Ezra 4:1
◄  Ezra 4:1  ►
New International Version (©2011)
When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel,

New Living Translation (©2007)
The enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were rebuilding a Temple to the LORD, the God of Israel.

English Standard Version (©2001)
Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the LORD, the God of Israel,

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
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,

King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel;

Holman Christian Standard Bible (©2009)
When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple for Yahweh, the God of Israel,

International Standard Version (©2012)
When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin learned that the descendants of the Babylonian captivity had built their Temple to the LORD, the God of Israel,

NET Bible (©2006)
When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin learned that the former exiles were building a temple for the LORD God of Israel,

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people who returned from exile were building a temple for the LORD God of Israel,

King James 2000 Bible (©2003)
Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity built the temple unto the LORD God of Israel;

American King James Version
Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity built the temple to the LORD God of Israel;

American Standard Version
Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building a temple unto Jehovah, the God of Israel;

Douay-Rheims Bible
Now the enemies of Juda and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building a temple to the Lord the God of Israel.

Darby Bible Translation
And the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building the temple to Jehovah the God of Israel;

English Revised Version
Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded a temple unto the LORD, the God of Israel;

Webster's Bible Translation
Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building the temple to the LORD God of Israel;

World English Bible
Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building a temple to Yahweh, the God of Israel;

Young's Literal Translation
And adversaries of Judah and Benjamin hear that the sons of the captivity are building a temple to Jehovah, God of Israel,

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

4:1-5 Every attempt to revive true religion will stir up the opposition of Satan, and of those in whom he works. The adversaries were the Samaritans, who had been planted in the land of Israel, 2Ki 17. It was plain that they did not mean to unite in the worship of the Lord, according to his word. Let those who discourage a good work, and weaken them that are employed in it, see whose pattern they follow.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 1. - The adversaries. Notwithstanding the friendly guise in which they came, the historian sees from the first that the Samaritans are in reality "adversaries," or "persecutors" (tsazey), identical in spirit with Sanballat and his followers, whom Nehemiah designates by the same word (Ezra 4:11).

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin,.... The Samaritans, as appears from Ezra 4:2,

heard that the children of the captivity; the Jews, who had been in captivity seventy years, and were just come out of it, and still were not quite free, but under the jurisdiction and control of the king of Persia:

builded the temple unto the Lord God of Israel; that they were going about it, and had laid the foundation of it, which might soon come to their ears, the distance not being very great. Josephus (c) says they heard the sound of the trumpets, and came to know the meaning of it.

(c) Antiqu. l. 11. c. 4. sect. 3.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 4

Ezr 4:1-6. The Building Hindered.

1. the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin—that is, strangers settled in the land of Israel.

Ezra 4:1 Parallel Commentaries

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Adversaries Hinder the Work
1Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity built the temple to the LORD God of Israel; 2Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said to them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as you do; and we do sacrifice to him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up here. 3But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said to them, You have nothing to do with us to build an house to our God; but we ourselves together will build to the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us. …

Ezra 1:11 In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and of silver. Sheshbazzar brought all these along with the exiles when they came up from Babylon to Jerusalem.
Ezra 3:13 No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.
Ezra 4:7 And in the days of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic script and in the Aramaic language.
Daniel 5:13 So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, "Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah?