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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>Ezra 4 ERV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; 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<span class="reftext"><a href="/ezra/4-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>then they drew near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of fathers' houses, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, which brought us up hither. <span class="reftext"><a href="/ezra/4-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD, the God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/ezra/4-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, <span class="reftext"><a href="/ezra/4-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>and hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.</p> <a name="6" id="6"></a><p class="hdg">Opposition under Xerxes and Artaxerxes<br /><p class="cross">(<a href="../esther/1.htm">Esther 1:1-9</a>; <a href="../proverbs/1.htm">Proverbs 1:1-7</a>; <a href="../proverbs/9.htm">Proverbs 9:1-12</a>)</p></p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/ezra/4-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/ezra/4-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian character, and set forth in the Syrian tongue.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/ezra/4-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort: <span class="reftext"><a href="/ezra/4-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>then wrote Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions; the Dinaites, and the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Shushanchites, the Dehaites, the Elamites, <span class="reftext"><a href="/ezra/4-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar brought over, and set in the city of Samaria, and in the rest of the country beyond the river, and so forth. <span class="reftext"><a href="/ezra/4-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>This is the copy of the letter that they sent unto Artaxerxes the king; Thy servants the men beyond the river, and so forth. <span class="reftext"><a href="/ezra/4-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>Be it known unto the king, that the Jews which came up from thee are come to us unto Jerusalem; they are building the rebellious and the bad city, and have finished the walls, and repaired the foundations. <span class="reftext"><a href="/ezra/4-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be builded, and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and in the end it will endamage the kings. <span class="reftext"><a href="/ezra/4-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>Now because we eat the salt of the palace, and it is not meet for us to see the king's dishonour, therefore have we sent and certified the king; <span class="reftext"><a href="/ezra/4-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>that search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers: so shalt thou find in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful unto kings and provinces, and that they have moved sedition within the same of old time: for which cause was this city laid waste. <span class="reftext"><a href="/ezra/4-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>We certify the king that, if this city be builded, and the walls finished, by this means thou shalt have no portion beyond the river.</p> <p class="hdg">The Decree of Artaxerxes</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/ezra/4-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>Then sent the king an answer unto Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions that dwell in Samaria, and in the rest of the country beyond the river, Peace, and so forth. <span class="reftext"><a href="/ezra/4-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>The letter which ye sent unto us hath been plainly read before me. <span class="reftext"><a href="/ezra/4-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>And I decreed, and search hath been made, and it is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein. <span class="reftext"><a href="/ezra/4-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, which have ruled over all the country beyond the river; and tribute, custom, and toll, was paid unto them. <span class="reftext"><a href="/ezra/4-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>Make ye now a decree to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not builded, until a decree shall be made by me. <span class="reftext"><a href="/ezra/4-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>And take heed that ye be not slack herein: why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/ezra/4-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>Then when the copy of king Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/ezra/4-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem; and it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.</p></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">English Revised Version, 1885<br /><br /><a href="//bereanbible.com">Section Headings Courtesy BereanBible.com<br />© 2013, 2014 Used by Permission</a><span class="p"><br /><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/">Bible Hub</a></div></div></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="../ezra/3.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Ezra 3"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Ezra 3" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="../ezra/5.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Ezra 5"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Ezra 5" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="rightbox"><div class="padright"><div id="pic"><iframe width="100%" height="860" scrolling="no" src="//biblescan.com/mpad/ezra/4-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></div></div><div id="rightbox4"><div class="padright2"><div id="spons1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td class="sp1"><iframe src="//biblemenus.com/adframe120.htm" width="122" height="602" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br /></td></tr></table></div></div></div> <div align="center"><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; 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