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Chapter 2
The List of the Exiles Who Returned
1Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive to Babylon (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town,
2in company with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah):
The list of the men of the people of Israel:
3the descendants of Parosh2,172
4of Shephatiah372
5of Arah775
6of Pahath-Moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab)2,812
7of Elam1,254
8of Zattu945
9of Zaccai760
10of Bani642
11of Bebai623
12of Azgad1,222
13of Adonikam666
14of Bigvai2,056
15of Adin454
16of Ater (through Hezekiah)98
17of Bezai323
18of Jorah112
19of Hashum223
20of Gibbar95
21the men of Bethlehem123
22of Netophah56
23of Anathoth128
24of Azmaveth42
25of Kiriath Jearim,See Septuagint (see also Neh. 7:29); Hebrew Kiriath Arim. Kephirah and Beeroth743
26of Ramah and Geba621
27of Micmash122
28of Bethel and Ai223
29of Nebo52
30of Magbish156
31of the other Elam1,254
32of Harim320
33of Lod, Hadid and Ono725
34of Jericho345
35of Senaah3,630
36The priests:
the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family of Jeshua)973
37of Immer1,052
38of Pashhur1,247
39of Harim1,017
40The Levites:
the descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel (through the line of Hodaviah)74
41The singers:
the descendants of Asaph128
42The gatekeepers of the temple:
the descendants of
Shallum, Ater, Talmon,
Akkub, Hatita and Shobai139
43The temple servants:
the descendants of
Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,
44Keros, Siaha, Padon,
45Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub,
46Hagab, Shalmai, Hanan,
47Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah,
48Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam,
49Uzza, Paseah, Besai,
50Asnah, Meunim, Nephussim,
51Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,
52Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,
53Barkos, Sisera, Temah,
54Neziah and Hatipha
55The descendants of the servants of Solomon:
the descendants of
Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda,
56Jaala, Darkon, Giddel,
57Shephatiah, Hattil,
Pokereth-Hazzebaim and Ami
58The temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon392
59The following came up from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon and Immer, but they could not show that their families were descended from Israel:
60The descendants of
Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda652
61And from among the priests:
The descendants of
Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai (a man who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name).
62These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean.
63The governor ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there was a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim.
64The whole company numbered 42,360,
65besides their 7,337 menservants and maidservants; and they also had 200 men and women singers.
66They had 736 horses, 245 mules,
67435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.
68When they arrived at the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, some of the heads of the families gave freewill offerings toward the rebuilding of the house of God on its site.
69According to their ability they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 drachmasThat is, about 1,100 pounds (about 500 kilograms) of gold, 5,000 minasThat is, about 3 tons (about 2.9 metric tons) of silver and 100 priestly garments.
70The priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers and the temple servants settled in their own towns, along with some of the other people, and the rest of the Israelites settled in their towns.
Chapter 3
Rebuilding the Altar
1When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled as one man in Jerusalem.
2Then Jeshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.
3Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both the morning and evening sacrifices.
4Then in accordance with what is written, they celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles with the required number of burnt offerings prescribed for each day.
5After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings, the New Moon sacrifices and the sacrifices for all the appointed sacred feasts of the LORD, as well as those brought as freewill offerings to the LORD.
6On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, though the foundation of the LORD's temple had not yet been laid.
Rebuilding the Temple
7Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and gave food and drink and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they would bring cedar logs by sea from Lebanon to Joppa, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia.
8In the second month of the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak and the rest of their brothers (the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem) began the work, appointing Levites twenty years of age and older to supervise the building of the house of the LORD.
9Jeshua and his sons and brothers and Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of HodaviahHebrew Yehudah, probably a variant of Hodaviah) and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together in supervising those working on the house of God.
10When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the LORD, as prescribed by David king of Israel.
11With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD:
“He is good;
his love to Israel endures forever.”
And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.
12But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy.
13No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.
Chapter 4
Opposition to the Rebuilding
1When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel,
2they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, “Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.”
3But Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, “You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.”
4Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building.Or and troubled them as they built
5They hired counselors to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Later Opposition Under Xerxes and Artaxerxes
6At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes,Hebrew Ahasuerus, a variant of Xerxes' Persian name they lodged an accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
7And in the days of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic script and in the Aramaic language.Or written in Aramaic and translated,The text of Ezra 4:8—6:18 is in Aramaic.
8Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows:
9Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary, together with the rest of their associates—the judges and officials over the men from Tripolis, Persia,Or officials, magistrates and governors over the men from Erech and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa,
10and the other people whom the great and honorable AshurbanipalAramaic Osnappar, a variant of Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the city of Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates.
11(This is a copy of the letter they sent him.)
To King Artaxerxes,
From your servants, the men of Trans-Euphrates:
12The king should know that the Jews who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are restoring the walls and repairing the foundations.
13Furthermore, the king should know that if this city is built and its walls are restored, no more taxes, tribute or duty will be paid, and the royal revenues will suffer.
14Now since we are under obligation to the palace and it is not proper for us to see the king dishonored, we are sending this message to inform the king,
15so that a search may be made in the archives of your predecessors. In these records you will find that this city is a rebellious city, troublesome to kings and provinces, a place of rebellion from ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed.
16We inform the king that if this city is built and its walls are restored, you will be left with nothing in Trans-Euphrates.
17The king sent this reply:
To Rehum the commanding officer, Shimshai the secretary and the rest of their associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates:
Greetings.
18The letter you sent us has been read and translated in my presence.
19I issued an order and a search was made, and it was found that this city has a long history of revolt against kings and has been a place of rebellion and sedition.
20Jerusalem has had powerful kings ruling over the whole of Trans-Euphrates, and taxes, tribute and duty were paid to them.
21Now issue an order to these men to stop work, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order.
22Be careful not to neglect this matter. Why let this threat grow, to the detriment of the royal interests?
23As soon as the copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum and Shimshai the secretary and their associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and compelled them by force to stop.
24Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

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