1
Then King Darius issued a
decree, and
search was
made in the
archives *,
where * the
treasures were
stored in
Babylon.
tyeb.B .Wr;Q;b.W ~e[.j ~'f a'K.l;m v,w'y.r'D !Iy;daeB ? l,b'b.B h'M;T !yit]x;h.m a'Y;z.nig yiD a'Y;r.pis
2
In
Ecbatana in the
fortress,
which is in the
province of
Media, a
scroll was
found and there was
written in it as
follows:
"Memorandum -
h'T.nyid.m y;d'm.B yiD a't.ryib.B a't.m.x;a.B x;k.T.vih.w ? h'nw{r.kiD H]W;g.B byit.K -nek.w h'd]x h'Lig.m
3
"In the
first year of
King Cyrus,
Cyrus the
king issued a
decree: 'Concerning the
house of
God at
Jerusalem, let the
temple, the
place where sacrifices are
offered, be
rebuilt and let its
foundations be
retained, its
height being
60 cubits and its
width 60 cubits;
~'f a'K.l;m v,rw{K a'K.l;m v,rw{k.l h'd]x t;n.viB ? aen.B.tIy a't.y;B ~,l.v.Wryib a'h'l/a -tyeB ~e[.j ? !yil.bw{s.m yihw{VUa.w !yix.biD !yix.b'd -yiD r;t]a ? !yiTiv !yiM;a Hey't.P !yiTiv !yiM;a Hem.Wr
4
with
three layers of
huge stones and one
layer of
timbers. And let the
cost be
paid from the
royal treasury.
['a -yiD .$'B.din.w a't'l.T l'l.G !,b,a -yiD !yik'B.din ? bih.y.tiT a'K.l;m tyeB -nim a't.q.pin.w t;d]x
5
'Also let the
gold and
silver utensils of the
house of
God,
which Nebuchadnezzar took from the
temple in
Jerusalem and
brought to
Babylon, be
returned and
brought to their
places in the
temple in
Jerusalem; and you shall
put them in the
house of
God.'
a'P.s;k.w h'b]h;d yiD a'h'l/a -tyeb yena'm @;a.w ? ~,l.v.Wryib -yid a'l.kyeh -nim qeP.n;h r;C,n.d;k.Wb.n yiD ? a'l.kyeh.l .$'hyiw !.Wbyit]h;y l,b'b.l lebyeh.w ? a'h'l/a tyeb.B tex;t.w Her.t;a.l ~,l.v.Wryib -yid
6
"Now therefore,
Tattenai,
governor of the province
beyond the
River,
Shethar-bozenai and your
colleagues, the
officials of the provinces
beyond the
River,
keep away from
there.
y;n.zw{B r;t.v h'r]h;n -r;b][ t;x;P y;n.T;T !;[.K ? !yiqyix;r h'r]h;n r;b][;B yiD aey'k.s.r;p]a ]nw{h.t'w'n.k.W ? h'M;T -nim w{w]h
7
"Leave this work on the
house of
God alone; let the
governor of the
Jews and the
elders of the
Jews rebuild this house of
God on its
site.
aey'd.Wh.y t;x;P .$ed a'h'l/a -tyeB t;dyib][;l .WqUb.v ? !w{n.bIy .$ed a'h'l/a -tyeB aey'd.Wh.y yeb'f.l.W ? Her.t;a -l;[
8
"Moreover, I
issue a
decree concerning
what * you are to
do for
these elders of
Judah in the
rebuilding of
this house of
God: the
full cost is to be
paid to
these people from the
royal treasury out of the
taxes of the provinces
beyond the
River, and that
without delay.
yeb'f -mi[ !.Wd.b;[;t -yid a'm.l ~e[.j ~yif yiNim.W ? yes.kiNim.W .$ed a'h'l/a -tyeB aen.bim.l .$eLia aey'd.Wh.y ? a't.q.pin a'n.r;P.s'a h'r]h;n r;b][ t;Dim yiD a'K.l;m ? a'l'J;b.l a'l -yiD .$eLia a'Y;r.bUg.l a'b]h;y.tim aew/h,T
9
"Whatever is
needed, both
young bulls,
rams, and
lambs for a
burnt offering to the
God of
heaven, and
wheat,
salt,
wine and
anointing oil, as the
priests in
Jerusalem request, it is to be
given to them
daily without fail,
!yir.Mia.w !yir.kid.w !yirw{t yen.b.W !'x.v;x h'm.W ? x;v.m.W r;m]x x;l.m !yij.nix a'Y;m.v H'l/a,l !'w'l][;l ? beh.y.tim aew/h,l ~,l.v.Wryib -yid a'Y;n]h'K r;maem.K ? .Wl'v a'l -yiD ~w{y.B ~w{y ~{h.l
10
that they may
offer acceptable sacrifices to the
God of
heaven and
pray for the
life of the
king and his
sons.
a'Y;m.v H'l/a,l !yixw{xyin !yib.r.q;h.m !{w/h,l -yiD ? yihw{n.b.W a'K.l;m yeY;x.l !Iy;L;c.m.W
11
"And I
issued a
decree that
any man who violates this edict, a
timber shall be
drawn from his
house and he shall be
impaled * on it and his
house shall be
made a
refuse heap on
account of
this.
yiD v'n/a -l'k yiD ~e[.j ~yif yiNim.W ? Het.y;B -nim ['a x;s.n.tIy h'n.d a'm'g.tiP aen.v;h.y ? h'n.D -l;[ deb][.tIy .Wl'w.n Het.y;b.W yih{l][ aex.m.tIy @yiq.z.W
12
"May the
God who has caused His
name to
dwell there overthrow any king or
people who attempts * to
change it, so as to
destroy this house of
God in
Jerusalem. I,
Darius, have
issued this
decree, let it be
carried out with
all diligence!"
