rd

Ezra 4

2 The buylding of the Temple is hindred & how. 11 Letters to Artaxerxes, and the anſwer.
1.BVt the aduerſaries of Iudáh and Bẽiamín heard, that the children of the captiuitie buylded the Temple vnto the Lord God of Iſraél,
2.And thei came to Zerubbabél, & to ỹ chief fathers, and ſaid vnto them, We wil buylde with you: for we ſeke the Lord your God as ye do: & we haue ſacrificed vnto him ſince the time of Eſár Haddón King of Aſſhúr which broght vs vp hither.
3.Then Zerubbabél, and Ieſhúa, and the reſt of the chief fathers of Iſraél, ſaid vnto them, It is not for you, but for vs to buylde the houſe vnto our God: for we our ſelues together wil buyld it vnto the Lord God of Iſraél, as King Cyrus the King of Perſia hathe commanded vs.
4.Wherefore the people of ye land diſcouraged the people of Iudáh, and troubled them in buylding,
5.And they hyred counſelers againſt thē, to hinder their deuiſe, all the daies of Cyrus King of Perſia, euẽ vntil the reigne of Darius King of Perſia.
6.And in the reigne of Ahaſhueróſh (in the beginning of his reigne) wrote thei an accuſation againſt the inhabitants of Iudáh and Ieruſalém.
7.And in the dayes of Artahſhaſhte, Mithredáth, Tabeél, & the reſt of their companiõs wrote when it was peace vnto Artahſhaſhte King of Perſia, & the writing of the letter was the Aramites writing, & the thing declared was in the language of the Aramites.
8.Rehúm the chancelour, and Shimſhái the ſcribe wrote a lettre againſt Ieruſalém to Artahſhaſhte ye King, in this ſorte.
9.Then wrote Rehúm the chancelour, and Shimſhái the ſcribe, & their companions Dinaié, and Apharſathcaié, Tarpelaié, Apharſaié, Archeuaié, Bablaié, Shuſhan-chaié, Dehaué, Elmaié,
10.And the reſt of the people whome the great & noble Aſnappár broght ouer, & ſet in the cities of Samaria, and other that are beyonde the Riuer and Cheéneth.
11.¶ This is the copie of the letter that they ſent vnto King Artahſhaſhte, THY SERUANTS the men beyonde the Riuer and Cheéneth, ſalute thee.
12.Be it knowen vnto the King that the Iewes, which came vp frō thee to vs, are come vnto Ieruſalém (a citie rebellious & wicked) & buylde, & laye the fundacions of the walles, and haue ioyned the fundacions.
13.Be it knowen now vnto the King, that if this citie be buylt, & the fundaciōs of the walles layed, thē wil not giue tolle, tribute, nor cuſtome: ſo ſhalt thou hinder the Kings tribute.
14.Now therefore becauſe we haue bene broght vp in the Kings palace, it was not mete for vs to ſe the Kings diſhonour: for this cauſe haue we ſent and certified the King,
15.That one may ſearche in the boke of the Chronicles of thy fathers, and thou ſhalt finde in the boke of the Chronicles, and perceiue that this citie is rebellious and noyſome vnto Kings and prouinces, and that thei haue moued ſedicion of olde time, for the which cauſe this citie was deſtroyed.
16.We certifie the King therefore, that if this citie be buylded, and the fundacion of the walles layed, by this meanes the porcion beyonde the Riuer ſhal not be thine.
17.¶ The King ſent an anſwer vnto Rehúm the chancelour, and Shimſhái the ſcribe, and to the reſt of their companions that dwelt in Samaria, and vnto the other beyonde the Riuer, Shelám & Cheéth.
18.The letter which ye ſent vnto vs, hathe bene openly red before me,
19.And I haue commanded and they haue ſearched, and founde, that this citie of olde time hathe made inſurrectiō againſt Kings, and hathe rebelled, and rebellion hathe bene committed therein.
20.There haue bene mightie Kings alſo ouer Ieruſalém, which haue ruled ouer all beyonde the Riuer, and tolle, tribute, and cuſtome was giuen vnto them.
21.Make ye now a decree, that thoſe men may ceaſe, and that the citie be not buylt, til I haue giuen another commandement.
22.Take hede now that ye faile not to do this: why ſhulde domage growe to hurt the King?
23.When the copie of King Artahſhaſhtes lettre was red before Rehúm & Shimſhái the ſcribe, & their companions, they went vp in all the haſte to Ieruſalém vnto the Iewes, and cauſed them to ceaſe by force and power.
24.Then ceaſed the worke of the houſe of God, which was in Ieruſalém, and did ſtay vnto the ſecōde yere of Darius King of Perſia.

Notes

1:a.
Meaning, the inhabitants of Samaria, whome ỹ King of Aſſyria had placed in the ſteade of ỹ ten tribes 2 King. 17.24 & 19.37. Theſe profeſſed God, but worſhiped idoles alſo, and therefore were the greateſt enemies to the true ſeruants of God
3:b.
For thei perceiued what their pretence was, to wit, to erect idolatrie in ſteade of true religion
4:".
Ebr made their hands weake.
5:c.
They bribed the gouerners vnder the king, to hider their worke thus they that halt, can not abide, yt God shulde be purely ſerued
6:d.
He was alſo called Artaxerxes, which is a Perſian name ſome thike it was Cambſes Cyrus ſonne, or Darius, as verſ 5
7:e.
Called Artaxerxes, & ſignifieth in ye Perſia tōgue, an excellēnt warriour
8:".
Or, counſelour.
9:f.
Theſe were certeine people, which the Aſſyrians placed in Samaria in ſtead of the ten tribes
10:g.
Some thinke it was Sanneherib, but rather Salmanafar
10:h.
To wit Euphrates, & he meaneth in reſpect of babel wher they dwelt beyōde it.
11:i.
Which were a certeine people yt enuyed the Iewes.
13:k.
Meaning, the giftes that are wonte to be giuen to Kings whe they paſſe by any coũtrey
14:".
Ebr. In the Chalde, we haue eaten the ſalt of the palace.
17:l.
Some read for Shelám, ſalutacion or greting.
17:m.
Called alſo Cheeneth, as verſ 11.
24:n.
Not all together for the Prophetes exhorted the to continue, but they vſed leſſe diligen. e becauſe of the troubles.