1When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard…
2they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the…
3But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other heads of…
4Then the people of the land set out…
5They hired counselors against them to frustrate their…
6At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes,…
7And in the days of Artaxerxes king of…
8Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote…
9From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and…
10and the rest of the peoples whom the…
11(This is the text of the letter they…
12Let it be known to the king that…
13Let it now be known to the king…
14Now because we are in the service of…
15that a search should be made of the…
16We advise the king that if this city…
17Then the king sent this reply: To Rehum…
18The letter you sent us has been translated…
19I issued a decree, and a search was…
20And mighty kings have ruled over Jerusalem and…
21Now, therefore, issue an order for these men…
22See that you do not neglect this matter.…
23When the text of the letter from King…
24Thus the construction of the house of God…
