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The Blue Letter Bible

Ezra 4 :: New King James Version (NKJV)

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Resistance to Rebuilding the Temple
Enemies Try to Stop the Temple Work

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:1

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:1 - Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the LORD God of Israel,

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:2

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:2 - they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:3

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:3 - But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel said to them, “You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:4

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:4 - Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building,

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:5

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:5 - and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Rebuilding of Jerusalem Opposed

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:6

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:6 - In the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:7

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:7 - In the days of Artaxerxes also, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabel, and the rest of their companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the letter was written in Aramaic script, and translated into the Aramaic language.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:8

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:8 - Rehum[fn] the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes in this fashion:

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:9

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:9 - From[fn] Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions—representatives of the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the people of Persia and Erech and Babylon and Shushan,[fn] the Dehavites, the Elamites,

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:10

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:10 - and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnapper took captive and settled in the cities of Samaria and the remainder beyond the River[fn]—and so forth.[fn]

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:11

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:11 - (This is a copy of the letter that they sent him)
To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the men of the region beyond the River, and so forth:[fn]

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:12

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:12 - Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem, and are building the rebellious and evil city, and are finishing its walls and repairing the foundations.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:13

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:13 - Let it now be known to the king that, if this city is built and the walls completed, they will not pay tax, tribute, or custom, and the king’s treasury will be diminished.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:14

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:14 - Now because we receive support from the palace, it was not proper for us to see the king’s dishonor; therefore we have sent and informed the king,

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:15

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:15 - that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. And you will find in the book of the records and know that this city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, and that they have incited sedition within the city in former times, for which cause this city was destroyed.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:16

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:16 - We inform the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, the result will be that you will have no dominion beyond the River.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:17

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:17 - The king sent an answer:
To Rehum the commander, to Shimshai the scribe, to the rest of their companions who dwell in Samaria, and to the remainder beyond the River:
Peace, and so forth.[fn]

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:18

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:18 - The letter which you sent to us has been clearly read before me.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:19

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:19 - And I gave the command, and a search has been made, and it was found that this city in former times has revolted against kings, and rebellion and sedition have been fostered in it.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:20

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:20 - There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem, who have ruled over all the region beyond the River; and tax, tribute, and custom were paid to them.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:21

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:21 - Now give the command to make these men cease, that this city may not be built until the command is given by me.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:22

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:22 - Take heed now that you do not fail to do this. Why should damage increase to the hurt of the kings?

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:23

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:23 - Now when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem against the Jews, and by force of arms made them cease.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:24

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:24 - Thus the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem ceased, and it was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
See the NKJV Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).
NKJV Footnotes
The original language of Ezra 4:8 through 6:18 is Aramaic.
Literally Then
Or Susa
That is, the Euphrates
Literally and now
Literally and now
Literally and now
NKJV

New King James Version, © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

The text of the New King James Version (NKJV) appearing on or deriving from this or any other web page is for personal use only. Any other use of the NKJV must be in conformity with the Quotation Policy for the New King James Version. For more information about the New King James Version, the Quotation Policy, and for inquiries about permission to use the New King James Version, go to Thomas Nelson, Inc..

For more information on this translation, see the NKJV Preface.

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Ezra Chapter 4 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New Living Translation New International Version English Standard Version Christian Standard Bible New American Standard Bible 2020 New American Standard Bible 1995 Legacy Standard Bible Amplified Bible New English Translation Revised Standard Version American Standard Version Young's Literal Translation Darby Translation Webster's Bible Hebrew Names Version Latin Vulgate Westminster Leningrad Codex Septuagint Smith Van Dyck Arabic Bible Open New Arabic Version Brenton's English Septuagint Reina Valera 1909 Reina-Valera 1960 Bible in Basic English Chinese Traditional Union Espanol Moderno Korean Holy Bible Louis Segond German Luther Russian Synodal Translation Sagradas Escrituras