Cyrus king of Persia permitteth the Iewes to returne into their
countrie: 10. and deliuereth to them the holie vessels, which
Nabuchodonosor had taken from the temple. 16. Certaine aduersaries
writing to king Artaxerxes, hinder those that would repayre the ruines
of Ierusalem.
CYRVS king of the Persians reigning for the accomplishment of the word
of our Lord by the mouth of Ieremie, (2 Par 36:22 / 1 Esd 1:1 / 1 Esd
6:3 / Jer 25:12
/ Jer 29:10 / Dan 9:2) 2 our Lord raysed vp the spirit of Cyrus king of
/ the
Persians, and he proclaymed in al his kingdomes, and that by writing, 3
saying: Thus sayth Cyrus king of the Persians: The Lord of Israel, the
high Lord, hath made me king ouer the whole earth. 4 and hath signified
to me to build him a house in Ierusalem, which is in Iurie. 5 If there
be any of your kinred, his Lord goe vp with him into Ierusalem. 6
Whosoeuer therefore dwel about the places, let them helpe them that are
in the same place, in gold and siluer, 7 in giftes, with horses, and
beastes, and with other thinges which by vowes are added into the
temple of our Lord, which is in Ierusalem. 8 And the princes of the
tribes, of the villages and of Iurie, of the tribe of Beniamin, & the
Priestes, and the Leuites standing vp, whom our Lord moued to goe vp,
and to build the house of our Lord which is in Ierusalem, and they that
were round about them, 9 did helpe them with al their gold and siluer,
and beastes, and manie whose minde was stirred vp, with many vowes. 10
And Cyrus the king brought forth the sacred vessel of our Lord, which
Nabuchodonosor the king of Babylon transported out of Ierusalem, and
consecrated them to his Idol. 11 And Cyrus the king of Persians
bringing them forth, deliuered them to Mithridatus, who was ouer his
treasures. 12 And by him they were deliuered to Salmanasar president of
Iurie. 13 And of these this was the number: Cuppes for libamentes of
siluer two thousand foure hundred, basens of siluer thirtie: phials of
gold thirtie, also of siluer two thousand foure hundred: and other
vessels a thousand. 14 and al the vessels of gold and siluer, were fiue
thousand eight hundred sixtie. 15 And they were numbered to Salmanasar
together with them, that came out of the captiuite of Babylon into
Ierusalem. 16 But in the times of Artaxerxes king of the Persians,
there wrote to him of them that dwelt in Iurie and Ierusalem, Balsamus,
and Mithridatus, and Sabellius, and Rathimus, Balthemus, Sabellius
scribe, and the rest dweling in Samaria, and other places the epistle
folowing to king Artaxerxes. (1 Esd 4:7) 17 SIR, thy seruantes Rathimus
ouer occurrentes, and Sabellius the scribe, and the other iudges of thy
court in Caelesyria, and Phenice. 18 And now be it knowen to our Lord
the king, that Iewes came vp from you to vs, coming into Ierusalem a
rebellious, & very naughty citie, do build the fornaces thereof, and
set vp the walles, and rayse the temple. 19 And if this citie, and the
walles shal be finished, they wil not onlie not abyde to pay tributes,
but also wil resist the kinges. 20 And because that is in doing about
the temple, we thought it should doe wel not to neglect this same
thing: 21 but to make it knowen to our Lord the king, that if it shal
seme good, o king it may be sought in the bookes of thy fathers, 22 and
thou shalt find in the recordes, thinges writen of these, and thou
shalt know that this citie hath bene rebellious, and trubling kinges,
and cities, 23 and the Iewes rebelles, & making battels in it from time
out of mind, for the which cause this citie was made desolate. 24 Now
therfore we doe thee to vnderstand, Lord king, that if this citie shal
be built, and the walles therof shal be erected, there wil be no
comming downe for thee into Caelesyria, & Phenice. 25 Then wrote the
king to Rathimus, the writer of the occurrentes, and to Balthemus, and
to Sabellius the scribe, and to the rest ioyned with them, and to the
dwellers in Syria, and Phenice, as foloweth: 26 I haue read the epistle
that you sent me. I commanded therfore search to be made, & it was
found that the same citie is from the beginning rebellious to kinges,
27 and the men rebelles, and making battels in it, & there were most
valient kinges ruling in Ierusalem, and exacting tributes in
Caelesyria, & Phenice. 28 Now therfore I haue geuen commandment to
forbid those men to build the citie, and to stay them that nothing be
done more then is: 29 and that they proceeded not farder, wherof are
euils, so that there may be truble brougt vpon the kinges. 30 Then
these things being read which were writen of king Artaxerxes, Rathimus,
and Sabellius the scribe, and they that were apointed with them ioyning
together in hast came to Ierusalem with a troupe of horsemen, and
multitude, & companie: 31 and they begane to forbid the builders, and
they ceased from building of the temple in Ierusalem, til in the second
yeare of the reigne of Darius king of the Persians.