Ezra 6

1Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in the house of the archives, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon.

1King Darius issued an order, and a search was conducted in the Babylonian archives where the royal treasures and records were kept.

2And there was found at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of Media, a roll, and therein was thus written for a record:

2A scroll was found in the fortress of Achmetha, in the province of Media, and this was written on it:

3In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king made a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be builded, the place where they offer sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits;

3In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem: Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to offer sacrifices, and let its foundations be set. It is to be ninety feet high and ninety feet wide,

4with three courses of great stones, and a course of new timber: and let the expenses be given out of the king’s house.

4with three layers of large stones and one layer of new timber. The costs are to be paid from the royal treasury.

5And also let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which is at Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and brought again unto the temple which is at Jerusalem, every one to its place; and thou shalt put them in the house of God.

5Also, the gold and silver items from the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, must be returned. They are to be taken back to the temple in Jerusalem and put in their proper places in the house of God.

6Now therefore, Tattenai, governor beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and your companions the Apharsachites, who are beyond the River, be ye far from thence:

6Now then, Tattenai, governor of the province west of the Euphrates River, Shethar-bozenai, and your fellow officials of that province, stay away from there.

7let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in its place.

7Do not interfere with the work on this house of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its original site.

8Moreover I make a decree what ye shall do to these elders of the Jews for the building of this house of God: that of the king’s goods, even of the tribute beyond the River, expenses be given with all diligence unto these men, that they be not hindered.

8Furthermore, I decree what you must do for these Jewish elders to help them build this house of God: The full cost of the construction is to be paid immediately to these men from the royal treasury, using the taxes collected from the province west of the Euphrates, so that the work is not interrupted.

9And that which they have need of, both young bullocks, and rams, and lambs, for burnt-offerings to the God of heaven; also wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the word of the priests that are at Jerusalem, let it be given them day by day without fail;

9Whatever they need—young bulls, rams, and male lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, or wheat, salt, wine, and olive oil—must be given to them every day without fail, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem,

10that they may offer sacrifices of sweet savor unto the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king, and of his sons.

10so that they may offer sacrifices that please the God of heaven and pray for the well-being of the king and his sons.

11Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this word, let a beam be pulled out from his house, and let him be lifted up and fastened thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill for this:

11I also decree that if anyone changes this order, a beam is to be pulled from their house and they are to be lifted up and impaled on it. Because of this crime, their house is to be turned into a pile of rubble.

12and the God that hath caused his name to dwell there overthrow all kings and peoples that shall put forth their hand to alter the same, to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree; let it be done with all diligence.

12May the God who has chosen to dwell there overthrow any king or people who tries to change this decree or destroy this temple of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued this decree; let it be carried out with total dedication.

13Then Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their companions, because that Darius the king had sent, did accordingly with all diligence.

13Then Tattenai, governor of the province west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their colleagues carried out King Darius's orders with great care.

14And the elders of the Jews builded and prospered, through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the decree of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

14So the Jewish elders continued to build and were successful, encouraged by the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished the building as commanded by the God of Israel and according to the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, the kings of Persia.

15And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

15The temple was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of King Darius’s reign.

16And the children of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy.

16Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with great joy.

17And they offered at the dedication of this house of God a hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin-offering for all Israel, twelve he-goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

17For the dedication of this house of God, they offered one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, and four hundred male lambs. As a sin offering for all Israel, they offered twelve male goats, matching the number of the tribes of Israel.

18And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses.

18They organized the priests into their groups and the Levites into their divisions for the service of God in Jerusalem, just as it is written in the Book of Moses.

19And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month.

19On the fourteenth day of the first month, the returned exiles celebrated the Passover.

20For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were pure: and they killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.

20The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were all ceremonially clean. The Levites killed the Passover lambs for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves.

21And the children of Israel that were come again out of the captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the nations of the land, to seek Jehovah, the God of Israel, did eat,

21The Israelites who had returned from exile ate the meal, together with all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of the neighboring nations to worship the LORD, the God of Israel.

22and kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for Jehovah had made them joyful, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

22For seven days they celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread with joy, because the LORD had made them happy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria toward them, so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel.