The Living Bible (151 page)

Ezra
5

But there were prophets in Jerusalem and Judah at that time—Haggai, and Zechariah (the son of Iddo)—who brought messages from the God of Israel to Zerubbabel (son of Shealtiel) and Jeshua (son of Jozadak), encouraging them to begin building again! So they did and the prophets helped them.

    
³
 But Tattenai, the governor of the lands west of the Euphrates, and Shethar-bozenai, and their companions soon arrived in Jerusalem and demanded, “Who gave you permission to rebuild this Temple and finish these walls?”

    
⁴
 They also asked for a list of the names of all the men who were working on the Temple.
⁵
 But because the Lord was overseeing the entire situation, our enemies did not force us to stop building, but let us continue while King Darius looked into the matter and returned his decision.

    
⁶
 Following is the letter which Governors Tattenai and Shethar-bozenai and the other officials sent to King Darius:

    
⁷
 “To King Darius:

    
“Greetings!

    
⁸
 “We wish to inform you that we went to the construction site of the Temple of the great God of Judah. It is being built with huge stones, and timber is being laid in the city walls. The work is going forward with great energy and success.
⁹
 We asked the leaders, ‘Who has given you permission to do this?’
¹⁰
 And we demanded their names so that we could notify you.
¹¹
 Their answer was, ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth and we are rebuilding the Temple that was constructed here many centuries ago by a great king of Israel.
¹²
 But afterwards our ancestors angered the God of heaven, and he abandoned them and let King Nebuchadnezzar destroy this Temple and exile the people to Babylonia.’

    
¹³
 “But they insist that King Cyrus of Babylon, during the first year of his reign, issued a decree that the Temple should be rebuilt,
¹⁴
 and they say King Cyrus returned the gold and silver bowls which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of Babylon. They say these items were delivered into the safekeeping of a man named Sheshbazzar, whom King Cyrus appointed as governor of Judah.
¹⁵
 The king instructed him to return the bowls to Jerusalem and to let the Temple of God be built there as before.
¹⁶
 So Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the Temple at Jerusalem; and the people have been working on it ever since, though it is not yet completed.
¹⁷
 We request that you search in the royal library of Babylon to discover whether King Cyrus ever made such a decree; and then let us know your pleasure in this matter.”

Ezra
6

So King Darius issued orders that a search be made in the Babylonian archives, where documents were stored.

    
²
 Eventually the record was found in the palace at Ecbatana, in the province of Media. This is what it said:

    
³
 “In this first year of the reign of King Cyrus, a decree has been sent out concerning the Temple of God at Jerusalem where the Jews offer sacrifices. It is to be rebuilt, and the foundations are to be strongly laid. The height will be ninety feet and the width will be ninety feet.
⁴
 There will be three layers of huge stones in the foundation, topped with a layer of new timber. All expenses will be paid by the king.
⁵
 And the gold and silver bowls, which were taken from the Temple of God by Nebuchadnezzar, shall be taken back to Jerusalem and put into the Temple as they were before.”

    
⁶
 So King Darius II sent this message
*
to Governor Shethar-bozenai and the other officials west of the Euphrates:

    
“Do not disturb the construction of the Temple. Let it be rebuilt on its former site,
⁷
 and don’t molest the governor of Judah and the other leaders in their work.
⁸
 Moreover, I decree that you are to pay the full construction costs without delay from my taxes collected in your territory.
⁹
 Give the priests in Jerusalem young bulls, rams, and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven; and give them wheat, wine, salt, and olive oil each day without fail.
¹⁰
 Then they will be able to offer acceptable sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for me and my sons.
¹¹
 Anyone who attempts to change this message in any way shall have the beams pulled from his house and built into a gallows on which he will be hanged;
*
and his house shall be reduced to a pile of rubble.
¹²
 The God who has chosen the city of Jerusalem will destroy any king and any nation that alters this commandment and destroys this Temple. I, Darius, have issued this decree; let it be obeyed with all diligence.”

    
¹³
 Governors Tattenai and Shethar-bozenai, and their companions complied at once with the command of King Darius.

    
¹⁴
 So the Jewish leaders continued in their work, and they were greatly encouraged by the preaching of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah (son of Iddo).

    
The Temple was finally finished, as had been commanded by God and decreed by Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, the kings of Persia.
¹⁵
 The completion date was February 18
*
in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius II.

    
¹⁶
 The Temple was then dedicated with great joy by the priests, the Levites, and all the people.
¹⁷
 During the dedication celebration 100 young bulls, 200 rams, and 400 lambs were sacrificed; and twelve male goats were presented as a sin offering for the twelve tribes of Israel.
¹⁸
 Then the priests and Levites were divided into their various service corps to do the work of God as instructed in the laws of Moses.

