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The Blue Letter Bible

Ezra 4 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

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Enemies Oppose the Rebuilding

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:1

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:1 - The enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were rebuilding a Temple to the LORD, the God of Israel.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:2

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:2 - 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.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:3

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:3 - 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.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:4

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:4 - Then the local residents tried to discourage and frighten the people of Judah to keep them from their work.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:5

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:5 - 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.[fn]
Later Opposition under Xerxes and Artaxerxes

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:6

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:6 - Years later when Xerxes[fn] began his reign, the enemies of Judah wrote a letter of accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:7

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:7 - Even later, during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia,[fn] 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.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:8

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:8 - [fn]Rehum the governor and Shimshai the court secretary wrote the letter, telling King Artaxerxes about the situation in Jerusalem.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:9

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:9 - 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).

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:10

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:10 - They also sent greetings from the rest of the people whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal[fn] had deported and relocated in Samaria and throughout the neighboring lands of the province west of the Euphrates River.[fn]

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:11

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:11 - This is a copy of their letter: “To King Artaxerxes, from your loyal subjects in the province west of the Euphrates River.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:12

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:12 - “The king should know that the Jews who came here to Jerusalem from Babylon are rebuilding this rebellious and evil city. They have already laid the foundation and will soon finish its walls.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:13

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:13 - And the king should know that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, it will be much to your disadvantage, for the Jews will then refuse to pay their tribute, customs, and tolls to you.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:14

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:14 - “Since we are your loyal subjects[fn] and do not want to see the king dishonored in this way, we have sent the king this information.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:15

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:15 - We suggest that a search be made in your ancestors’ records, where you will discover what a rebellious city this has been in the past. In fact, it was destroyed because of its long and troublesome history of revolt against the kings and countries who controlled it.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:16

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:16 - We declare to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, the province west of the Euphrates River will be lost to you.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:17

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:17 - Then King Artaxerxes sent this reply: “To Rehum the governor, Shimshai the court secretary, and their colleagues living in Samaria and throughout the province west of the Euphrates River. Greetings.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:18

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:18 - “The letter you sent has been translated and read to me.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:19

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:19 - I ordered a search of the records and have found that Jerusalem has indeed been a hotbed of insurrection against many kings. In fact, rebellion and revolt are normal there!

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:20

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:20 - Powerful kings have ruled over Jerusalem and the entire province west of the Euphrates River, receiving tribute, customs, and tolls.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:21

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:21 - Therefore, issue orders to have these men stop their work. That city must not be rebuilt except at my express command.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:22

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:22 - Be diligent, and don’t neglect this matter, for we must not permit the situation to harm the king’s interests.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:23

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:23 - When this letter from King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum, Shimshai, and their colleagues, they hurried to Jerusalem. Then, with a show of strength, they forced the Jews to stop building.
The Rebuilding Resumes

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Unchecked Copy Box Ezr 4:24

Unchecked Copy BoxEzr 4:24 - So the work on the Temple of God in Jerusalem had stopped, and it remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of King Darius of Persia.[fn]
See the NLT Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).
NLT Footnotes
Darius reigned 521–486 B.C.
Hebrew Ahasuerus, another name for Xerxes. He reigned 486–465 B.C.
Artaxerxes reigned 465–424 B.C.
The original text of 4:8–6:18 is in Aramaic.
Aramaic Osnappar, another name for Ashurbanipal.
Aramaic the province beyond the river; also in 4:11, 16, 17, 20.
Aramaic Since we eat the salt of the palace.
The second year of Darius’s reign was 520 B.C. The narrative started in 4:1-5 is resumed at verse 24.
NLT

Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Full copyright information is provided here. Visit the New Living Translation website.

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

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Ezra Chapter 4 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New King James Version 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