Ezra 4:6 - Prayer Tents

Adversaries Hinder the Work

4Now when the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people of the exile were building a temple to the LORD God of Israel,H6862H3063H1144H8085H1121H1473H1129H1964H3068H430H34782they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' [households,] and said to them, "Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here."H5066H2216H7218H1H559H1129H1875H430H2076H3117H634H4428H804H59273But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers' [households] of Israel said to them, "You have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us."H2216H3442H7605H7218H1H3478H559H1129H1004H430H3162H1129H3068H430H3478H4428H3566H4428H6539H66804Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah, and frightened them from building,H5971H776H7503H3027H5971H3063H926H1089H11295and hired counselors against them to frustrate their counsel all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.H7936H3289H6565H6098H3117H3566H4428H6539H4438H1867H4428H65396Now in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.H4438H325H8462H4438H3789H7855H3427H3063H33897And in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his colleagues, wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the text of the letter was written in Aramaic and translated [from] Aramaic.H3117H783H3789H1312H4990H2870H7605H3674H783H4428H6539H3791H5406H3789H762H8638H762

The Letter to King Artaxerxes

8Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes, as follows—H7348H1169H2942H8124H5613H3790H2298H104H5922H3390H783H4430H36609then [wrote] Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe and the rest of their colleagues, the judges and the lesser governors, the officials, the secretaries, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the Elamites,H116H7348H1169H2942H8124H5613H7606H3675H1784H671H2967H670H756H896H7801H1723H596210and the rest of the nations which the great and honorable Osnappar deported and settled in the city of Samaria, and in the rest of the region beyond the River. And nowH7606H524H1768H7229H3358H620H1541H3488H1994H7149H8115H7606H5675H5103H370611this is the copy of the letter which they sent to him: "To King Artaxerxes: Your servants, the men in the region beyond the River, and nowH1836H6573H104H1768H7972H5922H783H4430H5649H606H5675H5103H370612let it be known to the king, that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem; they are rebuilding the rebellious and evil city, and are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations.H1934H3046H4430H3062H1768H5559H4481H3890H5922H858H3390H1124H4779H873H7149H3635H3635H7792H2338H78713"Now let it be known to the king, that if that city is rebuilt and the walls are finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and it will damage the revenue of the kings.H3046H1934H3705H4430H2006H1791H7149H1124H7792H3635H3809H5415H4061H1093H1983H5142H674H443014"Now because we are in the service of the palace, and it is not fitting for us to see the king's dishonor, therefore we have sent and informed the king,H3705H6903H3606H1768H4415H4416H1965H3809H749H2370H4430H6173H5922H1836H7972H3046H443015so that a search may be made in the record books of your fathers. And you will discover in the record books, and learn that that city is a rebellious city and damaging to kings and provinces, and that they have incited revolt within it in past days; therefore that city was laid waste.H1240H5609H1799H2H7912H5609H1799H3046H1791H7149H4779H7149H5142H4430H4083H5648H849H1459H4481H5957H3118H5922H1836H1791H7149H271816"We inform the king that, if that city is rebuilt and the walls finished, as a result you will have no possession in [the province] beyond the River."H586H3046H4430H2006H1791H7149H1124H7792H3635H1836H6903H383H3809H2508H5675H5103

The King Replies and Work Stops

17[Then] the king sent an answer to Rehum the commander, to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their colleagues who live in Samaria and in the rest of [the provinces] beyond the River: "Peace. And nowH7972H4430H6600H5922H7348H1169H2942H8124H5613H7606H3675H3488H8115H7606H5675H5103H8001H370618the document which you sent to us has been translated and read before me.H5407H7972H5922H6568H7123H692519"And a decree has been issued by me, and a search has been made and it has been discovered that that city has risen up against the kings in past days, that rebellion and revolt have been perpetrated in it,H4481H7761H2942H1240H7912H1791H7149H4481H5957H3118H5376H5922H4430H4776H849H564820that mighty kings have ruled over Jerusalem, governing all [the provinces] beyond the River, and that tribute, custom, and toll were paid to them.H1934H8624H4430H5922H3390H7990H3606H5675H5103H4061H1093H1983H305221"So, now issue a decree to make these men stop [work,] that the city may not be rebuilt until a decree is issued by me.H7761H3705H2942H989H479H1400H989H1791H7149H3809H1124H5705H2941H7761H448122"And beware of being negligent in carrying out this [matter;] why should damage increase to the detriment of the kings?"H1934H2095H7960H5922H5648H1836H4101H2257H7680H5142H443023Then as soon as the copy of King Artaxerxes' document was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their colleagues, they went in haste to Jerusalem to the Jews and stopped them by force of arms.H116H4481H1768H6573H4430H783H5407H7123H6925H7348H8124H5613H3675H236H924H3390H5922H3062H1994H989H153H242924Then work on the house of God in Jerusalem ceased, and it was stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.H116H989H5673H1005H426H3390H1934H989H5705H8648H8140H4437H1868H4430H6540