Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows: New Living Translation Rehum the governor and Shimshai the court secretary wrote the letter, telling King Artaxerxes about the situation in Jerusalem. English Standard Version Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows: Berean Standard Bible Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote the letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows: King James Bible Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort: New King James Version Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes in this fashion: New American Standard Bible Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes, as follows— NASB 1995 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes, as follows— NASB 1977 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes, as follows— Legacy Standard Bible Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes, as follows— Amplified Bible Rehum the [Persian] commander [of the Samaritans] and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows— Christian Standard Bible Rehum the chief deputy and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes concerning Jerusalem as follows: Holman Christian Standard Bible Rehum the chief deputy and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes concerning Jerusalem as follows: American Standard Version Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort: English Revised Version Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort: GOD'S WORD® Translation Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote another letter against [the people of] Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes. Good News Translation Also Rehum, the governor, and Shimshai, the secretary of the province, wrote the following letter to Emperor Artaxerxes about Jerusalem: International Standard Version Governor Rehum and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter concerning Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows: Majority Standard Bible Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote the letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows: NET Bible Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter concerning Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows: New Heart English Bible Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artachshasta the king as follows: Webster's Bible Translation Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort: World English Bible Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionRehum counselor, and Shimshai scribe have written a letter concerning Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king, thus: Young's Literal Translation Rehum counsellor, and Shimshai scribe have written a letter concerning Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king, thus: Smith's Literal Translation Rehum, lord of judgment, and Shimshai, the scribe, wrote one epistle against Jerusalem to Arthasatha the king, thus: Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleReum Beelteem, and Samsai the scribe wrote a letter from Jerusalem to king Artaxerxes, in this manner: Catholic Public Domain Version Rehum, the commander, and Shimshai, the scribe, wrote one letter from Jerusalem to king Artaxerxes, in this manner: New American Bible Then Rehum, the governor, and Shimshai, the scribe, wrote the following letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes: New Revised Standard Version Rehum the royal deputy and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleArkhom the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artakhshisht the king according to custom; Peshitta Holy Bible Translated Arkhum, Master Taster, and Shemshi, the Scribe, wrote this letter to Jerusalem to Artakhshesht the King, according to custom. OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort-- Brenton Septuagint Translation Reum the chancellor, and Sampsa the scribe wrote an epistle against Jerusalem to King Arthasastha, saying, Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Opposition under Xerxes and Artaxerxes…7And in the days of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. It was written in Aramaic and then translated. 8Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote the letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows: 9From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates—the judges and officials over Tripolis, Persia, Erech and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa,… Cross References Nehemiah 2:19-20 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard about this, they mocked us and ridiculed us, saying, “What is this you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” / So I answered them and said, “The God of heaven is the One who will grant us success. We, His servants, will start rebuilding, but you have no portion, right, or claim in Jerusalem.” Nehemiah 4:1-3 Now when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he was furious and filled with indignation. He ridiculed the Jews / before his associates and the army of Samaria, saying, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Can they restore the wall by themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Can they bring these burnt stones back to life from the mounds of rubble?” / Then Tobiah the Ammonite, who was beside him, said, “If even a fox were to climb up on what they are building, it would break down their wall of stones!” Nehemiah 6:1-9 When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left—though to that time I had not yet installed the doors in the gates— / Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to harm me. / So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to go down to you?” ... Daniel 6:4-9 Thus the administrators and satraps sought a charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they could find no charge or corruption, because he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him. / Finally these men said, “We will never find any charge against this Daniel unless we find something against him concerning the law of his God.” / So the administrators and satraps went together to the king and said, “O King Darius, may you live forever! ... Esther 3:8-11 Then Haman informed King Xerxes, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples of every province of your kingdom. Their laws are different from everyone else’s, and they do not obey the king’s laws. So it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. / If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will deposit ten thousand talents of silver into the royal treasury to pay those who carry it out.” / So the king removed the signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. ... 2 Kings 17:24-33 Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its towns. / Now when the settlers first lived there, they did not worship the LORD, so He sent lions among them, which killed some of them. / So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The peoples that you have removed and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the God of the land. Because of this, He has sent lions among them, which are indeed killing them off.” ... 2 Kings 17:34-41 To this day they are still practicing their former customs. None of them worship the LORD or observe the statutes, ordinances, laws, and commandments that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom He named Israel. / For the LORD had made a covenant with the Israelites and commanded them, “Do not worship other gods or bow down to them; do not serve them or sacrifice to them. / Instead, worship the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm. You are to bow down to Him and offer sacrifices to Him. ... 