1 The enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple for the LORD God of Israel,
2 so they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers' houses and said, "Let us build alongside you, for like you we seek your God, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here."
3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other heads of Israel's fathers' houses answered them, "It is not for you and us together to build a house for our God; we alone will build it for the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, ordered us."
4 From then on the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build.
5 They bribed advisers to work against them and foil their plans throughout the reign of Cyrus king of Persia and into the reign of Darius king of Persia.
6 At the start of the reign of Ahasuerus they lodged an accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
7 And in the time of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his colleagues wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic script and translated into Aramaic.
8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes against Jerusalem, as follows:
9 From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues, the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, the Dehavites, and the Elamites,
10 and the other peoples that the great and honorable Osnappar deported and resettled in the city of Samaria and elsewhere in the province Beyond the River, and so on.
11 Here is a copy of the letter they sent him: "To King Artaxerxes, from your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River, and so on.
12 The king should know that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and evil city. They are completing the walls and repairing the foundations.
13 And now the king should know that if this city is rebuilt and its walls completed, they will not pay tribute, duty, or toll, and in the end the royal treasury will suffer.
14 Since we eat the salt of the palace and it is not proper for us to see the king dishonored, we are sending to inform the king,
15 so that a search may be made in the record books of your fathers. In the record books you will find out and learn that this city is a rebellious city, troublesome to kings and provinces, and that revolt has been stirred up within it since ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed.
16 We are informing the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls completed, you will be left with no share in the province Beyond the River."
17 The king sent this reply: "To Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues living in Samaria and elsewhere in the province Beyond the River: Greetings, and so on.
18 The letter you sent us has been read to me word for word.
19 I issued an order, a search was carried out, and it was found that this city has a long history of rising up against kings, and that rebellion and revolt have taken place in it.
20 Powerful kings have ruled over Jerusalem and governed the whole province Beyond the River, and tribute, duty, and toll were paid to them.
21 So now issue an order to stop these men, so that this city is not rebuilt until I give the order.
22 Be careful not to neglect this matter. Why let the damage grow to the injury of the kings?"
23 As soon as the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read to Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their colleagues, they hurried to the Jews in Jerusalem and forced them to stop by armed force.
24 So work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a halt and stayed halted until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.