2
And they drew near to Zorobabel, and to the heads of families, and said to them, We will build with you; for as ye , we seek our God, and we do sacrifice to him from the days of Asaradan king of Assur, who brought us hither.
3
then Zorobabel, and Jesus and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel said to them, not for us and you to build a house to our God, for we ourselves will build together to the Lord our God, as Cyrus the king of the Persians commanded us.
4
And the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Juda, and hindered them in building,
5
and hiring against them, plotting to frustrate their counsel, all the days of Cyrus king of the Persians, and until the reign of Darius king of the Persians.
6
And in the reign of Assuerus, even in the beginning of his reign, they wrote a letter against the inhabitants of Juda and Jerusalem.
7
And in the days of Arthasastha, Tabeel wrote peaceably to Mithradates and to the rest of his fellow-servants: the tribute-gatherer wrote to Arthasastha king of the Persians a writing in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted.
8
Reum the chancellor, and Sampsa the scribe wrote an epistle against Jerusalem to King Arthasastha,
9
Thus has judged Reum the chancellor, and Sampsa the scribe, and the rest of our fellow-servants, the Dinaeans, the Apharsathachaeans, the Tarphalaeans, the Apharsaeans, the Archyaeans, the Babylonians, the Susanachaeans, Davaeans,
10
and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Assenaphar removed, and settled them in the cities of Somoron, and the rest beyond the river.
11
This the purport of the letter, which they sent to him: Thy servants the men beyond the river to king Arthasastha.
12
Be it known to the king, that the Jews who came up from thee to us have come to Jerusalem the rebellious and wicked city, which they are building, and its walls are set in order, and they have established the foundations of it.