Tattenai's Letter to King Darius
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This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai sent:
The governor of the region beyond the River, and ShetharBoz'nai, j and his companions, the Persians who were in the region beyond the River, to Darius the king.
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(They sent a letter to him, in which was written thus)
To Darius the king:
All peace.
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Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judea, to the temple of the great God, which is being built with heavy stones, and timber is being laid in the walls; and this work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands.
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Then we asked those elders, and spoke thus to them: k "Who commanded you to build this temple and to finish these walls?"
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We also asked them their names to inform you, that we might write the names of the men who were chief among them.
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And thus they returned us an answer, saying: "We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built l and completed.
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"But m because our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of n Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and o carried the people away to Babylon.
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"However, in the first year of p Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to build this house of God.
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"Also, q the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem and carried into the temple of Babylon - those King Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon, and they were given to r one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor.
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"And he said to him, 'Take these articles; go, carry them to the temple site that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its former site.'
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"Then the same Sheshbazzar came and s laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem; but from that time even until now it has been under construction, and t it is not finished."
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Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, u let a search be made in the king's treasure house, which is there in Babylon, whether it is so that a decree was issued by King Cyrus to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send us his pleasure concerning this matter.
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Cross References
Ezra 4:7 - 10
In the days of Artaxerxes also, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabel, and the rest of their companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the letter was written in Aramaic script, and translated into the Aramaic language.
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Cross References
Ezra 5:3
At the same time Tattenai the governor of the region beyond the River and ShetharBoz'nai and their companions came to them and spoke thus to them: "Who has commanded you to build this temple and finish this wall?
Ezra 5:4
Then, accordingly, we told them the names of the men who were constructing this building.
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Cross References
1 Kings 6:1
And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.
1 Kings 6:38
And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its details and according to all its plans. So he was seven years in building it.
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Cross References
2 Chronicles 34:25
'because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath will be poured out on this place, and not be quenched.' "'
2 Chronicles 36:16
But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy.
2 Chronicles 17:1
Then Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place, and strengthened himself against Israel.
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Cross References
2 Kings 24:2
And the LORD sent against him raiding bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the people of Ammon; He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD which He had spoken by His servants the prophets.
2 Kings 25:8 - 11
And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month (which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 36:17
Therefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand.
Jeremiah 52:12 - 15
Now in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month ( which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 13:19
The cities of the South shall be shut up, And no one shall open them; Judah shall be carried away captive, all of it; It shall be wholly carried away captive.
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Cross References
Ezra 1:1
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying.
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Cross References
Ezra 1:7
King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and put in the temple of his gods.
Ezra 1:8
And Cyrus king of Persia brought them out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.
Ezra 6:5
Also let the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple which is in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and taken back to the temple which is in Jerusalem, each to its place; and deposit them in the house of God" -
Daniel 5:2
While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them.
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Cross References
Haggai 1:14
So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God.
Haggai 2:2
Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying:
Haggai 2:21
Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying: 'I will shake heaven and earth.
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Cross References
Ezra 3:8 - 10
Now in the second month of the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all those who had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, began work and appointed the Levites from twenty years old and above to oversee the work of the house of the LORD.
Haggai 2:18
Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid - consider it:
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Cross References
Ezra 6:15
Now the temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.
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Cross References
Ezra 6:1
Then King Darius issued a decree, and a search was made in the archives, where the treasures were stored in Babylon.
Ezra 6:2
And at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of Media, a scroll was found, and in it a record was written thus:
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.