Ezra 6

A Scroll Found in the Archives Finished the House

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The Archived Order of Cyrus

6:1Then Darius the king issued a decision and made a search in the libraries where the treasury is kept in Babylon.

6:2A scroll was found in a city, in the citadel of the city of the Medes, and this was written in it: “Memorandum:

6:3In the first year of Cyrus the king, King Cyrus issued a decision concerning the house of God in Jerusalem: Let the house be built, and the place where they sacrifice the sacrifices. He set an elevation: sixty cubits high and sixty cubits wide,

6:4with three courses of strong stone and one wooden course. The expense will be paid from the king’s house.

6:5And let the silver and gold vessels of God’s house, which Nabouchodonosor took from the house in Jerusalem and carried to Babylon, be given back and go to the sanctuary in Jerusalem, to the place where they were set in God’s house.”

Darius Orders Support for the Work

6:6“Now you shall give, governors beyond the river, Satharbouzana and their fellow slaves the Apharsachaians beyond the river; keeping far away from there,

6:7leave the work on God’s house alone. Let the leaders of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build that house of God on its site.

6:8I have issued a decision that you must not do anything with the elders of the Jews concerning the building of that house of God. From the king’s resources, from the taxes beyond the river, let the expense be diligently supplied to those men, so that it is not stopped.

6:9Whatever may be lacking—offspring of cattle and of rams, and lambs for whole burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine and oil—let it be given to them day by day according to the word of the priests in Jerusalem, whatever they ask,

6:10so that they may offer sweet fragrances to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons.

6:11I have also issued a decision: for anyone who changes this word, a timber will be taken down from his house, and he will be raised upright and fastened upon it. His house will be dealt with according to me.

6:12The God whose name dwells there will overthrow every king and people who stretches out a hand to alter or destroy that house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued the decision; it shall be carried out diligently.”

Completion and Dedication

6:13Then Thanthanai, governor beyond the river, Satharbouzana and his fellow slaves acted diligently according to what Darius the king had sent.

6:14The elders of the Jews and the Levites were building through the prophecy of Haggai the prophet and Zacharias son of Addo. They rebuilt and put it in order by the decision of the God of Israel and by the decision of Cyrus, Darius and Arthasastha, kings of the Persians.

6:15They completed this house by the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

6:16The sons of Israel—the priests, the Levites and the remaining sons of the deportation—celebrated the dedication of God’s house with joy.

6:17For the dedication of God’s house they offered one hundred young bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and twelve male goats for sin on behalf of all Israel, according to the number of Israel’s tribes.

6:18They stationed the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their allotted groups over the service of God in Jerusalem, according to the writing of the book of Moses.

Passover and Unleavened Bread

6:19The sons of the deportation kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.

6:20For the priests and Levites had been purified, all clean to the last one. They slaughtered the Passover for all the sons of the deportation, for their brothers the priests and for themselves.

6:21The sons of Israel ate the Passover, those from the deportation and everyone separating himself from the uncleanness of the nations of the land to join them, to seek the Lord, God of Israel.

6:22They kept the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days with joy, for the Lord had made them joyful and turned the heart of the king of Assour toward them, to strengthen their hands in the works of the house of the God of Israel.

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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.