead. Either the writer has slipped into quoting the officials' own report ahead of time, or an original "they said" was miscopied. Translations differ; the ambiguity is in the manuscripts.

5But the eye of their God was on the Jewish leaders, so the officials could not make them stop. The work went on until a report reached King Darius and a written answer about the matter came back.

5But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, that they could not cause them to cease, till the matter came to Darius: and then they returned answer by letter concerning this matter.

Note"The eye of their God was upon them" is a Hebrew and Aramaic idiom for watchful protection, not for surveillance or judgment. Darius is Darius I, king of Persia from 522 to 486 BC.

6This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, and Shethar-bozenai and his fellow officials of that region sent to King Darius.

6The copy of the letter that Tatnai, governor on this side the river, and Shetharboznai, and his companions the Apharsachites, which were on this side the river, sent unto Darius the king:

Note"Apharsachites" is the KJV's transliteration of an Aramaic word that is probably not an ethnic name at all but an official title, inspectors or envoys of some kind. Its precise sense is unknown.

7This is the report they sent him, written out: To King Darius: all peace.

7They sent a letter unto him, wherein was written thus; Unto Darius the king, all peace.

Note"All peace" is the standard opening courtesy of an Aramaic official letter, roughly "greetings" or "we wish you complete wellbeing." From Ezra 4:8 to 6:18 the book is written in Aramaic rather than Hebrew, Aramaic was the working language of Persian imperial administration, and this section is built around copies of official correspondence.

8The king should know that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with large stones, and beams are being set into the walls. The work is moving ahead quickly and is going well in their hands.

8Be it known unto the king, that we went into the province of Judea, to the house of the great God, which is builded with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls, and this work goeth fast on, and prospereth in their hands.

Note"Province" here means a Persian administrative district; Judah was a small unit within the larger province of Beyond-the-River. The description of large dressed stones with timber beams laid into the courses is a recognized building technique of the period, used for monumental work; the officials are noting that this is substantial, permanent construction, not a repair.

9So we questioned those leaders and said to them, "Who gave you orders to build this house and to finish these walls?"

9Then asked we those elders, and said unto them thus, Who commanded you to build this house, and to make up these walls?

10We also asked for their names, so we could inform you by writing down the names of the men who lead them.

10We asked their names also, to certify thee, that we might write the names of the men that were the chief of them.

11This is the answer they gave us: "We are servants of the God of heaven and earth. We are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed.

11And thus they returned us answer, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was builded these many years ago, which a great king of Israel builded and set up.

Note"A great king of Israel" is Solomon, who built the first temple roughly four centuries earlier.

12But our ancestors made the God of heaven angry, so he handed them over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean. He destroyed this house and carried the people away to Babylon.

12But after that our fathers had provoked the God of heaven unto wrath, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house, and carried the people away into Babylon.

Note"Chaldean" was the name of the tribal group from southern Mesopotamia that supplied Babylon's ruling dynasty; by this period it functions as a near-synonym for Babylonian. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the temple and deported much of the population in 587/586 BC.

13But in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, that same King Cyrus gave an order to rebuild this house of God.

13But in the first year of Cyrus the king of Babylon the same king Cyrus made a decree to build this house of God.

NoteCyrus was king of Persia, but he is called "king of Babylon" because he captured Babylon in 539 BC and took over its royal titles; Persian kings held the Babylonian kingship alongside their own. His "first year" therefore means his first year as ruler of Babylon, 538 BC.

14Nebuchadnezzar had taken the gold and silver objects belonging to the house of God out of the temple in Jerusalem and brought them into the temple in Babylon. King Cyrus took those objects back out of the temple in Babylon. They were handed over to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom Cyrus had made governor.

14And the vessels also of gold and silver of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that was in Jerusalem, and brought them into the temple of Babylon, those did Cyrus the king take out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered unto one, whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor;

NoteThe "vessels" are the gold and silver utensils used in temple worship. Conquerors routinely deposited captured sacred objects in the temple of their own god as a display of victory, so returning them was a deliberate reversal of that act. Sheshbazzar is called governor here and credited with laying the foundation; elsewhere Zerubbabel is credited with the same work. Whether Sheshbazzar is an earlier, separate official, or another name for Zerubbabel, is disputed and the text does not settle it.

15Cyrus said to him, 'Take these objects, go, and carry them into the temple in Jerusalem. And let the house of God be rebuilt on its own site.'

15And said unto him, Take these vessels, go, carry them into the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be builded in his place.

Note"In his place" means on the temple's original site, rebuilding on the same ground mattered, since the location of an altar or sanctuary was not treated as interchangeable.

16So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God in Jerusalem. From that time until now it has been under construction, and it is still not finished."

16Then came the same Sheshbazzar, and laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem: and since that time even until now hath it been in building, and yet it is not finished.

17So now, if the king thinks it is good, let a search be made in the king's record house there in Babylon. Let them find out whether King Cyrus really did give an order to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision about this matter.

17Now therefore, if it seem good to the king, let there be search made in the king’s treasure house, which is there at Babylon, whether it be so, that a decree was made of Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter.

NoteThe "treasure house" is the royal archive, where treasure and documents were stored together. Babylon was one of the Persian kings' administrative capitals, so the decree of Cyrus would plausibly be filed there. "Send his pleasure" simply means send his decision, "pleasure" in 1611 English meant what one wills or determines, not enjoyment.