Ezra 4 (NET)

Ezra 4:1¹When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin learned that the former exiles were building a temple for the Lord God of Israel,Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:1 Chr 22:9-10Ezra 1:111 Cor 16:91 Kgs 5:4-5Dan 5:13Dan 9:25Ezra 10:16Ezra 10:7Ezra 4:7-10Ezra 6:16

Ezra 4:2²they came to Zerubbabel and the leaders and said to them, “Let us help you build, for like you we seek your God and we have been sacrificing to him from the time of King Esarhaddon of Assyria, who brought us here.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:2 Kgs 17:242 Kgs 19:37Gal 2:42 Kgs 17:27-332 Cor 11:13-152 Kgs 17:412 Pet 2:1-22 Tim 3:8Ezra 1:5Ezra 2:2

Ezra 4:3³But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the leaders of Israel said to them, “You have no right to help us build the temple of our God. We will build it by ourselves for the Lord God of Israel, just as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Neh 2:20Acts 8:21Matt 10:162 Chr 36:22-Ezra 1:33 John 1:9-10Ezra 6:3-5Isa 44:28-45:1Isa 45:4John 4:22-23Rom 9:4-5

Ezra 4:4⁴Then the local people began to discourage the people of Judah and to dishearten them from building.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Ezra 3:3Jer 38:4Isa 35:3-4Neh 4:11Neh 6:9Neh 4:7-8

Ezra 4:5⁵They were hiring advisers to oppose them, so as to frustrate their plans, throughout the time of King Cyrus of Persia until the reign of King Darius of Persia.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Nah 1:11Acts 24:1-27Ezra 5:5-6:18Ps 2:1-2Ezra 4:24

Ezra 4:6⁶At the beginning of the reign of Ahasuerus they filed an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Dan 9:1Esth 1:1Acts 24:13Acts 24:5-9Acts 25:7Matt 27:37Rev 12:10

Ezra 4:7⁷And during the reign of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their colleagues wrote to King Artaxerxes of Persia. This letter was first written in Aramaic but then translated. [What follows is in Aramaic]Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:2 Kgs 18:26Dan 2:4Ezra 4:17Ezra 4:9Isa 36:11Ezra 5:6

Ezra 4:8⁸Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter concerning Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows:Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Ezra 4:92 Kgs 18:182 Sam 20:252 Sam 8:17

Ezra 4:9⁹From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues—the judges, the rulers, the officials, the secretaries, the Erechites, the Babylonians, the people of Susa (that is, the Elamites),Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Ezra 5:6Ezra 6:62 Kgs 17:242 Kgs 17:30-31Acts 2:9Dan 8:2Esth 1:2Esth 2:3Ezek 32:24Gen 10:22

Ezra 4:10¹⁰and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and other places in Trans-Euphrates.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Ezra 4:17Ezra 4:11Ezra 7:122 Kgs 17:24-41Ezra 4:1Rom 13:7

Ezra 4:11¹¹(This is a copy of the letter they sent to him.) “To King Artaxerxes, from your servants in Trans-Euphrates:Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AI

Ezra 4:12¹²Now let the king be aware that the Jews who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and odious city. They are completing its walls and repairing its foundations.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:2 Chr 36:13Ezra 5:3Ezra 5:91 Pet 2:13-151 Thess 5:222 Kgs 18:202 Kgs 24:1Acts 24:5Dan 9:25Ezek 17:12-21

Ezra 4:13¹³Let the king also be aware that if this city is built and its walls are completed, no more tax, custom, or toll will be paid, and the royal treasury will suffer loss.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Ezra 7:24Neh 5:4Rom 13:6-7Ezra 4:20Matt 17:25Matt 9:9Ps 119:69Ps 52:2

Ezra 4:14¹⁴In light of the fact that we are loyal to the king, and since it does not seem appropriate to us that the king should sustain damage, we are sending the king this informationCopy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Ezek 33:31John 12:5-6John 19:12-15

Ezra 4:15¹⁵so that he may initiate a search of the records of his predecessors and discover in those records that this city is rebellious and injurious to both kings and provinces, producing internal revolts from long ago. It is for this very reason that this city was destroyed.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Ezra 4:122 Kgs 24:20-25:12 Kgs 25:4Acts 17:6-7Dan 6:4-13Esth 3:5-8Jer 52:3-34Neh 2:19Neh 6:6

Ezra 4:16¹⁶We therefore are informing the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, you will not retain control of this portion of Trans-Euphrates.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:1 Kgs 4:242 Sam 8:3Ezra 4:20

Ezra 4:17¹⁷The king sent the following response: “To Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues who live in Samaria and other parts of Trans-Euphrates: Greetings!Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Acts 23:26Ezra 4:7Ezra 4:9-11Ezra 5:7Ezra 7:12Luke 10:5Rom 1:7

Ezra 4:18¹⁸The letter you sent to us has been translated and read in my presence.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Neh 8:8

Ezra 4:19¹⁹So I gave orders, and it was determined that this city from long ago has been engaging in insurrection against kings. It has continually engaged in rebellion and revolt.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:2 Kgs 18:7Prov 25:22 Kgs 24:20Deut 13:14Ezek 17:13-19Ezra 4:15Ezra 5:17-6:2

Ezra 4:20²⁰Powerful kings have been over Jerusalem who ruled throughout the entire Trans-Euphrates and who were the beneficiaries of tribute, custom, and toll.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:1 Kgs 4:21Gen 15:181 Chr 18:3Ps 72:81 Chr 18:131 Chr 18:61 Chr 19:191 Kgs 4:242 Chr 17:112 Chr 26:7-8

Ezra 4:21²¹Now give orders that these men cease their work and that this city not be rebuilt until such time as I so instruct.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AI

Ezra 4:22²²Exercise appropriate caution so that there is no negligence in this matter. Why should danger increase to the point that the king sustains damage?”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Esth 3:8-9Esth 7:3-4Ezra 4:13

Ezra 4:23²³Then, as soon as the copy of the letter from King Artaxerxes was read in the presence of Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their colleagues, they proceeded promptly to the Jews in Jerusalem and stopped them with threat of armed force.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Ezra 4:17Ezra 4:8-9Mic 2:1Prov 4:16Rom 3:15

Ezra 4:24²⁴So the work on the temple of God in Jerusalem came to a halt. It remained halted until the second year of the reign of King Darius of Persia.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Hag 1:15Ezra 5:5Ezra 6:1Job 20:5Neh 6:3Neh 6:91 Thess 2:18