I Esdras 6

¹Forsothe in the secounde yeer of the rewme of Darij, Agge propheciede, and Zacharias, the sone of Addyn, a prophete, anentis Judee and in Jerusalem, in the name of the Lord God of Israel, upon hem.

²Thanne stondynge Sorobabel, the sone of Salathiel, and Jesus, the sone of Josedech, thei bigunnen to bilde up the hous of the Lord, that is in Jerusalem;

³whanne ther weren niy to hem prophetis of the Lord, and helpiden hem. In that tyme came to hem Cysennes, the vndir litil kyng of Cirye and of Fenycis, and Satrabozanes, and her felawis.

⁴And thei seiden to hem, Who comaundide to you, that ye bilden this hows, and this roof, and many othere thingis ye perfourmen? and who ben tho bilders, that bilden up thes thingis?

⁵And the eldre men of Israel hadden grace of the Lord, whanne the visitacioun of hem was maad upon hem that weren of the caitifte;

⁶and thei weren not lettid to bilden up, to the tyme that it were signified to Darij of alle thes thingis, and an answere were taken ayen.

⁷This is the ensaumple of the lettre, that Cysennes, the vndir kyng of Cyrie and of Fenyces, and Satrobosanes, and her felawis, rewlers in Sirye and in Fenyce, senden to the king. To kyng Darye, gretyng.

⁸Alle thingis be thei knowen to the lord the kyng; forsothe whanne we camen in to the regioun of Judee, and wenten in to Jerusalem, we founden men bildynge a greet hous of God,

⁹and a temple of gret polishid stones, and of precious maters in the wallis;

¹⁰and tho werkis besily in makynge, and to help, and to make welsum in the hondis of hem, and in al glorie, ful diligently to be perfourmyd.

¹¹Thanne we askiden the eldre men, seiynge, Who suffride you to bilde this hous, and to bilde thes werkis?

¹²Therfor forsothe we askiden hem, that we myyten make knowen to thee the men, and the prouostis, or reuys; and we askiden hem the writyng of the names of the maistris of the werk.

¹³And thei answeriden to vs, seiynge, We ben seruauntis of the Lord, that made bothe heuen and erthe;

¹⁴and this hous was bild bifore thes many yeris of the kyng of Israel, that was greet, and a ful strong kyng, and it was destried ayen.

¹⁵And for oure fadris terriden and synneden ayen God of Israel, he bitook hem in to the hondis of Nabugodonosor, kyng of Babiloyne, kyng of Caldeis;

¹⁶and thei destrieden and brenden up this hous, and thei brouyten the peple maad thral in to Babiloyne.

¹⁷In the first yeer regnynge Cyro, kyng of Babiloyne, kyng Cyrus wroot to bilden up this hous;

¹⁸and tho hooly golden vessels and silueren, that Nabugodonosor had born awey fro the hous of God, that is in Jerusalem, and had sacrid hem in his temple, efte kyng Cyrus brouyte hem forth fro the temple that was in Babiloyn, and thei weren bitake to Sorobabel, and to Salmanasar, the vndir litil kyng.

¹⁹And it was comaundid to hem, that thei offre thes vessels, and thei schulde ley hem up in the temple, that was in Jerusalem, and to bilde up that temple of God in that place.

²⁰Thanne Salmanasar vndirleide the foundementis of the hous of the Lord, that is in Jerusalem; and fro thennes vn to now is a bildynge, and hath take no ful endyng.

²¹Now thanne, O kyng! if it is demed of thee, that it be perfitly souyt in the kyngis libraries of kyng Cyry, that ben in Babiloyne;

²²and if it were founden in the counseil of kyng Ciry, the makyng of the hous of the Lord, that is in Jerusalem, to be bigunnen, and if it schal be schewid of the lord oure kyng, write he to vs of thes thingis.

²³Thanne kyng Darie comaundid to ben ynwardly souyt in the libraries; and ther was founden in Egbathanys, a borouy town, that is in the myddil regioun, a place, in the whiche weren wreten thes thingis.

²⁴The firste yer regnynge Cyro kyng, Cyrus comaundide to bilden up the hous of the Lord, that is in Jerusalem, where thei brenden with contynuel fijr; whos heiyt was maad of lx. cubitis,

²⁵and the brede of sixty cubitis, squarid with thre polischid stones, and with soler tree of the same regioun, and with o newe soler; and costis to be youen of the hous of king Cyrus;

²⁶and the holy vessels of the hous of the Lord, bothe golden and silueren, that Nabugodonosor bare awey, that tho be putt thidere in to the hous, that is in Jerusalem, where thei weren put.

²⁷And he comaundide Cysennem, the vndir litil kyng of Cyrie and Fenyce, and Satrabusanam, and his felawis, to do her bisynesse, and thei that weren in Sirie and Fenyce ordeyneden rewlers, that thei schulden absteyne them fro the same place.

²⁸And I also comaundide to make it up al, and I lokide forth, that thei help them that ben of the caitiftee of Jewis, vnto the tyme that the temple of the hous of the Lord be full endid;

²⁹and a quantitee to be youen diligently to these men of the traueile of the tributis of Sirye Choles and Fenyces, to the sacrifice of the Lord, to Sorobabel, the prefect, to bolis, and wetheris, and to lombis;

³⁰also forsothe bothe whete, and salt, wyn, and oile, bisily bi alle yeris, as the prestis, that ben in Jerusalem, ordeyneden to be fulfillid eche day, withoute ony delay;

³¹also that ther be offrid offryngis of licours to the hiyest God, for the kyng, and for his children, and preie thei for the lijf of hem.

