¹When Judah and Benjamin heard, the enemies of the children of the exile built a temple to Yahweh the God of Israel.

²They drew near to Zerubbabel and to the head of the fathers, and said to them, We will build with you, for as you, we will inquire to your God, and to him we sacrificed from the day of Esar-haddon the king of Assyria, who brought us up here.

³Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the remnant of the head of the fathers to Israel said to them, Not to you and to us to build a house to our God, for we together will build to Yahweh the God of Israel, as the king Cyrus the king of Persia commanded us.

⁴And there was the people of the land letting go the hands of the people of Judah, and terrifying them to build.

⁵And hiring counselors over them to break their counsel, all the days of Cyrus the king of Persia, and in the kingdom of Darius the king of Persia.

⁶And in the kingdom of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his kingdom, they wrote an accusation over those who dwelled in Judah and Jerusalem.

⁷And in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the remnant of his associates wrote over Artaxerxes the king of Persia; and the roll of the letter was written in Aramaic and interpreted in Aramaic.

⁸Rehum the owner of the decree and Shimshai the secretary wrote one letter-missive over Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king accordingly.

⁹Then Rehum the owner of the decree and Shimshai the secretary and the rest of their associates, the Dinay and the officials, the Tarpelites, the Persians, the Babylonians, the Susians, the Elamites.

¹⁰And the rest of the nations, who Osnappar the great and rare revealed and he sat them in the city of Samaria, and the rest of the region across of the river, and now.

¹¹This is the copy of the letter-missive that they sent in him over Artaxerxes the king: Your servants, the men of the region across of the river, and now.

¹²Be it known to the king that the Jewish who lifted from you over us brought to Jerusalem; they are building the rebellious and bad city, and they have completed the walls and repaired the foundations.

¹³Now be it known to the king that if this city will be built and the walls will complete, they will not give tribute and toll, and in the end you will cause loss to the kings.

¹⁴Now, because we ate the salt of the palace, the salt, and it is not fitting to us to see the dishonor of the king, over this we sent and we made known to the king.

¹⁵That he will inquire in the book of the memorandums of your fathers, and you will find in the book of the memorandums and you will know that this city is a rebellious city, and injuring kings and provinces, and they made revolt in her midst from the days of the forever, over which this city was wasted.

¹⁶We make known to the king that if this city will be built and the walls will complete, because of this there is not to you a portion in the region across of the river.

¹⁷The king sent a matter over Rehum the owner of the decree and Shimshai the secretary and the rest of their associates who sat in Samaria and the rest of the region across of the river: Peace, and now.

¹⁸The letter that you sent over us was made distinct, proclaiming before me.

¹⁹And from me a decree was paid, and they inquired and they found that this city from the days of the forever carried away over kings, and rebellion and revolt was made in it.

²⁰And strong kings willed be over Jerusalem and ruling in all of the region across of the river, and tribute and toll was given to them.

²¹Now pay a decree to cause these men to cease, and this city will not be built, until from me a decree will be paid.

²²And be warned to not make anything to this, to what harm will multiply to the loss of kings.

²³Then, when the copy of the letter of Artaxerxes the king was proclaimed before Rehum and Shimshai the secretary and their associates, they went in haste to Jerusalem over the Jewish, and they ceased them by force and loudly.

²⁴In the then the affairs of the house of God in Jerusalem ceased; and she willed be ceased until the year of twelve to the kingdom of Darius the king of Persia.