gezezra 6

Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in the house of the archives, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon.

And there was found at the city of Ecbatana a scroll, and in it was written this record:

In the first year of his reign, King Cyrus made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, that the house be built, the place where they offer sacrifices; and let its foundations be firmly laid, its height sixty cubits and its breadth sixty cubits,

with three layers of great stones and one layer of timber; and let the expense be given out of the king's house.

And let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple in Jerusalem and carried to Babylon, be restored and brought again to the temple in Jerusalem, each to its place; and you shall put them in the house of God.

Now therefore, Tattenai the governor beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and your companions the officials who are beyond the River, keep far from there.

Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God on its site.

Moreover I make a decree: take heed that you do nothing to hinder these elders of the Jews, nor restrain them from building this house of God; and let the expenses be given in full to these men out of the king's revenue from the tribute beyond the River, that the work be not hindered.

Take heed and let nothing be lacking: bullocks, rams, and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, with wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the word of the priests who are in Jerusalem—give it to them day by day without fail,

that they may offer sacrifices of a sweet savor to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king and his sons.

And I have made a decree: whoever alters this word of mine, let timber be pulled out from his house, and let him be hanged and slain upon it; and his house shall be made a dunghill for this.

And may the God who has caused His name to dwell there overthrow all kings and peoples who alter this word of mine, and who stretch out their hands to change and destroy this house of God which is in Jerusalem. I Darius have made this decree; let it be done with all diligence.

Then Tattenai the governor beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their companions who were with them, did so with all diligence, according to what Darius the king had sent.

And the elders of the Jews and the Levites built and prospered, through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo; and they built and finished it according to the commandment of the God of Israel and the decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

And the children of Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy.

And they offered for the dedication of this house of God a hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

And they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their courses for the service of God in Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of Moses.

And the children of the captivity kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.

For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves; all of them were clean. So they killed the Passover lamb for all the children of the captivity, and for their brothers the priests, and for themselves.

And the children of Israel who had returned from the captivity, and all who had separated themselves from the defilement of the nations of the land to join them, in order to seek Jehovah the God of Israel, ate the Passover,

and kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy; for Jehovah had made them joyful, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.