³²And be it denounsid, that who so euer ouer passen ony thing of these thingis that ben wreten, outher despisen, be ther taken a tree of her owne, and be thei hangid theron, and her goodes be ethchetid to the kyng.

³³Therfor also the Lord, whos name is ynwardly clepid there, outlawe he eche kyng and folk, that strecchen out her hoond to offende, or to yuele trete that hous of the Lord, that is in Jerusalem.

³⁴I, kyng Darie, haue maad a decree, to be don as moost diligently after thes thingis.

I Esdras 6

¹Now in the second year of the reign of Darius, Aggeus and Zacharias the son of Addo, the prophets, prophesied unto the Jews in Jewry and Jerusalem in the name of the Lord God of Israel, which was upon them.

²Then stood up Zorobabel the son of Salatiel, and Jesus the son of Josedec, and began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, the prophets of the Lord being with them, and helping them.

³At the same time came unto them Sisinnes the governor of Syria and Phenice, with Sathrabuzanes and his companions, and said unto them,

⁴By whose appointment do ye build this house and this roof, and perform all the other things? and who are the workmen that perform these things?

⁵Nevertheless the elders of the Jews obtained favour, because the Lord had visited the captivity;

⁶And they were not hindered from building, until such time as signification was given unto Darius concerning them, and an answer received.

⁷The copy of the letters which Sisinnes, governor of Syria and Phenice, and Sathrabuzanes, with their companions, rulers in Syria and Phenice, wrote and sent unto Darius; To king Darius, greeting:

⁸Let all things be known unto our lord the king, that being come into the country of Judea, and entered into the city of Jerusalem we found in the city of Jerusalem the ancients of the Jews that were of the captivity

⁹Building an house unto the Lord, great and new, of hewn and costly stones, and the timber already laid upon the walls.

¹⁰And those works are done with great speed, and the work goeth on prosperously in their hands, and with all glory and diligence is it made.

¹¹Then asked we these elders, saying, By whose commandment build ye this house, and lay the foundations of these works?

¹²Therefore to the intent that we might give knowledge unto thee by writing, we demanded of them who were the chief doers, and we required of them the names in writing of their principal men.

¹³So they gave us this answer, We are the servants of the Lord which made heaven and earth.

¹⁴And as for this house, it was builded many years ago by a king of Israel great and strong, and was finished.

¹⁵But when our fathers provoked God unto wrath, and sinned against the Lord of Israel which is in heaven, he gave them over into the power of Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon, of the Chaldees;

¹⁶Who pulled down the house, and burned it, and carried away the people captives unto Babylon.

¹⁷But in the first year that king Cyrus reigned over the country of Babylon, Cyrus the king wrote to build up this house.

¹⁸And the holy vessels of gold and of silver, that Nabuchodonosor had carried away out of the house at Jerusalem, and had set them in his own temple those Cyrus the king brought forth again out of the temple at Babylon, and they were delivered to Zorobabel and to Sanabassarus the ruler,

¹⁹With commandment that he should carry away the same vessels, and put them in the temple at Jerusalem; and that the temple of the Lord should be built in his place.

²⁰Then the same Sanabassarus, being come hither, laid the foundations of the house of the Lord at Jerusalem; and from that time to this being still a building, it is not yet fully ended.

²¹Now therefore, if it seem good unto the king, let search be made among the records of king Cyrus:

²²And if it be found that the building of the house of the Lord at Jerusalem hath been done with the consent of king Cyrus, and if our lord the king be so minded, let him signify unto us thereof.

²³Then commanded king Darius to seek among the records at Babylon: and so at Ecbatane the palace, which is in the country of Media, there was found a roll wherein these things were recorded.

²⁴In the first year of the reign of Cyrus king Cyrus commanded that the house of the Lord at Jerusalem should be built again, where they do sacrifice with continual fire:

²⁵Whose height shall be sixty cubits and the breadth sixty cubits, with three rows of hewn stones, and one row of new wood of that country; and the expences thereof to be given out of the house of king Cyrus:

²⁶And that the holy vessels of the house of the Lord, both of gold and silver, that Nabuchodonosor took out of the house at Jerusalem, and brought to Babylon, should be restored to the house at Jerusalem, and be set in the place where they were before.

²⁷And also he commanded that Sisinnes the governor of Syria and Phenice, and Sathrabuzanes, and their companions, and those which were appointed rulers in Syria and Phenice, should be careful not to meddle with the place, but suffer Zorobabel, the servant of the Lord, and governor of Judea, and the elders of the Jews, to build the house of the Lord in that place.

²⁸I have commanded also to have it built up whole again; and that they look diligently to help those that be of the captivity of the Jews, till the house of the Lord be finished:

²⁹And out of the tribute of Celosyria and Phenice a portion carefully to be given these men for the sacrifices of the Lord, that is, to Zorobabel the governor, for bullocks, and rams, and lambs;

³⁰And also corn, salt, wine, and oil, and that continually every year without further question, according as the priests that be in Jerusalem shall signify to be daily spent:

³¹That offerings may be made to the most high God for the king and for his children, and that they may pray for their lives.

³²And he commanded that whosoever should transgress, yea, or make light of any thing afore spoken or written, out of his own house should a tree be taken, and he thereon be hanged, and all his goods seized for the king.

³³The Lord therefore, whose name is there called upon, utterly destroy every king and nation, that stretcheth out his hand to hinder or endamage that house of the Lord in Jerusalem.

³⁴I Darius the king have ordained that according unto these things it be done with diligence.