Ezra 6:15 - Prayer Tents

Ezra 6

The Decree of Darius

6King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives stored in the treasury at Babylon.H116H1868H4430H7761H2942H1240H1005H5609H8536H1596H5182H8952A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media, and this was written on it: Memorandum:H7912H307H1001H4083H4076H2298H4040H1459H1799H3652H37903In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem: Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its foundations be laid. It is to be ninety feet high and ninety feet wide,H2298H8140H3567H4430H3567H4430H7761H2942H1005H426H3390H1005H1124H870H1684H1685H787H5446H7314H8361H521H6613H8361H5214with three courses of large stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid by the royal treasury.H8532H5073H1560H69H5073H2323H636H5313H3052H4481H4430H10055Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, are to be returned to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; they are to be deposited in the house of God.H638H1722H3702H3984H1005H426H5020H5312H4481H1965H3390H2987H895H8421H1946H1965H3390H870H5182H1005H4266Now then, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and you, their fellow officials of that province, stay away from there.H3705H8674H6347H5675H5103H8370H3675H671H5675H5103H1934H7352H4481H85367Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its site.H5673H1791H1005H426H7662H6347H3062H7868H3062H1124H1791H1005H426H5922H8708Moreover, I hereby decree what you are to do for these elders of the Jews in the construction of this house of God: The expenses of these men are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury, from the revenues of Trans-Euphrates, so that the work will not stop.H4481H7761H2942H3964H5648H5974H7868H479H3062H1124H1791H1005H426H4430H5232H1768H4061H5675H5103H629H5313H1934H3052H479H1400H3809H9899Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, male lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem—must be given them daily without fail,H4101H2818H1123H8450H1798H563H5928H426H8065H2591H4416H2562H4887H3983H3549H3390H1934H3052H3118H3118H3809H796010so that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the well-being of the king and his sons.H1934H7127H5208H426H8065H6739H2417H4430H112311Furthermore, I decree that if anyone changes this edict, a beam is to be pulled from his house and he is to be lifted up and impaled on it. And for this crime his house is to be made a pile of rubble.H4481H7761H2942H3606H606H8133H1836H6600H636H5256H4481H1005H2211H4223H5922H1005H5648H5122H5922H183612May God, who has caused his Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree or to destroy this temple in Jerusalem. I Darius have decreed it. Let it be carried out with diligence.H426H8036H7932H8536H4049H3606H4430H5972H7972H3028H8133H2255H1791H1005H426H3390H576H1868H7761H2942H5648H629

Completion and Dedication of the Temple

13Then, because of the decree King Darius had sent, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates carried it out with diligence.H116H8674H6347H5675H5103H8370H3675H6903H1868H4430H7972H3660H5648H62914So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia.H7868H3062H1124H6744H5017H2292H5029H2148H1247H5714H1124H3635H4481H2941H426H3479H2942H3567H1868H783H4430H654015The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.H1836H1005H3319H5705H8532H3118H3393H144H1932H8353H8140H4437H1868H443016Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy.H1123H3479H3549H3879H7606H1123H1547H5648H2597H1836H1005H426H230517For the dedication of this house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred male lambs and, as a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, one for each of the tribes of Israel.H7127H2597H1836H1005H426H3969H8450H3969H1798H703H3969H563H2402H2409H5922H3606H3479H8648H6236H6841H5796H4510H7625H347918And they installed the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their groups for the service of God at Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.H6966H3549H6392H3879H4255H5922H5673H426H3390H3792H5609H4873

The Passover

19On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles celebrated the Passover.H1121H1473H6213H6453H702H6240H7223H232020The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were all ceremonially clean. The Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their brothers the priests and for themselves.H3548H3881H2891H259H2889H7819H6453H1121H1473H251H354821So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the LORD, the God of Israel.H1121H3478H7725H1473H914H2932H1471H776H1875H3068H430H3478H39822For seven days they celebrated with joy the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because the LORD had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria, so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel.H6213H2282H4682H7651H3117H8057H3068H8055H5437H3820H4428H804H2388H3027H4399H1004H430H430H3478