1 Esdras 2
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1IN*the first yere of the reigne of Cyrus King of the Persians, to fulfil the worde of the Lord by the mouth of Ieremias, 2The Lord raised vp the spirit of Cyrus King of the Persians, and he made proclamacion through out all his kingdome, euen by expresse lettres, 3Saying, Thus saith Cyrus King of the Persians, The Lord of Israel, euen the moste high Lord, hathe made me King ouer the whole worlde, 4And he hathe commanded me to buylde him an House in Ierusalem, which is in Iudea. 5If there be anie therefore of you of his people, let the Lord, euen his Lord be with him, & let him go vp to Ierusalem, which is in Iudea & buylde the House of the Lord of Israel: he is the Lord which dwelleth in Ierusalem. 6All they then that dwell in the places rounde about, those, I say, that are in his place, let them helpe him with golde and siluer, 7With giftes, with horses and cattel, and other things, which shalbe broght, according to the vowes into the Temple of the Lord, which is in Ierusalem. 8¶ Then arose the chief of the families of Iudea, and of the tribe of Beniamin, and the Priests & Leuites, & all whose minde the Lord had moued to go vp, and buylde an House to the Lord in Ierusalem. 9And those that were about them, helped them in all things with siluer and golde, horses, and cattel, and with diuers vowes of many whose mindes were stirred vp. 10Also King Cyrus broght out the holy vessels of the Lord, which Nabuchodonosor had caryed out of Ierusalem, and had consecrated them in the Temple of his idoles. 11Now when Cyrus King of the Persians had broght them out, he deliuered them to Mithridates his treasurer, 12By whome they were giuen to "Abassar the gouernour of Iudea. 13Whereof this was the nomber: a thousand golden cuppes, and a thousand siluer cuppes, basens of siluer for the sacrifices, nine and twentie violes, of golde thirtie, and of siluer two thousand, foure hundreth and ten, and a thousand other vessels. 14So all the vessels of golde and siluer, which thei caried away, were fiue thousand, foure hundreth, thre score and nine. 15They were broght by Sanabassar with them of the captiuitie of Babylon to Ierusalem. 16¶ But * in the time of Artaxerxes King of the Persians "Belemus, & Mithridates, and Tabellius, and Rathumus, and Beeltethmus, & "Semellius the secretarie, & others which were ioyned to these, dwelling in Samaria and in other places, wrote vnto him this epistle here following against them, that dwelt in Iudea & Ierusalem, TO THE KING ARTAXERXES OVR LORD, 17Thy seruants, Rathumus the writer of things that come to passe, and Semellius the secretarie, and the rest of their counsel, & the iudges which are in Coelosyria and Phenice. 18Be it now therefore knowen to our lord the King, that the Iewes which came vp from you, are come to vs into Ierusalem, that rebellious and wicked citie, & buylde the marked places, and make vp the walles thereof, and laye the fundacions of the Temple. 19Therefore if this citie be buylt, and the walles be finished, they wil not onely not indure to paye tribute, but wil also resist Kings. 20And because the things, perteining to the Temple, go forwarde, we thoght it not mete to passe ouer suche a thing, 21But to declare it to our lord the King, that if it be thy pleasure, it may be soght out in the bokes of thy fathers, 22And thou shalt finde in the Chronicles the writings concerning these things, and shalt knowe that this citie did alwaies rebel, & did trouble bothe Kings and cities, 23And that the Iewes are rebellious, raising alwaies warres therein: for the which cause also this citie was made desolate. 24Now therefore, ô lord the King, we declare it, that if this citie be buylt and the walles thereof repared, you shal haue no more passage into Coelosyria, nor Phenice. 25¶ Then the King wrote againe to Rathumus, that wrote the things that came to passe, and to Beeltethmus, and to Samellius the secretarie, and to the rest of those that were ioyned with them, and to the dwellers of Samaria, Syria and Phenice, these things that followe. 26I haue red the epistle, which ye sent to me: therefore I commanded, that it shulde be soght out, and it was founde, that this citie hathe alwaies practised against Kings, 27And that the men thereof were giuen to rebellion and warres, and how that mightie Kings and fierce haue reigned in Ierusalem, which toke tribute of Coelosyria and Phenice. 28Now therefore I haue commanded to forbid these men to buylde vp the citie, and that it be taken hede that no more be done, 29And that those wicked things, which shulde molest the King, go not forwarde. 30Then when Rathumus, & Semellius the secretarie and the rest, which were ioyned with them, had red the things, which King Artaxerxes had writen, they moued their tents with spede to Ierusalem with horses and men in araye, 31And began to let them which buylt, so that the buylding of the Temple in Ierusalem ceased vnto the seconde yere of the reigne of Darius King of the Persians.