Chapter 2

Number of Those Returning

1 aNow these are the 1people of the province who came up out of the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his city.

2 1These came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, 2Seraiah, 3Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, 4Mispar, Bigvai, 5Rehum and Baanah.

The number of the men of the people of Israel:

3 the sons of Parosh, 2,172;

4 the sons of Shephatiah, 372;

5 the sons of aArah, 775;

6 the sons of aPahath-moab of the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,812;

7 the sons of Elam, 1,254;

8 the sons of Zattu, 945;

9 the sons of Zaccai, 760;

10 the sons of 1Bani, 642;

11 the sons of Bebai, 623;

12 the sons of Azgad, 1,222;

13 the sons of aAdonikam, 666;

14 the sons of Bigvai, 2,056;

15 the sons of Adin, 454;

16 the sons of Ater of Hezekiah, 98;

17 the sons of Bezai, 323;

18 the sons of 1Jorah, 112;

19 the sons of Hashum, 223;

20 the sons of 1Gibbar, 95;

21 the 1men of aBethlehem, 123;

22 the men of Netophah, 56;

23 the men of Anathoth, 128;

24 the sons of 1Azmaveth, 42;

25 the sons of 1Kiriath-arim, Chephirah and Beeroth, 743;

26 the sons of aRamah and Geba, 621;

27 the men of Michmas, 122;

28 the men of Bethel and Ai, 223;

29 the sons of Nebo, 52;

30 the sons of Magbish, 156;

31 the sons of the other Elam, 1,254;

32 the sons of Harim, 320;

33 the sons of Lod, Hadid and Ono, 725;

34 the 1men of aJericho, 345;

35 the sons of Senaah, 3,630.

Priests Returning

36 aThe priests: the sons of Jedaiah of the house of Jeshua, 973;

37 the sons of aImmer, 1,052;

38 athe sons of Pashhur, 1,247;

39 the sons of aHarim, 1,017.

Levites Returning

40 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of 1Hodaviah, 74.

41 The singers: the sons of Asaph, 128.

42 The sons of the gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, in all 139.

43 The atemple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,

44 the sons of Keros, the sons of 1Siaha, the sons of Padon,

45 the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Akkub,

46 the sons of Hagab, the sons of Shalmai, the sons of Hanan,

47 the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah,

48 the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of Gazzam,

49 the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai,

50 the sons of Asnah, the sons of Meunim, the sons of 1Nephisim,

51 the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur,

52 the sons of 1Bazluth, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha,

53 the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah,

54 the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.

55 The sons of aSolomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of 1Hassophereth, the sons of 2Peruda,

56 the sons of Jaalah, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel,

57 the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the sons of 1Ami.

58 All the atemple servants and the sons of bSolomon’s servants were 392.

59 Now these are those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, 1Addan and Immer, but they were not able to 2give evidence of their fathers’ households and their 3descendants, whether they were of Israel:

60 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, 652.

Priests Removed

61 Of the sons of the priests: the sons of 1Habaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of aBarzillai, who took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and he was called by their name.

62 These searched among their ancestral registration, but they could not be located; atherefore they were considered unclean and excluded from the priesthood.

63 The 1governor said to them athat they should not eat from the most holy things until a priest stood up with bUrim and Thummim.

64 The whole assembly 1numbered 42,360,

65 besides their male and female servants 1who numbered 7,337; and they had 200 asinging men and women.

66 Their horses were 736; their mules, 245;

67 their camels, 435; their donkeys, 6,720.

68 Some of the heads of fathers’ households, when they arrived at the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, offered willingly for the house of God to 1restore it on its foundation.

69 According to their ability they gave ato the treasury for the work 61,000 gold drachmas and 5,000 silver minas and 100 priestly 1garments.

70 aNow the priests and the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers and the temple servants lived in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.

Chapter 3

Altar and Sacrifices Restored

1 Now when the seventh month came, and athe sons of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem.

2 Then aJeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers the priests, and bZerubbabel the son cof Shealtiel and his brothers arose and dbuilt the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings on it, eas it is written in the law of Moses, the man of God.

