1Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo, the prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them.
2Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and with them were the prophets of God supporting them.
3At that time Tattenai, governor of Beyond-the-River, and Shethar-bozenai and their associates came to them and spoke to them thus: ‘Who issued you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?’
4Then we spoke to them thus: ‘What are the names of the men who are building this building?’
5But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, and they were not made to cease until the report should go to Darius, and then an answer might be returned concerning this by letter.
6A copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor of Beyond-the-River, and Shethar-bozenai and his associates, the officials who were in Beyond-the-River, sent to Darius the king.
7They sent a report to him, and thus it was written within it: ‘To Darius the king, all peace.
8Let it be known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with dressed stone, and timber is being laid in the walls; this work is being done diligently and prospers in their hands.
9Then we asked those elders; thus we spoke to them: ‘Who issued you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?’
10We also asked them their names, in order to inform you, so that we might write down the names of the men who were at their head.
11And thus they returned us an answer, saying: ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago; a great king of Israel built it and finished it.
12But because our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean, king of Babylon, and he destroyed this house and deported its people to Babylon.
13However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild this house of God.
14And also the vessels of the house of God, of gold and silver, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought them to the temple of Babylon — these King Cyrus took out of the temple of Babylon, and they were handed over to one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor.
15And he said to him: “Take these vessels; go, deposit them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its site.”
16Then this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God that is in Jerusalem; and from then until now it has been under construction, and it is not finished.’
17Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, let a search be made in the royal treasure house there in Babylon, whether it is so that a decree was issued by King Cyrus to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem; and let the king send us his will concerning this.
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