    
¹⁹
 The Passover was celebrated on the first day of April.
*
²⁰
 For by that time many of the priests and Levites had consecrated themselves.
^21-22
 And some of the heathen people who had been relocated in Judah turned from their immoral customs and joined the Israelis in worshiping the Lord God. They, with the entire nation, ate the Passover feast and celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days. There was great joy throughout the land because the Lord had caused the king of Assyria to be generous to Israel and to assist in the construction of the Temple.

Ezra
7

Here is the genealogy of Ezra, who traveled from Babylon to Jerusalem
*
during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia:

    
Ezra was the son of Seriah;

    
Seriah was the son of Azariah;

    
Azariah was the son of Hilkiah;

    
Hilkiah was the son of Shallum;

    
Shallum was the son of Zadok;

    
Zadok was the son of Ahitub;

    
Ahitub was the son of Amariah;

    
Amariah was the son of Meraioth;

    
Meraioth was the son of Zerahiah;

    
Zerahiah was the son of Uzzi;

    
Uzzi was the son of Bukki;

    
Bukki was the son of Abishua;

    
Abishua was the son of Phinehas;

    
Phinehas was the son of Eleazar;

    
Eleazar was the son of Aaron, the chief priest.

    
⁶
 As a Jewish religious leader, Ezra was well versed in Jehovah’s laws, which Moses had given to the people of Israel. He asked to be allowed to return to Jerusalem, and the king granted his request; for the Lord his God was blessing him.
^7-9
 Many ordinary people as well as priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and Temple workers traveled with him. They left Babylon in the middle of March in the seventh year of the reign of Artaxerxes and arrived at Jerusalem in the month of August; for the Lord gave them a good trip.
¹⁰
 This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the laws of the Lord and to become a Bible teacher, teaching those laws to the people of Israel.

    
¹¹
 King Artaxerxes presented this letter to Ezra the priest, the student of God’s commands:

    
¹²
 “From: Artaxerxes, the king of kings.

    
“To: Ezra the priest, the teacher of the laws of the God of heaven.

    
¹³
 “I decree that any Jew in my realm, including the priests and Levites, may return to Jerusalem with you.
¹⁴
 I and my Council of Seven hereby instruct you to take a copy of God’s laws to Judah and Jerusalem and to send back a report of the religious progress being made there.
¹⁵
 We also commission you to take with you to Jerusalem the silver and gold, which we are presenting as an offering to the God of Israel.

    
¹⁶
 “Moreover, you are to collect voluntary Temple offerings of silver and gold from the Jews and their priests in all of the provinces of Babylon.
¹⁷
 These funds are to be used primarily for the purchase of oxen, rams, lambs, grain offerings, and drink offerings, all of which will be offered upon the altar of your Temple when you arrive in Jerusalem.
¹⁸
 The money that is left over may be used in whatever way you and your brothers feel is the will of your God.
¹⁹
 And take with you the gold bowls and other items we are giving you for the Temple of your God at Jerusalem.
²⁰
 If you run short of money for the construction of the Temple or for any similar needs, you may requisition funds from the royal treasury.

    
²¹
 “I, Artaxerxes the king, send this decree to all the treasurers in the provinces west of the Euphrates River: ‘You are to give Ezra whatever he requests of you (for he is a priest and teacher of the laws of the God of heaven),
²²
 up to $200,000 in silver; 1,225 bushels of wheat; 990 gallons of wine; any amount of salt;
²³
 and whatever else the God of heaven demands for his Temple; for why should we risk God’s wrath against the king and his sons?
²⁴
 I also decree that no priest, Levite, choir member, gatekeeper, Temple attendant, or other worker in the Temple shall be required to pay taxes of any kind.’

    
²⁵
 “And you, Ezra, are to use the wisdom God has given you to select and appoint judges and other officials to govern all the people west of the Euphrates River; if they are not familiar with the laws of your God, you are to teach them.
²⁶
 Anyone refusing to obey the law of your God and the law of the king shall be punished immediately by death, banishment, confiscation of goods, or imprisonment.”

    
²⁷
 Well, praise the Lord God of our ancestors, who made the king want to beautify the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem!
²⁸
 And praise God for demonstrating such loving-kindness to me
*
by honoring me before the king and his Council of Seven and before all of his mighty princes! I was given great status because the Lord my God was with me; and I persuaded some of the leaders of Israel to return with me to Jerusalem.