11
They handed over all five thousand four hundred sixty-nine gold and silver objects. So Sheshbazzar, with the help of war prisoners returning from Babylon, carried the equipment back to Jerusalem.
12
Then during the time of King Artaxerxes of the Persians, Bishlam, Mithridates, Tabeel, Rehum, Beltethmus, Shimshai the scribe, and others associated with them living in Samaria and other places nearby wrote the king a letter, opposing those who were living in Judea and Jerusalem:
13
To Your Majesty, King Artaxerxes, your servants Rehum the reporter and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their council, and the judges in Coele-Syria and Phoenicia:
14
Our master the king, may you know that the Judeans who came up to us have come to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and evil city, restoring its marketplaces and walls, and laying the foundations for a temple.
15
If this city is rebuilt and the walls are completed, not only will they refuse to pay foreign taxes, but they will also be able to resist kings.