4:1 When the foes of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles¹ were building a temple for the LORD God of Israel, 4:2 they came to Zerubbabel and the leaders² and said to them, “Let us help you build, for like you we seek your God and we have been sacrificing to him³ from the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.” 4:3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the leaders of Israel said to them, “You have no right⁴ to help us build the temple of our God, for we will build it by ourselves for the LORD God of Israel, just as King Cyrus, king of Persia, has commanded us.” 4:4 Then the local people⁵ began to discourage⁶ the people of Judah and to dishearten them from building. 4:5 They were hiring advisors to oppose them, so as to frustrate their plans, throughout the time⁷ of Cyrus king of Persia until the reign of Darius⁸ king of Persia.

4:6 At the beginning of the reign of Ahasuerus⁹ they filed an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. 4:7 Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their colleagues¹⁰ wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia in the days of Artaxerxes. This letter¹¹ was first written in Aramaic but then translated.

[Aramaic]¹² 4:8 Rehum the commander¹³ and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter concerning Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows: 4:9 Then Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues—the judges, rulers, officials, secretaries of the Erechites, Babylonians, people of Susa (that is, the Elamites), 4:10 and the rest of nations whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the cities¹⁴ of Samaria and other places in the Trans-Euphrates. 4:11 This is a copy of the letter that they sent to him.

“To Artaxerxes the king, from your servants in¹⁵ the Trans-Euphrates. 4:12 Now¹⁶ let the king be aware of the fact that the Jews who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem. They are building that rebellious and odius city. They are completing its walls and repairing its foundations. 4:13 Let the king also be aware of the fact that if this city is built and its walls are completed, no more tax, custom, or toll will be paid, and the royal¹⁷ treasury will suffer loss. 4:14 In light of the fact that we are loyal to the king,¹⁸ and since it does not seem appropriate to us that the king should sustain damage, we are sending the king this information¹⁹ 4:15 so that he may initiate a search of the records²⁰ of his predecessors²¹ and discover in these records and learn that this city is one that is rebellious and injurious to both kings and provinces, producing internal revolts from way back.²² It is for this reason that this city was destroyed. 4:16 We therefore are informing the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, you will not retain control²³ of this portion of Trans-Euphrates.”

4:17 The king sent the following response.

“To Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues who live in Samaria and other parts of the Trans-Euphrates—Greetings!²⁴ 4:18 The letter that you sent to us has been translated and read in my presence. 4:19 So I gave orders, and it was determined²⁵ that this city from way back has been engaging in insurrection against kings. It has continually engaged in rebellion and revolt. 4:20 Powerful kings have been over Jerusalem who ruled throughout the entire Trans-Euphrates and who were the beneficiaries of tribute, custom, and toll. 4:21 Now give orders that these men cease their work and that this city not be rebuilt until such time as I so instruct.²⁶ 4:22 Exercise appropriate caution that there be no negligence in this matter. Why should danger increase to the point that kings sustain damage?”

4:23 Then as soon as the copy of the letter of Artaxerxes the king was read in the presence of Rehum, Shishai the scribe, and their colleagues, they proceeded promptly to the Jews in Jerusalem²⁷ and stopped them with threat of armed force.²⁸

4:24 So the work on the temple of God in Jerusalem came to a halt. It remained halted until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.