1And the haters of Yehuda and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building the temple to LORD JEHOVAH God of Israel. 2And they came to Zurbabeil and to the Chiefs of the fathers, and they were saying to them: “We will also build with you, because like you we will build for your God, and it is to him we sacrifice here from the days of Serakhdum King of Assyria who brought us up here.” 3And Zurbabeil and Yeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers of Israel said to them: “It is not for you and for us to build a house to our God, for we will build a house as one to LORD JEHOVAH God of Israel, just as Kurash the Persian King commanded us.”

4And the Gentiles of the land were weakening the hands of the people of Yehuda and wore them down that they would not build. 5And they hired obstructers against them that they would nullify their counsels all the days of Kurash the Persian King, until the kingdom of Darius King of Persia.

6And in the kingdom of Akhashiresh the King, at the beginning of his kingdom, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Yehuda and of Jerusalem.

7In the days of Artakhshesht, Beshlam, Mahderath and Tabeil wrote and asked, and the rest in like manner, Artakhshesht, King of Persia, and the text of the letter was written in Aramaic and it was translated into Aramaic.

8Arkhum, Master Taster, and Shemshi, the Scribe, wrote this letter to Jerusalem to Artakhshesht the King, according to custom. 9Then Arkhum, Master Taster, and Shemshi the Scribe, and the rest who were their equals, the Danites and Asperites, the Tarpelites and Apharsites, the Arkites, the Babylonians, the Shushankites, Dahites, Elamites 10And the rest of the peoples whom Espiran the Great and Honorable took captive and settled them in the villages of the Samaritans who have crossed the river now 11And this is a copy of the letter that they sent to Artakhshesht the King: “Your Servants the men across the river, and now 12It shall be known to the King that the Jews who came up from your presence to us came to the rebellious Jerusalem, and are building the evil city, and they have completed its walls and they have set its foundations firmly. 13Thus let it be known, oh King, that if it is that this city will be built and its walls will be completed, there is no tax for you, also you shall not know this counsel. 14And now since we have eaten the salt of the temple, it is not for us to see the dishonor of the King, therefore we sent and we have made known 15That you will read the book of the records of your fathers, and you will find in the book of records and you shall know that this city is a rebellious city and harmful of Kings and cities, and great conflicts are made within from the days of ancient time; because of this, the city is devastated. 16We disclose to the King that if this city will be built and its walls will be raised, then the authority at the crossing of the river is not yours.”

17And the King sent an answer: “To Arkhum, Master of Tasting, and to Shemshi the Scribe and to the rest who were their equals dwelling in Samaria and the rest dwelling at the crossing of the river, peace! 18And when the letter that you sent to me arrived, truly they read it before me, and a decree was appointed before me. 19And they read and they found that from the days of ancient time this city has had insurrection and rebellion and great conflict made within it against kings. 20And mighty kings were over Jerusalem and they ruled in all the Crossing of the River, and they considered the former kings nothing. 21Now appoint a law to stop those men and this city will not be built, until there will be a commandment in front of me. 22And be vigilant concerning this work lest damage would increase to damage the King.”

23Then when a copy of the letter of Artakhshesht the King came, they read it before Arkhum, Master Taster, and Shemshi the Scribe and in front of those who were their equals. They came in quietness against Yehudah to Jerusalem, and they stopped them with a mighty army.

24Then the work of the house of God which is in Jerusalem stopped, and it was stopped until the second year for the kingdom of Darius the Persian King.