Ezra 4:11

11 (This is the copy of the letter they sent to him.) To: King Artaxerxes from your servants from the land across the Euphrates.

Ezra 4:11 Meaning and Commentary

Ezra 4:11

This is the copy of the letter they sent unto him, even
unto Artaxerxes the king
Which Ezra brought with him from Babylon, and is contained in the five following verses:

thy servants the men on this side the river, and at such a time;
this was the inscription of the letter, or the beginning of it.

Ezra 4:11 In-Context

9 From: Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary, backed by the rest of their associates, the judges and officials over the people from Tripolis, Persia, Erech, and Babylon, Elamites of Susa,

10 and all the others whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the city of Samaria and other places in the land across the Euphrates.

11 (This is the copy of the letter they sent to him.) To: King Artaxerxes from your servants from the land across the Euphrates.

12 We are here to inform the king that the Jews who came from you to us have arrived in Jerusalem and have set about rebuilding that rebellious and evil city. They are busy at work finishing the walls and rebuilding the foundations.

13 The king needs to know that once that city is rebuilt and the wall completed they will no longer pay a penny of tribute, tax, or duty. The royal treasury will feel the loss.