1
Now when the
enemies of
Judah and
Benjamin heard that the
people of the
exile were
building a
temple to the
LORD God of
Israel,
yen.b -yiK !im'y.nib.W h'd.Wh.y yer'c .W[.m.viY;w ? lea'r.fIy yeh{l/a h'why;l l'kyeh ~yinw{B h'lw{G;h
2
they
approached Zerubbabel and the
heads of
fathers' households, and
said to them, "Let us
build with you, for we, like you,
seek your
God; and we have been
sacrificing to Him
since the
days of
Esarhaddon king of
Assyria, who
brought us up
here."
tw{b'a'h yeva'r -l,a.w l,b'BUr.z -l,a .Wv.GiY;w ? vw{r.din ~,k'k yiK ~,k'Mi[ h,n.bin ~,h'l .Wr.ma{Y;w ? r;sea yemyim ~yix.b{z .Wn.x;n]a a{l.w ~,kyeh{lael ? h{P .Wn't{a h,l][;M;h r.WV;a .$,l,m !{D;x
3
But
Zerubbabel and
Jeshua and the
rest of the
heads of
fathers' households of
Israel said to them, "You have
nothing in common with us in
building a
house to our
God; but we
ourselves will
together build to the
LORD God of
Israel, as
King Cyrus, the
king of
Persia has
commanded us."
yeva'r r'a.v.W ;[.Wvey.w l,b'BUr.z ~,h'l r,ma{Y;w ? tw{n.bil .Wn'l'w ~,k'l -a{l lea'r.fIy.l tw{b'a'h ? h'why;l h,n.bin d;x;y .Wn.x;n]a yiK .Wnyeh{lael tIy;B ? v,rw{K .$,l,M;h .Wn\Wic r,v]a;K lea'r.fIy yeh{l/a ? s'r'P -.k,l,m
4
Then the
people of the
land discouraged * the
people of
Judah, and
frightened them from
building,
h'd.Wh.y -m;[ yed.y ~yiP;r.m #,r'a'h -m;[ yih.y;w ? tw{n.bil ~'tw{a ~yih;l;b.m.W
5
and
hired counselors against them to
frustrate their
counsel all the
days of
Cyrus king of
Persia, even
until the
reign of
Darius king of
Persia.
-l'K ~'t'c][ rep'h.l ~yic][w{y ~,hyel][ ~yir.k{s.w ? s'r'P -.k,l,m v,w'y.r'D t.Wk.l;m -d;[.w s;r'P .$,l,m v,rw{K yem.y
6
Now in the
reign of
Ahasuerus, in the
beginning of his
reign, they
wrote an
accusation against the
inhabitants of
Judah and
Jerusalem.
.Wb.t'K w{t.Wk.l;m t;Lix.tiB vw{rew.v;x]a t.Wk.l;m.b.W ? ~i'l'v.Wryiw h'd.Wh.y yeb.v{y -l;[ h'n.jif
7
And in the
days of
Artaxerxes,
Bishlam,
Mithredath,
Tabeel and the
rest of his
colleagues wrote to
Artaxerxes king of
Persia; and the
text of the
letter was
written in
Aramaic and
translated from
Aramaic.
lea.b'j t'd.r.tim ~'l.viB b;t'K a'T.f;v.x;T.r;a yemyib.W ? s'r'P .$,l,m a'T.f;v.x;T.r;a -l;[ w{t{w'n.K r'a.v.W ? tyim'r]a ~'G.rUt.m.W tyim'r]a b.Wt'K !'w.T.viN;h ]b't.k.W
8
Rehum the
commander * and
Shimshai the
scribe wrote a
letter against Jerusalem to
King Artaxerxes, as
follows -
h'r.Gia .Wb;t.K a'r.p's y;v.miv.w ~e[.j -le[.B ~.Wx.r ? a'men.K a'K.l;m a.T.f;v.x;T.r;a.l ~,l.v.Wr.y -l;[ h'd]x
9
then wrote
Rehum the
commander * and
Shimshai the
scribe and the
rest of their
colleagues, the
judges and the
lesser governors, the
officials, the
secretaries, the
men of
Erech, the
Babylonians, the
men of
Susa, that is, the
Elamites,
r'a.v.W a'r.p's y;v.miv.w ~e[.j -le[.B ~.Wx.r !Iy;d/a ? aey'l.P.r;j aey'k.t;s.r;p]a;w aey'nyiD !w{h.t'w'n.K ? a.WhiD aey'k.n;v.Wv aey'l.b'b y'w.K.r;a aey's.r'p]a ? aey'm.le[
10
and the
rest of the
nations which the
great and
honorable Osnappar deported and
settled in the
city of
Samaria, and in the
rest of the
region beyond the
River.
Now
a'ryiQ;y.w a'B;r r;P;n.s'a yil.g;h yiD a'Y;MUa r'a.v.W ? h'r]h;n -r;b][ r'a.v.W !Iy'r.m'v yiD h'y.riq.B w{Mih betw{h.w ? t,n,[.k.W
11
this is the
copy of the
letter which they
sent to him: "T o
King Artaxerxes: Your
servants, the
men in the
region beyond the
River, and
now
a.T.f;v.x;T.r;a -l;[ yihw{l][ .Wx;l.v yiD a'T.r;Gia !,g,v.r;P h'n.D ? t,n,[.k.W h'r]h;n -r;b][ v'n/a .$Iy'd.b;[ a'K.l;m