3 Esdras 2

¹CYRUS king of the Persians reigning for the accomplishment of the word of our Lord by the mouth of Jeremy,

²our Lord raised up the spirit of Cyrus King of the Persians, and he proclaimed in all his Kingdoms, and that by writing,

³saying: Thus saith Cyrus king of the Persians: The Lord of Israel, the high Lord, hath made me king over the whole earth,

⁴& hath signified to me to build him a house in Jerusalem which is in Jury.

⁵If there be any of your kindred, his Lord go up with him into Jerusalem.

⁶Whosoever therefore dwell about the places, let them help them that are in the same place, in gold & silver,

⁷in gifts, with horses, and beasts, and with other things which by vows are added into the temple of our Lord which is in Jerusalem.

⁸And the Princes of the tribes, of the villages, and of Jury, of the tribe of Benjamin, & the Priests, and the Levites standing up, whom our Lord moved to go up, and to build the house of our Lord which is in Jerusalem, and they that were round about them,

⁹did help them with all their gold and silver, and beasts, and many whose mind was stirred up, with many vows.

¹⁰And Cyrus the king brought forth the sacred vessels of our Lord, which Nabuchodonosor the king of Babylon transported out of Jerusalem, & consecrated them to his Idol.

¹¹And Cyrus the king of Persians bringing them forth, delivered them to Mithridatus, who was over his treasures.

¹²And by him they were delivered to Salmanasar president of Jury.

¹³And of these this was the number: Cups for

¹⁴& all the vessels of gold & silver, were five thousand eight hundred sixty.

¹⁵And they were numbered to Salmanasar together with them that came out of the captivity of Babylon into Jerusalem.

¹⁶But in the times of Artaxerxes king of the Persians, there wrote to him of them that dwelt in Jury and Jerusalem, Balsamus, and Mithridatus, and Sabellius, and Rathimus, Balthemus, Sabellius scribe, and the rest dwelling in Samaria, and other places, the epistle following to king Artaxerxes.

¹⁷SIR, thy servants Rathimus over occurrents, and Sabellius the scribe, and the other judges of thy court in Cælesyria, and Phenice.

¹⁸And now be it known to our lord the king, that Jews came up from you to us, coming into Jerusalem a rebellious, & very naughty city, do build the furnaces thereof, and set up the walls, and raise the temple.

¹⁹And if this city, and the walls shall be finished, they will not only not abide to pay tributes, but also will resist the kings.

²⁰And because that is in doing about the temple, we thought it should do well not to neglect this same thing:

²¹but to make it known to our lord the king, that if it shall seem good, o king, it may be sought in the books of thy fathers,

²²& thou shalt find in the records, things written of these, and thou shalt know that this city hath been rebellious, & troubling kings, & cities,

²³and the Jews rebels, & making battles in it from time out of mind, for the which cause this city was made desolate.

²⁴Now therefore we do thee to understand, lord king, that if this city shall be built, & the walls thereof shall be erected, there will be no coming down for thee into Cælesyria & Phenice.

²⁵Then wrote the king to Rathimus, the writer of the occurrents, and to Balthemus, and to Sabellius the scribe, and to the rest joined with them, and to the dwellers in Syria and Phenice, as followeth:

²⁶I have read the epistle that you sent me. I commanded therefore search to be made, & it was found that the same city is from the beginning rebellious to kings,

²⁷and the men rebels, and making battles in it, & there were most valiant kings ruling in Jerusalem, and exacting tributes in Cælesyria & Phenice.

²⁸Now therefore I have given commandment to forbid those men to build the city, and to stay them that nothing be done more than is:

²⁹and that they proceed not farther, whereof are evils, so that there may be trouble brought upon the kings.

³⁰Then these things being read which were written of king Artaxerxes, Rathimus, and Sabellius the scribe, and they that were appointed with them joining together in haste came to Jerusalem with a troop of horsemen, and multitude, & company:

³¹and they began to forbid the builders, and they ceased from building of the temple in Jerusalem, till in the second year of the reign of Darius king of the Persians.