Immerse: Chronicles Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 119
3:12–4:12
CHRONICLES–EZRA–NEHEMIAH
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“He is so good!
His faithful love for Israel endures forever!”
Then all the people gave a great shout, praising the Lord because the
foundation of the Lord’s Temple had been laid.
But many of the older priests, Levites, and other leaders who had seen
the first Temple wept aloud when they saw the new Temple’s foundation.
The others, however, were shouting for joy. The joyful shouting and weeping mingled together in a loud noise that could be heard far in the distance.
The enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were rebuilding
a Temple to the Lord, the God of Israel. So they approached Zerubbabel
and the other leaders and said, “Let us build with you, for we worship your
God just as you do. We have sacrificed to him ever since King Esarhaddon
of Assyria brought us here.”
But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other leaders of Israel replied, “You may
have no part in this work. We alone will build the Temple for the Lord,
the God of Israel, just as King Cyrus of Persia commanded us.”
Then the local residents tried to discourage and frighten the people of
Judah to keep them from their work. They bribed agents to work against
them and to frustrate their plans. This went on during the entire reign of
King Cyrus of Persia and lasted until King Darius of Persia took the throne.
Years later when Xerxes began his reign, the enemies of Judah wrote a letter of accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
Even later, during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, the enemies of
Judah, led by Bishlam, Mithredath, and Tabeel, sent a letter to Artaxerxes
in the Aramaic language, and it was translated for the king.
Rehum the governor and Shimshai the court secretary wrote the letter,
telling King Artaxerxes about the situation in Jerusalem. They greeted the
king for all their colleagues—the judges and local leaders, the people of
Tarpel, the Persians, the Babylonians, and the people of Erech and Susa
(that is, Elam). They also sent greetings from the rest of the people whom
the great and noble Ashurbanipal had deported and relocated in Samaria
and throughout the neighboring lands of the province west of the Euphra
tes River. This is a copy of their letter:
“To King Artaxerxes, from your loyal subjects in the province west of
the Euphrates River.
“The king should know that the Jews who came here to Jerusalem
from Babylon are rebuilding this rebellious and evil city. They have
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