1 And the enemies of Judah and of Benjamin heard, that the sons of (the) captivity builded a temple to the Lord God of Israel;

2 and they came to Zerubbabel, and to the princes of (the) fathers, and said to them, Build we with you, for so as ye do, we seek your God, (or and they came to Zerubbabel, and to the leaders of the families, and said to them, Let us build with you, for we seek your God, as ye do); lo! we have offered sacrifices (to him) from the days of Esarhaddon, king of Assur, that brought us hither into this land.

3 And Zerubbabel, and Joshua, and the other princes of the fathers of Israel, said to them, It is not to us and to you, that we build an house to our God; but we us-selves alone shall build an house to the Lord our God, as Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us. (And Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the other leaders of the families of the tribes of Israel, said to them, It is of no concern to thee, that we build a House for our God; yea, we shall build by ourselves the House for the Lord our God, as Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.)

4 And it was done, that the people of the land hindered the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building. (And then it was done, that the people of the land hindered the hands of the people of Judah, and made them afraid to continue building.)

5 And they hired counsellors against the Jews, that they should destroy the counsel, or purpose, of the Jews, in all the days of Cyrus, king of Persia, and unto the realm of Darius, king of Persia. (And they bribed court officials to work against the Jews, in all the days of Cyrus, the king of Persia, and into the reign of Darius, the king of Persia.)

6 And in the realm of Ahasuerus, he is (also) called Artaxerxes, in the beginning of his realm, they writed accusing against the dwellers of Judah and of Jerusalem; (And then in the kingdom of Ahasuerus, who is also called Artaxerxes, at the beginning of his reign, they wrote accusations against the inhabitants of Judah and of Jerusalem;)

7 and in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam wrote, and Mithredath, and Tabeel, and others, that were in the counsel of them, to Artaxerxes, king of Persia. And the epistle of accusing was written in the language of Syria, (or Aramaic), and it was read in the word of Syria. (yea, in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, and Mithredath, and Tabeel, and their counsellors, or their officials, wrote to Artaxerxes, the king of Persia. And their letter of accusation was written in the Aramaic language, and it was read aloud in Aramaic.)

8 Rehum, B’el T’em, and Shimshai, the scribe, wrote such an epistle from Jerusalem to king Artaxerxes, [on this manner]; (And Rehum, the chancellor, and Shimshai, the provincial secretary, also wrote a letter from Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes, in this manner;)

9 Rehum, B’el T’em, and Shimshai, the scribe, and [the] other counsellors of them, (or From Rehum, the chancellor, and Shimshai, the provincial secretary, and their counsellors, or their officials), (the) Dinaites, Apharsathchites, and Tarpelites, Apharistes, Archevites, men of Babylon, Susanchites, Dehavites, (and) men of Elam,

10 and others of heathen men, which the great and glorious Asnapper translated, and made them to dwell in the cities of Samaria, and in other countries beyond the flood, in peace. (and others of the heathen, whom the great and glorious Asnapper carried off captive, and made them live in the cities of Samaria, and in other places in the province west of the Euphrates River, peace to you.)

11 This is the exemplar of the epistle, that they sent to the king. To Artaxerxes, king, thy servants, men beyond the flood, say health to thee. (This is the text of the letter that they sent to the king. To King Artaxeres, from thy servants, we men here in the province west of the Euphrates River, who desire good health and prosperity for thee.)

12 Be it known to the king, that the Jews, which went up from thee, be come to us in Jerusalem, a rebel and full evil city, which they build (again), and they make the ground walls thereof, and they array the walls above. (Be it known to the king, that the Jews, who left thee, have come to us here in Jerusalem, yea, a rebellious and very evil city, which they now rebuild, and they have laid the foundations, and now raise up the walls on top of them.)

13 Now therefore be it known to the king, that if that city be builded (again), and the walls thereof be restored, they shall not give tribute, and toll, and annual rents, and this trespass, or harm, shall come to the king. (And so now let it be known to the king, that if that city is rebuilt, and its walls be restored, then they will not pay tribute, or taxes, or tolls, or annual rents, and that this harm shall come to the king.)

14 Therefore we be mindful of the salt, that is, of meats made savory with salt, that we ate in thy palace, and for we held it unleaveful to see the harms of the king (or and for we found it unacceptable to see the king harmed in any way), therefore we have sent and told (this) to the king;

15 that thou account (for)and seek in the books of [the] stories of thy fathers, and thou shalt find (it) written in (the) chronicles, and (then) thou shalt know, that that city Jerusalem is a rebel city, and that it harmeth kings and provinces, and that battles be raised therein of eld days; wherefore also that city was destroyed. (and that if thou search in the books of the stories of thy fathers, thou shalt find it written in The Chronicles, and then thou shalt know, that this city Jerusalem hath long been a rebellious city, and that it harmeth kings and provinces, and that battles be raised up there from days of old, or the olden days; and for that reason the city was destroyed.)

16 We tell to the king, that if that city be builded (again), and the walls thereof be restored, thou shalt not have possession beyond the flood. (We say to the king, that if that city is rebuilt, and its walls be restored, then thou shalt not have power, or authority, in the province west of the Euphrates River.)

17 The king sent word to Rehum, Bvel T’em, and to Shimshai, the scribe, and to others that were in the counsel of them, to the dwellers of Samaria, and to others beyond the flood, and said, Health and peace. (And the king sent word by a letter, saying, To Rehum, the chancellor, and to Shimshai, the provincial secretary, and to their counsellors, or to their officials, who be inhabitants of Samaria, and to the others who live throughout the province west of the Euphrates River, health and peace to all of you.)

18 The accusing (or The accusation), which ye sent to us, was read openly before me;

19 and it was commanded of me, and they reckoned, and they found, that that city rebelleth of eld days against kings, and dissensions and battles be raised therein; (and I commanded that they search in The Chronicles, and indeed they found, that that city in days of old rebelled against kings, and dissensions and battles were raised up there;)

20 for why there were in Jerusalem full strong kings, which also were lords of all the country that is beyond the flood; also those kings took tribute, and toll, and rents. (for there were very strong kings in Jerusalem, who were also lords of all the province that is west of the Euphrates River; and those kings took tribute, or taxes, and tolls, and rents.)

21 Now therefore hear ye the sentence, that ye forbid those men to build, and that that city be not builded (again), till if peradventure it be commanded of me. (And so now listen ye to my decree, which is, that ye forbid those men to continue to build, and that that city not be rebuilt, unless, and until, I command it to be done.)

22 See ye, that this behest be not fulfilled negligently, and evil increase little and little against (the) kings. (See ye, that this command be not carelessly fulfilled, for then evil would increase little by little against the king.)

23 Therefore the exemplar of the commandment of king Artaxerxes was read before Rehum, B’el T’em, and Shimshai, the scribe, and their counsellors; and they went in haste into Jerusalem to the Jews, and they forbade them to build, with arm and might. (And so when the text of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, the chancellor, and Shimshai, the provincial secretary, and their counsellors, or their officials, they went in haste to the Jews in Jerusalem, and with might and arms, or weapons, they forbade them to continue building.)

24 Then the work of God’s house in Jerusalem was left [off], and it was not made till to the second year of the realm of Darius, king of Persia. (And so the work on the House of God in Jerusalem was stopped, and it was not started again until the second year of the reign of Darius, the king of Persia.)