 1 Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. 2 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose and began to build the house of God at Jerusalem. And with them were the prophets of God helping them. 3 At the same time Tatnai, governor of the province Beyond the River, and Shetharboznai, and their companions, came to them and said this to them Who has commanded you to build this house and to make this wall? 4 So then we said to them: What are the names of the men who are building this building? 5 But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, so that they could not cause them to stop until the matter came to Darius, and answer by letter concerning this had been returned. 6 The copy of the letter that Tatnai, governor of the province Beyond the River, and Shetharboznai, and his companions, the officials Beyond the River, sent to Darius the king: 7 They sent a letter to him, in which this was written, To Darius the king, all peace: 8 Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judea, to the house of the great God that is being built with great stones, and timber is being laid in the walls, and this work goes on fast and is blessed in their hands. 9 Then we asked those elders and said this to them, Who commanded you to build this house and to make these walls? 10 We also asked their names in order to notify you so that we might write the names of the men who are the chief of them. 11 They returned this answer to us saying, We are the servants of the God of Heaven and earth. We will rebuild+ the house that was built many years ago that a great king of Israel built and set up. 12 After our fathers had provoked the God of Heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried the people away to Babylon. 13 In the first year of King Cyrus of Babylon, he gave an order to build this house of God. 14 Also the vessels of gold and silver from the house of God that Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple in Jerusalem, and brought them into the temple of Babylon, those Cyrus the king took out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to one whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor. 15 He said to him, Take these vessels and go. Carry them into the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be built in His place. 16 Then the same Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God that is in Jerusalem. And since that time even until now it has been building, but is not finished. 17 Therefore, if it seems good to the king, let there be search made in the king's treasure house there at Babylon, whether it is so that a decree was given from Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem. And let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter.
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