Ezra 5

1Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo the prophet prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel to them.

2Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak arose and began to build the house of God in Jerusalem, and with them were the prophets of God, helping them.

3At that time Tatnai, governor beyond the River, Shetharboznai, and their companions came to them and thus said to them, “Who has issued you a decree to build this house and finish this wall?”

4Then we said to them thus: "What are the names of these men who are building this building?"

5But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, and they did not hinder them until the matter reached Darius, and then a reply returned by letter concerning this.

6The copy of the letter that Tatnai, governor beyond the River, Shetharboznai, and his companions the Apharsachites—who were beyond the River—sent to Darius the king.

7They sent a letter to him, the contents of which were written in this manner: To Darius the king, all peace.

8We certify to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is being built with great stones and timber laid in the walls, and this work advances speedily and prospers in their hands.

9Then we asked those elders and said to them in this way, "Who gave you the order to build this house and to finish this wall?"

10We also questioned them about their names to notify you that we might write the names of the men who were their chiefs.

11They answered us thus, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished.

12But because our forefathers angered the God of heaven, he put them in the power of Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon's Chaldean king, who razed this house and drove the people into exile in Babylon.

13Yet in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, that King Cyrus issued a decree to build this house of God.

14Also the vessels of God's house, which were gold and silver, that Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to the temple in Babylon—Cyrus the king took those from the temple in Babylon, and they gave them to one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor.

15He said to him, “Take these vessels, go, deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem, and let God’s house be built on its site.”

16Then Sheshbazzar himself came and laid the foundation of God's house in Jerusalem, and from that time until now it is being built but not finished.

17Now, if it pleases the king, have the royal treasury in Babylon searched to see whether Cyrus the king issued a command to build this house of God in Jerusalem, and let the king send his will concerning this to us.