3 So they set up the altar on its foundation, for 1athey were terrified because of the peoples of the lands; and they boffered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, burnt offerings morning and evening.

4 They celebrated the aFeast of 1Booths, bas it is written, and offered 2the fixed number of burnt offerings daily, caccording to the ordinance, as each day required;

5 and afterward there was a acontinual burnt offering, also bfor the new moons and cfor all the fixed festivals of the Lord that were consecrated, and from everyone who offered a freewill offering to the Lord.

6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, but the foundation of the temple of the Lord had not been laid.

7 Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and afood, drink and oil to the Sidonians and to the Tyrians, bto bring cedar wood from Lebanon to the sea at cJoppa, according to the permission they had 1from dCyrus king of Persia.

Temple Restoration Begun

8 Now in the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem in the second month, aZerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak and the rest of their brothers the priests and the Levites, and all who came from the captivity to Jerusalem, began the work and bappointed the Levites from twenty years and older to oversee the work of the house of the Lord.

9 Then aJeshua with his sons and brothers stood united with Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of 1Judah and the sons of Henadad with their sons and brothers the Levites, to oversee the workmen in the temple of God.

10 Now when the builders had alaid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, 1the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord baccording to the 2directions of King David of Israel.

11 aThey sang, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, saying, “bFor He is good, for His lovingkindness is upon Israel forever.” And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.

12 Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, athe old men who had seen the first 1temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy,

13 so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far away.

Chapter 4

Adversaries Hinder the Work

1 Now when athe enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that bthe people of the exile were building a temple to the Lord God of Israel,

2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ households, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; aand we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of bEsarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.”

3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers’ households of Israel said to them, “aYou have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to the Lord God of Israel, bas King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.”

4 Then athe people of the land 1discouraged the people of Judah, and frightened them from building,

5 and hired counselors against them to frustrate their counsel all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

6 Now in the reign of 1aAhasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

7 And in the days of 1Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his colleagues wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the 2text of the letter was written in Aramaic and translated afrom Aramaic.

The Letter to King Artaxerxes

8 1Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes, as follows—

9 then wrote Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe and athe rest of their colleagues, the judges and bthe lesser governors, the officials, the secretaries, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the Elamites,

10 and the rest of the nations which the great and honorable 1Osnappar deported and settled in the city of Samaria, and in the rest of the region beyond the 2River. aNow

11 this is the copy of the letter which they sent to him:

“To King Artaxerxes: Your servants, the men in the region beyond the River, and now

12 let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem; they are rebuilding athe rebellious and evil city and bare finishing the walls and repairing the foundations.

13 “Now let it be known to the king, that if that city is rebuilt and the walls are finished, athey will not pay tribute, custom or toll, and it will damage the revenue of the kings.

14 “Now because we 1are in the service of the palace, and it is not fitting for us to see the king’s dishonor, therefore we have sent and informed the king,

15 so that a search may be made in the record books of your fathers. And you will discover in the record books and learn that that city is a rebellious city and damaging to kings and provinces, and that they have incited revolt within it in past days; therefore that city was laid waste.

16 “We inform the king that if that city is rebuilt and the walls finished, as a result you will have no possession in the province beyond the River.”

The King Replies and Work Stops

17 Then the king sent an answer to Rehum the commander, to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their colleagues who live in Samaria and in the rest of the provinces beyond the River: “Peace. And now

18 the document which you sent to us has been 1atranslated and read before me.

19 “A decree has been 1issued by me, and a search has been made and it has been discovered that that city has risen up against the kings in past days, that rebellion and revolt have been perpetrated in it,

20 athat mighty kings have 1ruled over Jerusalem, governing all the provinces bbeyond the River, and that ctribute, custom and toll were paid to them.

21 “So, now issue a decree to make these men stop work, that this city may not be rebuilt until a decree is issued by me.

22 “Beware of being negligent in carrying out this matter; why should damage increase to the detriment of the kings?”

23 Then as soon as the copy of King Artaxerxes’ document was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their colleagues, they went in haste to Jerusalem to the Jews and stopped them by force of arms.

24 Then work on the house of God in Jerusalem ceased, and it was stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.