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1 Chronicles 28

Amplified Bible, 2015 (AMP)

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¹ Then the king sent an answer to Rehum the [Persian] commander, to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their colleagues who live in Samaria and in the rest of the provinces west of the River: "Peace (Greetings). And now,

² The document which you sent to us has been translated and read before me.

³ I have issued a command and a search has been made, and it has been discovered that this city [Jerusalem] in earlier times has revolted against the kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been perpetrated in it.

⁴ There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem who have ruled over all the provinces west of the [Euphrates] River, and tax, custom, and toll were paid to them.

⁵ So, now issue a decree to make these men stop [work], so that this city is not rebuilt until a [new] command is issued by me.

⁶ Beware of being negligent in carrying out this matter. Why should damage increase to the detriment of the kings?"

⁷ Then as soon as the copy of King Artaxerxes' document was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe, and their colleagues, they went up hurriedly to Jerusalem to the Jews, and made them stop [work] by force of arms.

⁸ Then the[5] work on the house of God in Jerusalem stopped. It was suspended until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

⁹ Now when the prophets, Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, the son (grandson) of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, whose Spirit was over them,

¹⁰ then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel [heir to the throne of Judah] and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God [Haggai and Zechariah] were with them, supporting and encouraging them.

¹¹ At that time Tattenai, the governor of the province[1] on the west side of the [Euphrates] River, and Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues came to them and said, "Who[2] issued you a decree and authorized you to rebuild this temple and to restore this wall (shrine)?"

¹² Then, accordingly, we told them the names of the men who were reconstructing this building.

¹³ But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, so they [Tattenai and the others] did not stop them until a report could come before Darius, and then an answer was returned by letter concerning it.

¹⁴ This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor of the province west of the [Euphrates] River, and Shethar-bozenai and his associates, the officials who were west of the River, sent to Darius the king.

¹⁵ They sent a report to him in which it was written: "To Darius the king, all peace.

¹⁶ Let it be known to the king that we have gone to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with huge stones, with beams laid in the walls; and this work goes on with diligence and care and is succeeding in their hands.

¹⁷ Then we asked those elders, 'Who issued you a decree to rebuild this temple and to finish this structure?'

¹⁸ We also asked them their names so that we might notify you, and so that we might record the names of the men[3] in charge.

¹⁹ They replied, 'We are servants of the God of heaven and earth, and are rebuilding the temple which was erected many years ago, which a[4] great king of Israel built and finished.

²⁰ But because our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He handed them over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and exiled the people to Babylon.

²¹ But in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, [the same] King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild this house of God.

#	AMP
1	Then the king sent an answer to Rehum the [Persian] commander, to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their colleagues who live in Samaria and in the rest of the provinces west of the River: "Peace (Greetings). And now,
2	The document which you sent to us has been translated and read before me.
3	I have issued a command and a search has been made, and it has been discovered that this city [Jerusalem] in earlier times has revolted against the kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been perpetrated in it.
4	There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem who have ruled over all the provinces west of the [Euphrates] River, and tax, custom, and toll were paid to them.
5	So, now issue a decree to make these men stop [work], so that this city is not rebuilt until a [new] command is issued by me.
6	Beware of being negligent in carrying out this matter. Why should damage increase to the detriment of the kings?"
7	Then as soon as the copy of King Artaxerxes' document was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe, and their colleagues, they went up hurriedly to Jerusalem to the Jews, and made them stop [work] by force of arms.
8	Then the[5] work on the house of God in Jerusalem stopped. It was suspended until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
9	Now when the prophets, Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, the son (grandson) of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, whose Spirit was over them,
10	then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel [heir to the throne of Judah] and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God [Haggai and Zechariah] were with them, supporting and encouraging them.
11	At that time Tattenai, the governor of the province[1] on the west side of the [Euphrates] River, and Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues came to them and said, "Who[2] issued you a decree and authorized you to rebuild this temple and to restore this wall (shrine)?"
12	Then, accordingly, we told them the names of the men who were reconstructing this building.
13	But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, so they [Tattenai and the others] did not stop them until a report could come before Darius, and then an answer was returned by letter concerning it.
14	This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor of the province west of the [Euphrates] River, and Shethar-bozenai and his associates, the officials who were west of the River, sent to Darius the king.
15	They sent a report to him in which it was written: "To Darius the king, all peace.
16	Let it be known to the king that we have gone to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with huge stones, with beams laid in the walls; and this work goes on with diligence and care and is succeeding in their hands.
17	Then we asked those elders, 'Who issued you a decree to rebuild this temple and to finish this structure?'
18	We also asked them their names so that we might notify you, and so that we might record the names of the men[3] in charge.
19	They replied, 'We are servants of the God of heaven and earth, and are rebuilding the temple which was erected many years ago, which a[4] great king of Israel built and finished.
20	But because our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He handed them over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and exiled the people to Babylon.
21	But in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, [the same] King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild this house of God.

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