.$,l,m -l'K r;G;m.y h'M;T Hem.v !iK;v yiD a'h'laew ? a'h'l/a -tyeB h'l'B;x.l h'y'n.v;h.l Hed.y x;l.vIy yiD ~;[.w ? ~e[.j t,m'f v,w'y.r'd h'n]a ~,l.v.Wryib yiD .$ed ? dib][.tIy a'n.r;P.s'a
13
Then Tattenai, the
governor of the province
beyond the
River,
Shethar-bozenai and their
colleagues carried out the decree with
all diligence,
just as
King Darius had
sent.
y;n.zw{B r;t.v h'r]h;n -r;b][ t;x;P y;n.T;T !Iy;d/a ? a'K.l;m v,w'y.r'D x;l.v -yiD leb\q'l !w{h.t'w'n.k.W ? .Wd;b][ a'n.r;P.s'a a'men.K
14
And the
elders of the
Jews were
successful in
building through the
prophesying of
Haggai the
prophet and
Zechariah the
son of
Iddo. And they
finished building according to the
command of the
God of
Israel and the
decree of
Cyrus,
Darius, and
Artaxerxes king of
Persia.
t;a.Wb.niB !yix.l.c;m.W !Iy;n'B aey'd.Wh.y yeb'f.w ? w{n.b.W aw{Di[ -r;B h'y.r;k.z.W h'ayib.n y;G;x ? ~e[.Jim.W lea'r.fIy H'l/a ~;[;j -nim .Wlil.k;v.w ? s'r'P .$,l,m a.T.f;v.x;T.r;a.w v,w'y.r'd.w v,rw{K
15
This temple was
completed on the
third day of the
month Adar; it was the
sixth year of the
reign of
King Darius.
x;ryil h't'l.T ~w{y d;[ h'n.d h't.y;B ayicyev.w ? v,w'y.r'D t.Wk.l;m.l tev -t;n.v ayih -yiD r'd]a ? a'K.l;m
16
And the
sons of
Israel, the
priests, the
Levites and the
rest of the
exiles *,
celebrated the
dedication of
this house of
God with
joy.
r'a.v.W aey'wel.w a'Y;n]h'K lea'r.fIy -yen.b .Wd;b][;w ? h'w.d,x.B h'n.d a'h'l/a -tyeB t;KUn]x a't.Wl'g -yen.B
17
They
offered for the
dedication of
this temple of
God 100 bulls,
200 rams,
400 * lambs, and as a
sin offering for
all Israel * male goats, corresponding to the
number of the
tribes of
Israel.
!yirw{T h'n.d a'h'l/a -tyeB t;KUn]x;l .Wbir.q;h.w ? h'a.m [;B.r;a !yir.Mia !Iy;ta'm !yir.kiD h'a.m ? lea'r.fIy -l'K -l;[ a'y'J;x.l !yiZi[ yeryip.c.W ? lea'r.fIy yej.biv !'y.nim.l r;f][ -yer.T
18
Then they
appointed the
priests to their
divisions and the
Levites in their
orders for the
service of
God in
Jerusalem, as it is
written in the
book of
Moses.
!w{h.t'q.l.x;m.B aey'wel.w !w{h.t'GUl.piB a'Y;n]h'k .Wmyiq]h;w ? b't.kiK ~,l.v.Wryib yiD a'h'l/a t;dyib][ -l;[ ? h,v{m r;p.s
19
The
exiles * observed the
Passover on the
fourteenth * of the
first month.
h'['B.r;a.B x;s'P;h -t,a h'lw{G;h -yen.b .Wf][;Y;w ? !w{vair'h v,d{x;l r'f'[
20
For the
priests and the
Levites had
purified themselves
together;
all of them were
pure. Then they
slaughtered the
Passover lamb for
all the
exiles *, both for their
brothers the
priests and for themselves.
~'LUK d'x,a.K ~iYiw.l;h.w ~yin]h{K;h .Wr]h;Jih yiK ? h'lw{G;h yen.B -l'k.l x;s,P;h .Wj]x.viY;w ~yirw{h.j ? ~,h'l.w ~yin]h{K;h ~,hyex]a;l.w
21
The
sons of
Israel who
returned from
exile and
all those who had
separated themselves from the
impurity of the
nations of the
land to join them, to
seek the
LORD God of
Israel,
ate the Passover.
h'lw{G;hem ~yib'V;h lea'r.fIy -yen.b .Wl.ka{Y;w ? ~,hel]a #,r'a'h -eyw{G t;a.mUJim l'D.biN;h l{k.w ? lea'r.fIy yeh{l/a h'why;l v{r.dil
22
And they
observed the
Feast of
Unleavened Bread seven days with
joy, for the
LORD had caused them to
rejoice, and had
turned the
heart of the
king of
Assyria toward them to
encourage * them in the
work of the
house of
God, the
God of
Israel.
h'x.mif.B ~yim'y t;[.biv tw{C;m -g;x .Wf][;Y;w ? r.WV;a -.k,l,m bel beseh.w h'wh.y ~'x.Mif yiK ? ~yih{l/a'h -tyeB t,ka,l.miB ~,hyed.y qeZ;x.l ~,hyel][ ? lea'r.fIy yeh{l/a