10
Cyrus the king also brought out the holy vessels of the Lord which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and stored in his temple of idols.
11
When Cyrus king of the Perians brought these out, he gave them to Mithridates his treasurer,
12
and by him they were given to Sheshbazzar the governor of Judea.
13
The number of these was: a thousand gold cups, a thousand silver cups, twenty-nine silver censers, thirty gold bowls, two thousand four hundred and ten silver bowls, and a thousand other vessels.
14
All the vessels were handed over, gold and silver, five thousand four hundred and sixty-nine,
15
and they were carried back by Sheshbazzar with the returning exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem.
16
But in the time of Artaxerxes king of the Persians, Bishlam, Mithridates, Tabeel, Rehum, Beltethmus, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, living in Samaria and other places, wrote him the following letter, against those who were living in Judea and Jerusalem:
17
"To King Artaxerxes our lord, Your servants Rehum the recorder and Shimshai the scribe and the other judges of their council in Coelesyria and Phoenicia:
18
Now be it known to our lord the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem and are building that rebellious and wicked city, repairing its market places and walls and laying the foundations for a temple.
19
Now if this city is built and the walls finished, they will not only refuse to pay tribute but will even resist kings.
20
And since the building of the temple is now going on, we think it best not to neglect such a matter,