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as follows: / “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for Him at Jerusalem in Judah. Whoever among you belongs to His people, may the LORD his God be with him, and may he go up.’” Haggai 1:2-4 that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD.’” / Then the word of the LORD came through Haggai the prophet, saying: / “Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” Zechariah 4:6-10 So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts. / What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain. Then he will bring forth the capstone accompanied by shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’” / Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ... Acts 4:18-21 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. / But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than God. / For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” ... Acts 5:27-29 They brought them in and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, where the high priest interrogated them. / “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us responsible for this man’s blood.” / But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men. Acts 6:9-14 But resistance arose from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and men from the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. They disputed with Stephen, / but they could not stand up to his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke. / Then they prompted some men to say, “We heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.” ... Acts 13:6-12 They traveled through the whole island as far as Paphos, where they found a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, / an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, a man of intelligence, summoned Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. / But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. ... Acts 17:5-9 The Jews, however, became jealous. So they brought in some troublemakers from the marketplace, formed a mob, and sent the city into an uproar. They raided Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas, hoping to bring them out to the people. / But when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have now come here, / and Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, named Jesus!” ... Treasury of Scripture Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort: scribe. Ezra 4:9 Then wrote Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions; the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, the Dehavites, and the Elamites, 2 Samuel 8:17 And Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, were the priests; and Seraiah was the scribe; 2 Samuel 20:25 And Sheva was scribe: and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests: Jump to Previous Artaxerxes Ar-Ta-Xerx'es Chancellor Chief Commander Commanding Counsellor Follows Jerusalem Letter Officer Rehum Ruler Scribe Secretary Shimshai Shim'shai Sort Written WroteJump to Next Artaxerxes Ar-Ta-Xerx'es Chancellor Chief Commander Commanding Counsellor Follows Jerusalem Letter Officer Rehum Ruler Scribe Secretary Shimshai Shim'shai Sort Written WroteEzra 4 1. The adversaries, being not accepted in the building of the temple with the Jews, 4. endeavor to hinder it 7. Their letter to Artaxerxes 17. The answer and decree of Artaxerxes 23. The building is hindered Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe Rehum and Shimshai are identified as officials in the Persian administration. Rehum, likely a high-ranking officer, and Shimshai, a scribe, represent the bureaucratic structure of the Persian Empire, which was known for its efficient administration. Their roles suggest they had significant influence and authority in the region. The mention of these officials highlights the organized opposition faced by the Jewish people during the rebuilding of Jerusalem. This opposition is a recurring theme in the post-exilic period, as seen in other parts of Ezra and Nehemiah. wrote the letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows: Persons / Places / Events 1. Rehum the CommanderA high-ranking official who opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem. His role as a commander indicates a position of authority and influence. 2. Shimshai the Scribe An official who assisted Rehum in drafting the letter. As a scribe, he was responsible for recording and communicating official documents. 3. Jerusalem The city central to Jewish identity and worship, which was in the process of being rebuilt after the Babylonian exile. 4. King Artaxerxes The Persian king during whose reign the opposition to the rebuilding of Jerusalem took place. His decisions impacted the progress of the Jewish returnees. 5. The Letter A formal complaint against the Jews rebuilding Jerusalem, aimed at halting their progress by appealing to the king's authority. Teaching Points Opposition to God's WorkExpect resistance when engaging in God's work. Just as Rehum and Shimshai opposed the rebuilding, believers today may face opposition when advancing God's kingdom. The Power of Influence Recognize the influence of leaders and officials. Rehum and Shimshai used their positions to hinder God's people, reminding us to pray for those in authority. Faithfulness in Adversity Stay committed to God's calling despite challenges. The Jews' perseverance in rebuilding Jerusalem serves as an example of steadfast faith. The Role of Prayer and Wisdom Seek God's guidance in dealing with opposition. The Jews' response to the letter involved seeking divine intervention and wisdom.(8) Rehum the chancellor.--The lord of judgment, the counsellor of the Persian king, a conventional title of the civil governor. Shimshai the scribe--The royal secretary. Verse 8. - Rehum the chancellor. Literally, "the lord of judgment." It may be conjectured that Rehum was the sub-satrap (ὑποσατράπης, Xen.), of the province of Samaria. And Shimshai the scribe. Or "secretary." Herodotus tells us that in every Persian province the governor had a secretary attached to him, who was appointed by the crown, and acted as a check upon his nominal master (Herod., 3:128). The position assigned to Shim-shai in this chapter (see especially vers. 9, 17, 23) is such as might be expected under these circumstances.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Rehumרְח֣וּם (rə·ḥūm) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 7348: Rehum -- 'compassion', the name of several Israelites the commander בְּעֵל־ (bə·‘êl-) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 1169: A master, a husband and Shimshai וְשִׁמְשַׁי֙ (wə·šim·šay) Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 8124: Shimshai -- a scribe who opposed Israel the scribe סָֽפְרָ֔א (sā·p̄ə·rā) Noun - masculine singular determinate Strong's 5613: A secretary, scribe wrote כְּתַ֛בוּ (kə·ṯa·ḇū) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 3790: To grave, to write a חֲדָ֖ה (ḥă·ḏāh) Number - feminine singular Strong's 2298: As card, one, single, first, at once letter אִגְּרָ֥ה (’ig·gə·rāh) Noun - feminine singular Strong's 104: An epistle against עַל־ (‘al-) Preposition Strong's 5922: Above, over, upon, against Jerusalem יְרוּשְׁלֶ֑ם (yə·rū·šə·lem) Noun - proper - feminine singular Strong's 3390: Jerusalem -- the capital city of all Israel to King מַלְכָּ֖א (mal·kā) Noun - masculine singular determinate Strong's 4430: A king Artaxerxes לְאַרְתַּחְשַׁ֥שְׂתְּא (lə·’ar·taḥ·šaśt) Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 783: Artaxerxes -- a son and successor of Xerxes, king of Persia as follows: כְּנֵֽמָא׃ (kə·nê·mā) Adverb Strong's 3660: Accordingly, as follows Links Ezra 4:8 NIVEzra 4:8 NLT Ezra 4:8 ESV Ezra 4:8 NASB Ezra 4:8 KJV Ezra 4:8 BibleApps.com Ezra 4:8 Biblia Paralela Ezra 4:8 Chinese Bible Ezra 4:8 French Bible Ezra 4:8 Catholic Bible OT History: Ezra 4:8 Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe (Ezr. 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